Final advice

Not that I am a sage or a man filled with a lot of wisdom, but I was just glad to be a part of Wheatland’s history – if only for 39 months.

And as I depart, I want to call you to a charge so that this place can flourish in the midst of adversity. I want to give a few tips that may help preserve the legacy of your incredible county.

• Don’t go to bed angry
• Don’t tell Jane that you’re mad at Brad when Brad is the one you should be talking to
• Be quick to listen and slow to speak
• Don’t ever get to a point where you’ve learned all you need to learn
• Even in a rebuke, be kind
• Don’t ever be afraid to say “I’m sorry” – and mean it

I can remember the wisdom of my grandmother who told me about the two-, three-, four- and five-word sentences that can change a life. I’m sorry. I love you. Don’t ever forget me. I promise to remember you.

Sometimes it’s not always having to be right – but sometimes it’s always right to be kind. We are a generation that is going through our darkest hours. Each generation had those dark hours of their soul.

People are fighting. Everything has been turned into a political carnival. Hearts are failing because of fear. We are on the brink of war. And the bad part is – as we witnessed during the “pandemic.” We’ve bought into it and brought it into our homes and our families and our communities.

If we want to turn a corner in America – it must begin with you. It must begin with me. It must be a paradigm shift. It must contain a heart change. It must be the willingness to sow a talented individual into a troubled team concept.

And finally, we must have the courage to look around and realize that pointing a finger and lending a hand come from two different points of view. Each one a personal choice.

Each one will yield a different outcome.

You also can’t do this by yourself or on your own. It’s not time to go rogue. It’s time to enlist some help.

I had five kids. To each of them, the most important thing I could teach was how to get back home if they found themselves lost. I always said, “if you can find your way to your knees, you can find your way home.”

This is all bigger than us, folks. Too overwhelming for any one heart to carry alone.

I can remember in all my years of ministry; one sentence has stuck with me through the years.

“When you’ve tried everything else and nothing has worked and you’ve exhausted every option and failed at every crossroads, try prayer.”