Graduation Service

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”

Psalm 127:3–4 “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.”

Dr. Bryan Cutshall in his book Bows and Arrows lays out a very important concept for us. It is the system of mentors and mentees. Mentors are people who are older and have gone through some things. They have lived life and can guide younger folks (arrows).

I’ve always heard there is one surefire shortcut to success and that is to learn from the mistakes of others.

The Mentor/Mentee relationship is one of mutual respect and mutual dependency.

Both the bow and the arrow are weapons.

But if you think about it neither one of them are very useful without the other.

A bow without an arrow is not much more that a club and an arrow without a bow is a long pointy stick.

The enemy would literally have to be right on top of you before you could do anything. And by that time they would have the advantage.

Every Bow needs an Arrow and every Arrow needs a Bow.

Older folks — you are the Bows

Younger folks - you are the Arrow

Bows

Respect the difference between the bow and the arrow

David could not fight with Saul’s armor

They do things different - does not mean that God can’t use them

Be patient - you didn’t always know what you know

Arrows

have notches - they rest on the bow, and get guidance from the bow

should approach mentors with reverence and honor

Be open to feedback - be willing to be challenged to come out of their comfort zone

Arrows are the younger generation but as Paul wrote to Timothy — don’t let your youth be a hinderance for you. You may not have all the wisdom that you need BUT YOU HAVE VALUE!

Today we get to celebrate one of our Arrows. We want to recognize Wil Whitley as he graduates. He actually is graduating twice.

Perry Wilson Whitley

(Present his Bible and the book)

graduating from Southeast Bulloch High School

Graduating from Ogeechee Technical College with a Welding Certificate

Hopes to work for Cousin at Blue Collar when he turns 17

Then wants to be a welder when he turns 18

Loves hunting, fishing, listening to music

Wants a home and a family one day

Just bought a truck

Wil can go sit down

In the book I presented to Wil, Eric Metaxes writes about 7 great men. As I read this book I recognized that some of these people did great things and they were quite young when they did.

One of the people from that book is someone very familiar to most of you:

George Washington

Born: Feb 22, 1732 in what is now Westmoreland County, Virginia

Famous as our first president

He’s on the dollar bill

Has a state named after him

The nation’s capital is named after him

Has a monument

His birthday is a holiday

He was a real person with real struggles — he put his pant on one leg at a time

He seems too large to think of as a real person

He lost his father as an 11 year old boy

He never fathered any children of his own

“Washington was an extremely ambitious young man who worked hard to achieve fame, glory, land and riches — yet at a pivotal moment in American history, he did something so selfless that its difficult to fully fathom.”

He gave up power

When inherited Mt Vernon from his older brother at the age of 20

at 21 he was appointed as a Major by the VA governor

fought in the French and Indian War

So much more history is the book — “7 Men And the Secret of Their Greatness”

There are other young people who did extraordinary things that were not in the book:

Alexander the Great

Joan of Arc

We cannot forget about some of our Bible characters who were real people not just characters in a fictitious story