Who should you ask for advice?

Back when I was little, I liked to sit around with a bunch of old-timers and just listen. They'd talk about most everything. Always talked about the grass in the pastures and the hay and the weather or how much rain they'd got. Seemed like they would talk about the taxes. Many times they'd talk about how the calves were doing or how calving was coming along. Sometimes they'd talk about guys who stood out and had made a name for themselves. Eventually they would end up talking about everything, and along with their conversations would come all kinds of advice. They seemed to always have advice about women or girlfriends depending on one's age. Sometimes it was a little X-rated. Most of their advice was first-hand advice learned over decades of living. Most times their language was raw and unfiltered.

But thinking back on it, I can't remember any of the advice or the stories. With my 70-plus-year-old-mind I can't remember a single thing they said. But I do remember their lives. I remember how they lived and what they did. I remember how they treated us kids and the women and even the old men.

I remember an old feller just west of the old post office in Arthur, Nebraska. It might have been Bally Rob but not sure. Maybe Mom went there to visit, but I ended up in his shop just west of the house. I was looking around and for some reason he decided to make me a wooden slingshot. I remember he sawed out the "Y "for the slingshot and added some bands off an inner tube. I remember him. He made an impression.

Every year in August or September, I think August, Arthur would have a fair and rodeo. I enjoyed the rodeo, especially watching locals compete. At one time they had a horse pulling where two horse teams would compete to see which could pull the most weight. Always enjoyed that. One driver I still remember was Floyd Barker. He always had a good team of horses. Teams from clear down in Kansas would come to Arthur and compete. Dad always said they were darn poor horsemen. Barker's team would lean into the weight and then dig in and pull. The team from Kansas would lunge and carry on.

When we first moved to Scott City back in 1986, we were new to pastoring. I had seven years of schooling but almost zero experience. Two old retired ministers here in Scott City kind of took me under their wings so to speak. Old Bill Dickey and Brother Stephens. Rev. Dickey would comment on my preaching now and then, offering advice. Rev. Dickey worked at the funeral home, so every funeral I had we would sit and visit. Matter of fact, Rev. Dickey baptized me here in Scott City. I'd been sprinkled as a child but wanted to be dunked. Brother Stephens would encourage me and now and then offer some words of wisdom. Brother Stephens was always ready to pray. One piece of advice he gave was if he had to do his life all over again "he'd do less and let God do more". It was the men's lives that forever touched me and even changed me.

I think the key is investing time in an event or another person with the hope it will produce good results on down the road even if we never see it. Kind of like planting an oak tree. The planter will probably never sit in its shade, but his kids or grandkids might.

Our children and youth and young adults need men and women who will stand up to wrong and lift up what's right. Who will champion the cause of freedom and find guilty those who want to rob us of our God-given rights. Who will put God first and family a close second followed by country in third place. I guess no matter the cost, we need modern-day heroes who are proud of their heritage as Americans.