Leaning Toward Wisdom Randy Cantrell

I launched my webcam, put on headphones and sat behind the microphone to record "An Oral History." Parts 1 and 2 were recorded on March 11, 2011. Part 3 was recorded on January 16, 2017. Part 4 was recorded on June 23, 2022. I gave my children copies of Parts 1, 2 and 3. I haven't yet shared Part 4.



Fifteen to twenty years ago I first crafted a document I named, "When I Die." In it, I outlined, in some details, what I most wanted to happen when I die. I would regularly change and edit the document, often driven by the death of somebody. The deaths of close friends would spark greater editing. Life events then began to dramatically impact the document. As my life changed I'd edit the document. I changed the document drastically in the fall of 2018 when I went through some dark times. Since then I've changed it more slightly - tweaking it. I just finished making minor refinements to it this morning, sparked mostly because of the death of "the last man standing."



I made this post on Facebook on July 10, 2023...



The Last Man Standing

He was among a select group of older men who helped shape, influence and challenge me to become better. Always better.

Johnny Elmore, Ronny Wade, Barney Owens and Don King were the giants in my life. Trusted advisors I could call about anything. Everything. And I did call them. I leaned on them because they were stalwart men I could count on.

The Lord's work was always their top priority. My spiritual best was unquestioned. For wise counsel, caring challenges, or correction, I found none better than this group of men. They knew God's Word and how to apply it to our lives. They hopefully saw me at my best, but most importantly, they helped when things were at their worst.

Loving the Lord and His Church was THE common bond, but all four shared a wit, wisdom and humor that resonated with me since I was very young. They were fun. Funny. And it mattered. Men who could laugh at themselves, and others. Men who were slow to "should" me ("you should do this or that"). Instead, they were men open to question. To question the answers we may have thought we already knew. To answer the questions we may have not yet dared to ask. Truth seekers, each one of them. Truth tellers, all of them.

I loved them all very much. For their knowledge, experience, insights, wisdom and candor.

Don was the last man standing in my small, but vital circle of influence. At Ronny's passing I told him so. We talked about how as life rolls along we lose our mentors. I told him I may have to "get younger at that position." But there's no getting younger at that position. There's only the acknowledgement and gratitude that I had them for as long as I did. And I tried to make the most of it without being too intrusive. I came of age under the tutelage of these men. They were watchful protectors over every significant event and decision I made.

In just a matter of months three of them were gone. Barney. Johnny. Ronny. I told Don I hoped we'd have many more years together in the journey. I said, "I'm unprepared to go it alone without at least one old man in my life...tag you're it!" We chuckled...unaware of how little time we had. But in spite of his health challenges in recent years as his outward man began to perish, I was confident that Don's inner man was being renewed day by day. That's a confidence I had in all four of the old men in my life. It's why I was always anxious to hear their wisdom, listen to their counsel and make my decisions accordingly.

I'm thankful to have sat in the presence of these four giants who each helped me stand when I might have crumbled. Men whose influence is sure to outlive them. I loved them all. And felt loved back by each of them.

The following audio was recorded in my house on Friday afternoon, April 19, 2013 when Don and I recorded a conversation about building a good Christian home - a recordi...

"Thank you" is not just a complete sentence, but it's a complete prayer. Not comprehensive, but complete.



Today's special, unscheduled episode addresses the fear mongering, the pessimism, the mayhem, the poor (pathetic) behavior worldwide and why we ought to intentionally exercise gratitude, optimism and fight!



Something or somebody will have dominion over you. You get to decide. Sadly, many are allowing media, culture, government or opinions of others to rule their lives. Jerry Van Amerongen, my all-time favorite cartoonist, created this humorous approach to dominion. But it's a serious matter, deciding whom you'll serve.







 







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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers only played this song 60 times. Tom played it by himself just once. I guess after writing the song Tom figured it really was time to move on. At certain points in life, a song like this could serve as a theme. We reach a point where we need a change. Or where we want one. Sometimes, a change is kinda sorta forced on us by circumstances. We need to leave something behind and start something different. Something new, hopefully, better.



The older we get the more we encounter the need to move on. Sometimes it's a physical need. It's always psychological. Emotional (that just means we have feelings about it - it doesn't mean we're necessarily dramatic about it).



Our lives are largely defined by routines. Okay, sometimes our routines become ruts, but mostly our routines serve us. They keep us sane and on track. They prevent us from having to add a million little unnecessary decisions, giving us the opportunity to do many things on auto-pilot without much thought. They help us combat anxiety. Routines are wise tools.



Until they no longer serve us.



Or until they're detrimental.



A routine can be different than the morning rituals you may be thinking about. A routine can be the current state of your life. The ways things are - and the way they have been for a while. There's no time limit required to qualify something as "routine."



Nothing lasts forever. Well, to be more accurate - most things don't. That includes the circumstances of our life, which are part of our routines. It's the current state of things in our life. Current is a description that would indicate the present, which implies there's a past and a future. Things change. Sometimes we move on. Or we should.



How can we know when it's time to move on?







Please tell a friend about the podcast!



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Help Me Reach My $1,000 Goal

I plan to start vlogging from Hot Springs Village, Arkansas because the place is spectacular.

The scenery will make for a great backdrop. Plus, there are many places I'd like you to see.

To help, click the link (or the image below) to donate

Sweetwater Gift Certificates (use RandyCantrell@gmail.com).

Thank you!

Be a buffalo. It's an old tale, which happens to be true. It was also a podcast episode here.



Courage is hard. Fear is easy.



We're all afraid, but that's no excuse to avoid fending off our monsters...and cutting them down to size. Or pulling them up by the roots!



Let's lean harder toward wisdom and away from our foolishness...and our fears.







Please tell a friend about the podcast!



• Join our private Facebook group

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Help Me Reach My $1,000 Goal

I plan to start vlogging from Hot Springs Village, Arkansas because the place is spectacular.

The scenery will make for a great backdrop. Plus, there are many places I'd like you to see.

To help, click the link (or the image below) to donate

Sweetwater Gift Certificates (use RandyCantrell@gmail.com).

Thank you!

Wishing you well on this first Monday in September. I'm hoping to finish 2023 strong. You?



Thank you. All of you. For your time and attention.







Please tell a friend about the podcast!



• Join our private Facebook group

• Email me

Help Me Reach My $1,000 Goal

I plan to start vlogging from Hot Springs Village, Arkansas because the place is spectacular.

The scenery will make for a great backdrop. Plus, there are many places I'd like you to see.

To help, click the link (or the image below) to donate

Sweetwater Gift Certificates (use RandyCantrell@gmail.com).

Thank you!

It's continuous improvement. That's the objective.



The thing being improved? Storytelling.



It really boils down to all communication.



I wrote down the title of today's show in a little notebook years ago. I was thinking about this podcast and the craft of podcasting. I've purchased and read many books on storytelling. Exceptional storytellers are rare. Most people are guilty of today's title - filling their story with unnecessary (extraneous) details that don't contribute to the story at all.



Let's wrestle with this idea a bit and see if we can learn to lean more toward wisdom.







Please tell a friend about the podcast!



• Join our private Facebook group

• Email me

Help Me Reach My $1,000 Goal

I plan to start vlogging from Hot Springs Village, Arkansas because the place is spectacular.

The scenery will make for a great backdrop. Plus, there are many places I'd like you to see.

To help, click the link (or the image below) to donate

Sweetwater Gift Certificates (use RandyCantrell@gmail.com).

Thank you!