Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXIX

Some people just get on my nerves. Mainly because they're idiots. Well, I don't guess it's really fair to call them idiots because when it comes to intelligence, they're fairly normal. It's more like...well...they have some annoying habits. And...in addition to those stupid habits, you should hear who they voted for in the last election. Then, for some odd reason, one of them is a big Wake Forest fan, and he wears that ugly W/F sweatshirt everywhere he goes. And you should hear his wife. She has that squeaky, whiny voice that reminds me of someone scraping their fingernails on a chalk board. What I'm trying to say is I could accept them much better if they were...well, if they were more like me. Take those annoying habits, for example. While I'm not totally habit-free, I have only two or three that would be considered annoying, and they have at least...well, I can think of two. Okay, we'll forget the annoying habits. Let's talk about how they voted. I will accept the fact that they voted for the person they thought would be the best candidate, but, you see, I voted for the one that I thought would be...the best candidate. Are you starting to see why they get on my nerves so much? You're not? Well, if you had to see that old ugly gold and black sweatshirt with the big "WF" on the front, you'd understand. Yes, I wear my team's shirt too, but it's not gold and black, unless you're talking about my NFL team. Well, at least my voice is not squeaky. Granted, my accent may annoy a few people, and perhaps my singing voice may be a little unnerving, but I don't squeak. Of course, I have to admit that his wife can hit the high notes like few people can. Actually, those annoying people have been nice to me. That makes me wonder if I've ever gotten on their nerves. If I did, they didn't let it show, but then, neither did I. That makes me ask one more tough question: Am I holding them to a higher standard than what I can attain? Shame on me! I think I'll give them a call. They may become my new best friends. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXVIII

Just for the record, I'm a Christian. A pretty good one, actually...even if I have to say so myself. I'm also a business man. One thing I've learned as a business man and as a Christian is the fact that many of the same principles hold true for both. One such principle has to do with my competition. In the business world as well as in my Christian walk there are forces who desire to stifle any successes I might achieve and turn them into progress for their own agendas. Therefore it would serve me well to study the tactics of my competitors and always be aware of the methods they're using to further their causes. When I do that, I will see the techniques they're using that appear to be working, and when it's proper to do so, I can adopt those same methods for my own purposes. It would not be too difficult to find people who would readily admit that they do that in the business world, but is it okay to follow the same practices in our lives as Christians? I think it is. Allow me to explain. First let me tell you how this idea came to me. My son and daughter-in-law were preparing to have new flooring installed in their home, and I was helping them strip off the old wood and tile. Believe me...that was a tough job, especially for us who had never done that type of work before. Whoever installed the old floor glued it really well, making our job much more difficult. We were constantly looking for some little tricks that would make our task easier, and Charlie, my son, said, "I've figured out that if I look for a weak spot and attack it, it works much better." I replied, "That's how the devil operates." Charlie joked, "That's where I learned it." I came back with, "Yeah, I guess we could take a few lessons from the devil." Satan is my enemy and I hate him, but I have to admit that he's pretty good at what he does. Can you think of some of his methods of operation that we might should emulate? Think about it! He never ever gives up on anyone. No matter how old I live to be, he will continue to work on me as if I was an adolescent. He doesn't discriminate against any individual, regardless of their race, religion, age, gender, or financial condition....he treats everyone the same. He's constantly on the lookout for any type of opportunity that may come available, which also means that he's always on the job. He's not lazy. He has learned to take good work habits and use them for evil intent, and he has made some great strides toward his wicked purposes by using those techniques. What's stopping us from adopting some of his methods and using them for good? I have no doubt that if we copy his ideas that do not go against the laws of God, we'll beat him at his own game. There's nothing wrong with that. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXVII

Ahhhh! I love those days, those nights, those places, those people with whom I can just sit back and relax, forgetting about all the worries that plague us all practically every day of our lives. And those good times leave us with pleasant memories that will stay with us for a long, long time. I don't have to reach very far back into my memory bank to recall such events. Just a few weeks ago we took a running trip to Oklahoma City, and on the Friday night that we arrived in town, we went to Starbucks in the Bricktown area, bought us some coffee, and just sat outside enjoying the breeze, conversing with friends, and watching people go by and the baby ducks playing in the water. So relaxing. We have a family trip planned in the next few weeks to the mountains of North Georgia, and I'm hoping it turns out to be a worry-free event that will give us happy memories for the rest of our lives. Just remembering those special times can brighten our days when we're in the middle of the chaos of our normal lives. Do you have any of those special times in your life that bring smiles of joy to your face when they come to your mind? If not, you need to try to make it happen. It's good for your health, and it can prolong your life. During the times when I'm making an effort to count my blessings, I find myself so overwhelmed by the number of close friends we have, and also at the harmonious relationship we have with our family that I have to just say, "Thank you Lord for blessing me the way you have done." I may not have as much money as many of the people I know, but I have to look long and hard to find someone who is more blessed than I am. There's just one tiny problem that I've been working on trying to fix, and I often wonder how many of you have to deal with the same issue. It seems that I can never get to the point to where I'm just totally one hundred per cent at ease. Are you that way too? I feel like I can move my problems and negative thoughts off the front burner, but they just never seem to completely leave my mind. I guess what I'm saying is I don't feel like I'm ever fully relaxed. Am I the only one who has to deal with this issue, or is it even possible to flush every negative or worrisome thought out of our minds? I can get there to a point, but never as far as I want to go. Now please don't forget that I just told you how much I love those times of relaxation with friends and family. I really mean that!! I'm just trying to see if there's a way I can make them even better. I'm sure trying! Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXVI

I don't use profanity. Well, not now at least. In the third grade, it was a different story....for a while. One of my buddies at school "cussed" every other breath, and I took it as an opportunity to greatly expand my vocabulary by learning a few choice words from him. I was a quick learner and everything was going great until the day I came home from school and proudly used some of my newly acquired colorful language in front of my mother. Oh! My! Goodness! She explained to me in ways that I'll never forget that I was not to ever use that type of vulgarity again. Her method worked! Well, it worked until that time a few years ago when, as an adult, a couple bad words slipped out before I knew what was happening. Here's how it happened. I had spent a couple of weeks working around some potty mouth guys, and then, at a most inopportune time, their influence had an effect on me in front of a guy that I greatly respected, and it came out before I knew it. If anyone around was surprised that I talked like that, their surprise was not nearly as great as mine. And that brings me to my point of the day. Sometimes I think we're much more easily influenced than we think we are. More than likely all of us feel that we're tough enough and strong willed enough to not let the actions of those around us have an influence on us. Really? Well, try this experiment. If you're from the South, try moving to Minnesota for a couple years and then move back south again. Even though the people you talk to in Minnesota will always notice your southern accent, when you get back to the South, all the southerners will think you now talk like a Yankee. There's one place in the Bible where Paul instructs us "when in Rome, do as the Romans." I believe if we stay in Rome long enough, we'll do that anyway. That's why it's so important to be particular about the company we keep on a regular basis. I also believe that all of us have our strong points and we all have our weak points. Therefore, if I have a history of being weak in certain areas, I should avoid other people who share the same weaknesses. For example, if I'm a reformed alcoholic, I should not keep regular company with people who drink. If I'm a person with a history of cheating on my spouse, even though I feel that I've had a transformation of heart, I should still avoid allowing myself to get into situations where I may be tempted to fall back down into that same old pit. Some days we're just not as strong as we are on other days, and we never know what days they will be. I'm reminded of the movie "Fireproof" when the main character who was trying to overcome an addiction to pornography finally took his computer out into the back yard and chopped it up with an axe. I guess my main point is we should never feel that we're at a point in our lives where we're beyond being influenced by our peers. None of us are as insulated as we think we are. If we stay in Rome long enough, we'll become Romans. Preston