Are you listening to me, I said NO

The Answer is NO

There are many reasons to go to church, most importantly to give God his glory. But every now and then, you hear things, you learn things that have an impact on your life. Today was one of them.

A Morrison Bible fellowship friend, Gary Baldwin quoted a past pastor by the Name of Mark Corts, former pastor of Calvary Baptist Church who said, “I challenge you to say “No” to something at least once a day”. Later in the afternoon, I began to think about that profound idea. We live in a luxurious society where “yes” is preached to us constantly. “Yes” you need a better car, “yes” you need a larger house, “yes” you need those designer clothes, “yes” you need the iPhone X (guilty, kind of, I have the 8). All of those things are good, but so often we turn good things into bad things. Just look at our waist lines.

 “Yes” is certainly important as I’m glad my wife said it to me many years ago. But think about the times we said “Yes” in our life and the consequences that followed them. Consider the internal moments we’ve wanted to fight with our spouse, and the moment we said “Yes. I’m going to release those angry words” ….if only we’d said “No”. I thought about the many times I have said “Yes” when I should have said “No’. It made me think of the trajectory that the word “Yes” has the ability to make. Simple decisions that five years down the road you wish you’d said “No”. 

 
It’s all about self discipline!

The Exercise of saying “No” is something I’m going to consciously attempt to reflect on this week. If nothing else, the practice will at least make me stand at the cross road of decision and make a slow wise choice. Who knows, I might even lose 10 pounds.

The power to direct, delight or destroy!

Jerry Morrison summed up a powerful message about the tongue! I fall short very often. However, I hope that when people hear my name, or your name, they think positive things rather than words like sarcastic, self centered talker, etc. Listen to what Jerry has to say about the part of your body that offers life or death.

Travel decisions....

Robert Frost wrote about travel. In his most famous piece, “Road not taken”, he ended by saying “I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”


Writing this on Delta getting ready to leave a conference I attended in Jacksonville, FL, my mind is fast forwarding to another jet I’ll be boarding this next Wednesday.  I have traveled many places and I can say they were fun. Some more exciting than others. But like Frost, this Wednesday I’ll be traveling down a road that is not traveled so much. Unlike the crowded beaches of the east coast (which I dearly love) or even the Appalachian Mountains that I sit at the base of in the foothills, Montana takes me to a place of solitude that has made all the difference to me. Waking up at the base of the Elkhorn Mountains lookin up at its 9000 feet summits, then looking to the river that Lewis & Clark traversed years after Jefferson said Go West to watching the eagle soar along the banks of long written about rivers.

What is it about the quiet fall of the waters on the Missouri with canyons on each side of your boat enveloping you physically and even spiritually as you realize that only a divine creator could use his brush strokes to make something so significant. It’s hard to describe how the snow-melt waters of the Dearborn River intersect with the might MO. While this road has taken me to a peaceful place over and over, the excitement that comes with a fly line that goes from needing mending to briskly leaving your float boat with the amazing colorful rainbow or brown on the end of your line.

Montana is less traveled than the average place to vacation. But the views, the waters, the mountains, and the friends Ive made have made all the difference. So with a sigh, as I prepare to go back to Montana, I can say, this incredible state “has made all the difference” to me.

It was very quiet

The power of quiet!

I have often heard in church “Be still and know that I am God”.

As an extrovert who is charged by activity, being still is probably one of the hardest things to accomplish. But this morning, in the quiet of a Charleston, SC hotel, I sat on an chase lounge, and from about 5:45-6:30 am, I didn’t turn on the TV, I didn’t hear text messages beeping, and there was little to no traffic noise outside. Elizabeth was in dreamland and I just sat there quietly and silently spoke to myself and heard the quietness of God in the room.

All is quiet

Our generation probably more than any other, is challenged with noise: good and bad. Our phones are glued to our bodies. They are used for talking, listening to music, books and etc. We are addicted to TV. We proudly talk about binge watching Netflix shows. When we wake, we turn on the news. As we get in our vehicles, we turn on the radio. But this morning, the soundtrack of my life was simply silence.

Meditation? I don’t know. I just sat there. But the experience seemed to help me organize all of my priorities into an orderly list. It was as though life was in slow motion. And for a guy who seems to be in pretty fast motion everyday…..it was good.

I might have found something here. The sound of silence.

Thomas Jefferson Randolph....right here in Davie County!!

Thomas Jefferson was 6'2'. Jeff towered over me.

Since we sold the estate of Andre the Giant in Ellerbe, North Carolina, I thought that would be our celebrity of the decade transaction. But recently Ashton & Elizabeth  took a conventional listing call. The usual took place, comp searches, sharing of our marketing plan, etc. Everything was typical until Elizabeth asked the client to give her his full name. He said, sure, Thomas Jefferson Randolph VIII. She kept writing and said, Thomas Jefferson....the eighth?? He said yes, I am the 8^th descendant from Thomas Jefferson. By the way…. You can call him “Jeff."

America's third president, Thomas Jefferson married Martha Skelton and of their six children only two girls made it to adulthood. Their first born child was Martha Jefferson who later married Thomas Mann Randolph. 8 generations down the line enters Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” Randolph.

Thomas Jefferson

Martha Jefferson

Jeff is selling his house in Davie County, NC to serve a church in South Carolina. He and his wife Sarah have a beautiful baby girl named Lydia.

If you know me, you’ll know I love history. So meeting Jeff and Sarah was really neat. Ironically, Elizabeth and I had just visited Monticello this past fall so Elizabeth and Jeff had much to talk about that day. This is his family's estate and where his family convenes for reunions. He and his wife both have a spot reserved in the family cemetery at beautiful Monticello where Thomas Jefferson and his decedents are laid to rest.

After we met, I thought….wow!! An actual descendant of Thomas Jefferson, an American founding father who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and President from 1801 to 1809.

President Jefferson graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia. He had a brief law practice. Two years into his presidency, Jefferson convinced Congress to fund an expedition through the Louisiana territory to the Pacific Ocean. In 1803, Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery, and named U.S. Army Captain Meriwether Lewis its leader. Lewis selected William Clark as second in command. We love the story of Lewis & Clark and have followed much of their travels in our own adventures to Montana, along the banks of the wide Missouri River.

Jefferson’s last days were at Monticello where he died on July 4, 1826. I thought this was almost like divine fate for a founding father to leave this earth on independence day. On our tour, we saw the very bed in which he drew his last breath.

We appreciate Jeff and Sarah placing their trust in our firm to sell their most valuable asset. While their past is written about and opined by countless historians all having their own biases, I honor them for their unique heritage. But the one thing I walked away with is despite the celebrity and fame of their past, these are two young people who I would call salt of the earth.

PS: If you haven’t visited Monticello….it's worth the trip!!

Holy, Holy, Holy Anticipation

You know, the anticipation of trips are almost as much fun as the trips themselves.

For about 6 months, Elizabeth, Lewis (our son) and I have been anxiously awaiting this day.  When Elizabeth and I were in the Holy Lands in 2012, we told each other, "we WILL bring our children here."  Now it's Lewis' turn.

Now, getting ready to board a Lufthansa airplane headed first to Munich, and then on to Tel Aviv where we will arrive early Wednesday Morning.

Packed and ready to go

We will ride down the Mifrats Shlomo Promenade to the old city of Jaffa. More commonly referred to in the English bible as Joppa,  it is the oldest part of Tel Aviv -Yafo. It was an ancient Mediterranean port. The most famous biblical story there is about Jonah, who was reluctantly called to preach and was swallowed by a big fish. The area is also known for stories about Solomon and Peter.  Consider reading in the New Testament Acts 9:36-43 to read about the charitable lady name "Dorcas" It was there that Peter performed the miracle of bringing her back to life.

If you're following, you'll probably see my gray & orange hat with a star and gavel. It was a gift from my friends at Bidwrangler. They are my auction software bidding platform company. They have been a great partnership on my digital journey to make auctions as easy as a click. So, you'll probably see my  hashtag #Bidwranglerjourney . I wanted them in some small way to enjoy my journey as they have been a part of mine.

Shalom for now

Saying goodbye to a loyal friend

It was a cold winter afternoon when we picked up our new found friend Zoe. With puppy breath and a sleek chocolate coat, Liz and I took her home with the expectations of an exciting December  morning. Our kids Ashton & Lewis received the puppy as a Christmas gift at their grandparents house. I am certain 14 years later, its the only present they remember getting that year.

One of our Appalachian Trail Journeys

Elizabeth, put Zoe into full training mode which the results showed up the rest of her life. Zoe walked with me on a few Appalachian Trail journeys. She followed Elizabeth and I up and down Oak Meadow lane as we attempted our health walks. Many times, we would walk on to the busier Ratledge Road, we would tell her to “Stay”, we would walk a mile or two, and when we returned, she would be sitting there just waiting for us.  She shadowed me and my horse on our rides around the farm. On good days and bad, she was there to greet us as we came home.

After the trail rest.

She was there at the prom pictures, birthdays and cold Christmas mornings. On my daughters wedding day, she greeted all the guest at our house. Lewis, our son, treated Zoe like his on. She wasn’t a guard dog, although now my heart needs guarding.

It is our time to say goodbye. Her health is poor and she is no longer eating. Her body is frail. On this cool Friday morning, Elizabeth and I made the decision she doesn’t need to suffer any longer.

Zoe was loyal. She watched our family grow. In some small way, she raised us. Today, I am functioning with a broken heart, but tomorrow, I will walk with memories that only a man and a dog can create.