Title: It's Worth the Gamble

Gamble- Take risky actions in hope of a desired result.


Matthew 6:24- ““No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.”
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NOW THEM ARE FIGHTING WORDS!!!!

Tithe- One tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the church and clergy.

Biblical definition: A tenth of the produce or someone's earnings, set apart for a specific purpose in multiplying the Kingdom of God.

Why people don't tithe:
1-It's all mine.
2-I give elsewhere.
3-God will provide through others.
4-My gift don't really count.
5-I only give to what I like. (Control freak giver)
6-My husband controls the money.
7-I will tithe when I can afford it.
8-I'm afraid to tithe.
9-We have forgotten that Jesus gave His ALL.
10-Deep down, do I really care about people's eternity?

How your tithe is used at Latitude Church.
1-Outreach
2-Ministries
3-Missions
4-Utilities
5-Maintenance
6-Special Events
7-Salaries of staff
8-Everyday Operations

IT'S WORTH THE GAMBLE!!!

Show video of Drew and Meredith***

"To have to think about tithing was terrifying. "
"We are not owners, but stewards. "

Psalm 50:10-12 “for every animal of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is Mine.”
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**When our full allegiance is to God, including our MONEY, -He always provides.

Exodus 20:4-5 “Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God...

God always provides to those who are His faithful servants.


Video of Sabrina Ogelsby
"It's all His anyway, He just moves it around!"

Philippians 4:11-13 “I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
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**The Result with Trusting God with the Gamble**

If gamble means to take risky actions in hope of a desired result, then Trusting God with the Gamble means to have full reliability and confidence in the God that owns it all and provides it all.

Bring Chad Smith on the stage!!!!!!

Malachi 3:10-“Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.”
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Luke 6:38- “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over — will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.””
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Psalm 4:5- “Offer sacrifices in righteousness and trust in the Lord.”
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It's Worth the Gamble!!!

Title: Would You Rather?

1) They must Love Jesus

2) They must love the church

3) They must love me


Proverbs 27:6 “The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.”
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The Message: “The wounds from a lover are worth it; kisses from an enemy do you in.”
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The Amplified Version: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern], But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful [because they serve his hidden agenda].”
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1-It's more about the HELPING than it is the HURTING.

Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent.”
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Solomon said, "Open rebuke is better than secret love. "

"It is better to hear rebuke when it is warranted than to hear of a secret profession of love that never issues in acts of kindness. ". "The reproof of a friend is a valuable adjunct of friendship. The usefulness of friendship is dissipated when loving and faithful reproof is divorced from the relationship. "

Leviticus 19:17 ““You must not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.”
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If you speak words that inflict pain on purpose, to attempt to prove your point, it's like sewing poison.

Ephesians 4:29 “No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.”
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2- A FILTER prevents FOLLY

Colossians 4:6 “Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person."

A TWO-FACED FAKE!!!!

Proverbs 16:23 “A wise heart instructs its mouth and increases learning with its speech.”
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Proverbs 12:18 “There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
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Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body.”
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How should we FILTER?
-Speak up to people not down to them
-What would Jesus say
-Will what I say bring life or death
-Am I building them up or tearing them down
-Is my heart deceptive or is it healed
-Am I filtering my words
-Am I patiently administering or hastily hurting

FILTERING PREVENT FOLLY!!

Title: ACT LIKE IT THEN

Them Re Fighting Words

SCRIPTURE- Colossians 3:1-15 “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.”
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Number 1: SEEK
V. 1-So, if you have been raised with the Messiah, SEEK what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6:33- But SEEK first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you as well.

When is the last time you sought after God?

Second: SET
V. 2- SET your minds.....

Focus one's will and emotions on the spiritual reality of heaven, and letting that control one's motivations, rather than getting caught up in the earthly concerns.

Psalm 73:25- Whom do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you.

How do we SET our minds on Jesus?

1-Do away with the competition.

2- Make an appointment and keep it.

3-Repeat every day!

Number 3: SLAY

Constantly put to death our sinful nature.


Number 4: SAME
V. 11- Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

"All earthly distinctions begin to fade when a person is joined with Christ. Believers increasingly take on the image of God rather than the likeness of man. "

Remain focused on what lies ahead, not on what prevents us from the mission God has called us to.

SEEK, SET, SLAY, BE THE SAME.

"ACT LIKE IT THEN"

The NOW GENERATION
The UNASHAMED generation

Why are teenagers NOT going to church?

1-Sunday only Christians

2-Do as I say, Not as I do

3-Unrelatable

4-One foot in- One foot Out

5-Perfect Christian Syndrone

How do we help the Now generation in becoming the UNASHAMED generation?

#1: We have to know that IT IS DIFFERENT

(Interview Albert after this point)

#2: Raise our expectations

1 Timothy 4:12 No one should despise your youth; instead you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

"When we set the bar too low, they will reach it every time. "

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

-Today we check in
-Today we raise our expectations
-Today can determine if they will live their lives for Jesus

-By the age of 9, moral foundations of children are generally determined.

-By the age of 13, their spiritual identities will be set.

-9 out of 10 churched young adults are leaving the church.

Those who are being saved:
*32% for children between 5 and 13 years old
*4% for children between 14 and 18
*6% for people 19 years and older

61% of adults who attended church as children still attend regularly, while 22% of those who were not churchgoers as children attend church today.

63% of parents who were churched as children take their children to church. 33% who were not churched do not bring their children to church.

Only 6% of middle schoolers will have accepted Jesus as Savior if they do not do so by the age of 9.

"The greatest evangelical window currently available is among young children" Barna

Proverbs 22:6. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. "

#1: We train with the right M & Ms: (Methods and Materials.).

According to Barna research group: People Remember;
-10 percent of what they READ
-20 percent of what they HEAR
-30 percent of what they SEE
-50 percent of what they SEE and HEAR
-70 percent of what they SAY and WRITE
-90 percent of what they DO

#2: We train at the right LEVEL
( interview Jen here)

#3: We train in the right PLACES

The right place starts at:

YOUR HOUSE!!!!

You get 2,912 hours per year with your children to train them.
COMPARED TO
about 52 hours per year at church, if you come every week.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 ““Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your fathers.”
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Joshua said in Joshua 24:15 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Title: The NOW generation - The Greatest Investment

"70% of all high school graduates have walked away from the church!!"

What does this mean? It means that the church has created a culture where children and students are really not that important. That training them to know Jesus and to make Him known is for them to figure out instead of us being intentional.

"If we don't empower our children and teenagers, there will not be a church in 20 years!"

Luke 2:39-52. "When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on Him. Every year His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. When He was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it. Assuming He was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” “Why were you searching for Me? ” He asked them. “Didn’t you know that I had to be in My Father’s house? ””
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#1: WE TAP INTO THEIR POTENTIAL

As the church, we have to treat our children and teenagers as the church, not the future of the church.

The moment a child or teenager gives their life to Jesus, they become a disciple of Jesus. They have the same potential in becoming equipped and called just like you and I.

We have to stop saying-they are our future. If we wait around for their future, and treat them as the future, there won't be a future for them inside the church.

#2: We cannot confuse their curiosity with being annoying.

How will our children and teenagers know how to act as a follower of Jesus and continue to do the work of an evangelist, a preacher, a teacher, a prophet and missionary, unless we allow them to be curious?

#3: We have to take it SERIOUS

If we don't teach them inside of the church, you better believe that the world will teach them outside of the church.

#4: We FUND what we are FOR

We have to make the investment!

"Growth begins because somebody chose to give"

Some of the wealthiest people in the world became wealthy because somebody saw their potential, they embraced their curiosity, they took them serious and the invested in them.

We fund our children and teens, not for what they might bring to the table, but what they are already bringing to the table.

God calls us to MULTIPLY His kingdom, not to maintain it!

Title: When God throws a "BUT" in your plans.
(God does not apologize for the interruptions)

Proverbs 16:9- "The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

If your plans have not yet been interrupted with a "but" from God, the closer you walk with Jesus the more you are guaranteed that an interruption will come.

Jonah 1:1-3 “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord."


#1: REBELLION
To deliberately, go against authority.

God will never ask us to do anything that He doesn't prepare us before hand!

BUT!!!!- an objection


You might not rebel, but you do try and:
#2: REDIRECT

We can be so focused on trying to redirect God, that we totally miss out on what He has for us!

Jonah 1:4- The. The Lord hurled a violent wind on the sea and a raging storm came against the boat Jonah was in.
V. 15- They picked up Jonah and three him into the sea.
V. 17- Then the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the great fish three days and three nights.

We can "REBEL" against the but of God's plans. We can REDIRECT our plans so that God will hopefully forget about what He has asked us to do, or we can:
#3: RECONSIDER

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
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THE BIG SHOW

Why do we do what we do at Latitude Church?

#1: We have an audience of One!!
Acts 5:29- "“But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.”
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Acts 5:30-32 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted this man to His right hand as ruler and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.””
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In other words: JESUS IS THE ONE!!
HE IS THE BIG SHOW!!

#2: We can't contain our praise!

Psalm 149: 1-6a “Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly. Let Israel celebrate its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King. Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and lyre. For Yahweh takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation. Let the godly celebrate in triumphal glory; let them shout for joy on their beds. Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths..."

Psalm 150: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord"

"So that when your time of testing is over, you don't have to manufacture your praise. You just pick up where you left off with your praise!"

SOMEBODY PRAISE HIM!!!!

#3: We have been tasked with a Responsibility.

Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
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Ephesians 2:1. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins....

Verse 4- BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!!

KNOW HIM AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!!

JESUS is THE BIG SHOW!! It's ALL about JESUS.

Title: God's buts come with BENEFITS

Benefit- an advantage or profit gained from something.

Romans 4:24-25 “but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
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Romans 5:1-8 “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person — though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. BUT GOD- proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!”

Hebrews 11:1- Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do NOT see.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast.”
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"It's the grace of God that cost Jesus His peace with God, so that we can enjoy the goodness of God"

BENEFIT #1: Justification(to be made right, to be in right standing with God)
"We can be so busy working to obtain God's favor that we miss the benefits of His forgiveness"

Our justification is credited to us because of the faith in which we exercise.

BENEFIT #2: Peace

BENEFIT #3: Access (a means of entrance into somewhere or something)

BENEFIT #4: Boasting (jubilation, exultant rejoicing-to SHOUT ABOUT IT)

Luke 15:10- “I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.””
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BENEFIT #5: Glory
"Tried Integrity"

BENEFIT #6: God's Love (agape)

You don't have the ability to love others in the way God desires for you to love others until you have placed your faith in the God who first loved you!

BENEFIT #7: Demonstration (We see the benefit)


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That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. Genesis 32:22‭-‬23

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was out of place as he wrestled with the man. Genesis 32:24‭-‬25

Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
Genesis 32:26‭-‬27

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Genesis 32:28

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. Genesis 32:29

I know That I'm Israel BUT Jacob Won't Let Me Go

Your PAST doesn't disqualify you from your FUTURE in Christ Jesus!!!

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. Genesis 25:21

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. Genesis 25:24‭-‬25

After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping (clutching) Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Genesis 25:26

Don't forget where you came from.

The same grace that God extended to you is the same grace and compassion that God expects you to extend to others.

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. SO JACOB WAS LEFT ALONE... Genesis 32:22-24

Jacob was UNPLUGGED.

• UNPLUG

When was the last time you were unplugged?

Be still (UNPLUG) and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10

When you unplug and get into the presence of God, God shows you--YOU!!!

So I said: “Woe is me, FOR I AM UNDONE! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. -Mark 1:35

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. -Luke 5:16

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
-Luke 6:12

After he had DISMISSED THEM, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone... -Matthew 14:23

Who or what do you need to dismiss out of your life so that you can plug in with God?

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was out of place as he wrestled with the man. Genesis 32:24‭-‬25

• Pick the right fight.

What are you wrestling with today?

Wrestling with God is the wrong fight.

Wrestling with your spouse or your significant other is the wrong fight.

Wrestling with your child or your co-worker is the wrong fight.

Wrestling with the adversary THROUGH God's power is the right fight.

Finally, be strong IN THE LORD and in HIS MIGHTY POWER. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10‭-‬11

FOR OUR STRUGGLE IS NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a BROKEN spirit, A BROKEN and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Psalms 51:16‭-‬17

It's not until you BREAK a hundred dollar bill that you get CHANGE back.

Jesus then commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He BLESSED and BROKE and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
Matthew 14:19

God BLESSES what HE BREAKS, but He never takes His hands off of it while breaking it.

Then the man said, “Let me go, FOR IT IS DAYBREAK.” -Genesis 32:26

• It's a new season.

Dont be so busy crying over the brook that has dried up, that you miss the ocean that God currently has flowing for you!

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Genesis 32:26‭

The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Genesis 32:27

• God sees more inside of you than you see inside of yourself.

The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
Genesis 32:27

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel (God's chosen people), because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Genesis 32:28

• The struggle is over.

Your past doesn't have the power to keep you unless you want to be kept.

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. Genesis 32:29

• It was nobody BUT GOD.

And God appeared unto Jacob AGAIN, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. -Genesis 35:9

And God said unto him, your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name: and he called his name Israel. Genesis 35:10

And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. Genesis 35:19

And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. Genesis 35:20

AND ISRAEL journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar... -Genesis 35:21

What's your Rachel?