Once we were young.

Now, we're old. Okay, older.

Being older is good. Often, it's great!

She was always gorgeous. I was always smitten. Madly in love.



The love affair began on Wednesday night, July 2, 1975. During a church camp meeting in Oklahoma. I asked her out on a date following church services that night. She said yes.

That orange car in the picture was our chariot. We drove around a bit. Talked a lot. Probably went to a Dairy Queen for soft drinks. I can't remember. Eventually, I kissed her. She kissed me back. And it was all so easy. The conversation. The being together. The kissing.

But I'm ahead of myself.

First, there was her reputation. And my respect for her.

She was known for being determined to remain faithful to her convictions. We shared faith. The Faith.

She was smart, dedicated, disciplined, and intentional. The oldest of six kids.

It was evident.

It was among the top reasons I asked her out. She was beautiful, but that was bonus content. ;)

I hadn't been in love like this before. Ever.

This was different, and I knew it from the very first date.

Becoming a Christian was my best decision. Falling in love with her was my second best. She's only ever taken a backseat to God.

Eighteen-year-old me would have denied ever being able to fall harder for her. But he'd have been wrong.

Did I always behave like it? Nope. To my shame. But that was primarily due to my immaturity and selfishness. Two problems I've experienced and that I often see in the lives of other men, too. I'm not saying it's a uniquely male weakness, but I'm a guy and it was mine.

She's not perfect.

But she's pretty ideal for me.

I'm not perfect.

But I'm pretty ideal for her.

It's our story. My story. But let's not make this entirely about me, or her, or us.

Two ideas have been swirling in my head for as long as I can remember. One, my daily, if not hourly, fascination with her. True confession: I think of her every waking hour. And I always have. Sounds like an obsession, huh? Well, it likely is. But in a good way. It's why many times a day I approach her, seemingly out of the blue (I'm sure that's what she thinks), and hug her because I've been thinking of her a lot before I literally have to hug it out. I'm high-maintenance like that. Two, sadness that too many marriages fail because of selfishness and pride. Mostly, I think of my own selfishness and pride because I know those are ingredients for failure for each of us. Read your New Testament, and you'll see it more clearly — especially in yourself.

This is about us - all of us. Yes, it's about those of us who are married. And it's about those of us who aren't. Because love, fascination, selfishness, and pride are both universal and individual.

Masculinity seemed all but gone until we got a new President in America. The shift back toward things our country once cherished and away from the idiocy that overtook us starting in 2009 or so has given many of us hope that men can get back to being men and women can return to their glorified place of being women. Love, pride (not the selfish kind, but the honorable kind), commitment, honor, loyalty, and merit. Those were once givens in our society. They eroded in the past couple of decades because we allowed ourselves to be manipulated away from the things we knew to be true and correct. Now, we're seeing how bitter, hateful, and outraged the opponents to truth and right can be. But love and right are worth standing up for, and idiocy deserves to be fought vigorously. Without shame or embarrassment.

I make no apologies for being a Christian.

 

Let's discuss some important words:

Regrets
Wondering
Wholesome
Sacrifice
Restraint
Self-Control
Struggle
Discipline

They all can help us understand and practice wholesomeness.



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Show notes? Nah. You don't need 'em. Not for this episode.

Enjoy!

Randy



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Today’s episode is about something we’ve all experienced, often without realizing it at the time: not knowing you’re in trouble.

Not because you didn’t see the warning signs—but because you couldn’t, or maybe you wouldn’t. Pride, foolishness, selfishness—they can all blind us. And sometimes, the most dangerous trouble is the kind we don’t know we’re in.

Important link: Let The Bible Speak YouTube Channel



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Your Story Is Their Inheritance
Why documenting your life may be the most powerful gift you leave behind


“When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.” – African proverb

We spend our lives accumulating experiences, lessons, values, and insights — but how much of it do we pass on? Not the stuff — the stories. The moments. The decisions. The wisdom.
Your story is your legacy. And your family needs it more than you think.

Why Your Story Matters
We all come from a long line of stories, but too often they fade with time. Maybe your grandfather was a hard worker. Maybe your mother overcame something quietly heroic. Perhaps you have survived things your family doesn’t even know about.
When you document your story — even in bits and pieces — you create a bridge. A bridge between your past and their future. Between who you are and who they’re becoming.
And no, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Or polished. It just has to be yours.

What Your Family Will Miss If You Don’t
Without your voice, future generations may only have fragments:



A photo with no context.


A family name with no meaning.


A vague sense that “Granddad was a good guy.”


But what if they could hear your words? Understand your decisions? Learn how you navigated heartbreak, failure, laughter, and faith?
What if they could know the real you?
That’s the kind of inheritance that lasts longer than money ever will.

How to Start Documenting Your Story (Without Getting Overwhelmed)
You don’t have to write a memoir or produce a documentary. Start simple:



Record 10-minute voice memos, sharing key moments


Write short stories from your life in a journal


Use prompts like: “What’s the hardest decision I ever made?” or “What do I want my grandchildren to know about love, work, or faith?”


Create a timeline of your life’s major turning points


The key is to start. Perfection is not required. But your presence is.

This Isn’t Just About You — It’s About Them
Somebody in your family will face something you’ve already faced. They’ll need wisdom. They’ll crave connection. And when they find your words — your story — it will be like finding a flashlight in the dark.
And maybe, just maybe, your voice will speak into a moment you’ll never live to see… but your wisdom will.
That’s legacy.
And that's leaning toward wisdom.


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Are you overwhelmed, overloaded, and constantly feeling behind? You're not alone. Let's explore the anxiety that comes from having too many responsibilities, too many projects, and too little clarity. Okay, more precisely, I'll share with you my recurring sense of overwhelm in hopes it can help you with yours.



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I know, I've been a dog on a bone with this. Some might say, "You're beating a dead horse!" Maybe. And maybe that's the method to my madness in the past few episodes.

Do you know about the dead horse theory?

It's had a long-standing place in management lore. It goes like this, according to the Internet.

The “Dead Horse Theory” is a satirical metaphor that illustrates how some individuals, institutions, or nations handle obvious, unsolvable problems. Instead of accepting reality, they cling to justifying their actions.
The core idea is simple: if you realize you’re riding a dead horse, the most sensible thing to do is dismount and move on.
However, in practice, the opposite often happens. Instead of abandoning the dead horse, people take actions such as:
• Buying a new saddle for the horse.
• Improving the horse’s diet, despite it being dead.
• Changing the rider instead of addressing the real problem.
• Firing the horse caretaker and hiring someone new, hoping for a different outcome.
• Holding meetings to discuss ways to increase the dead horse’s speed.
• Creating committees or task forces to analyze the dead horse problem from every angle. These groups work for months, compile reports, and ultimately conclude the obvious: the horse is dead.
• Justifying efforts by comparing the horse to other similarly dead horses, concluding that the issue was a lack of training.
• Proposing training programs for the horse, which means increasing the budget.
• Redefining the concept of “dead” to convince themselves the horse still has potential.
The Lesson:
This theory highlights how many people and organizations prefer to deny reality, wasting time, resources, and effort on ineffective solutions instead of acknowledging the problem from the start and making smarter, more effective decisions.

Today, let's aim it at ourselves. Personally. Professionally. I encourage you to take it personally. Make it personal. Apply it. Learn from it. And lean toward wisdom.



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No notes today. No excuse. I'm just lazy today.



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When we learn that our behavior and choices belong entirely to us and are independent of what others do, it's the road less traveled to becoming a better person. Rare are the people who have made up their minds to behave like that, likely because it demands a willingness to suffer wrong and move on to do what's right. No matter what.

Self-discipline is at the heart of enduring suffering, sacrificing, exercising grace and gratitude. All hard things!

Easier things are becoming bitter, harboring resentment, and embracing a victim mentality. Hatred. Retribution. Payback. Those are all easy and require no self-control.

However, as is often the case, ease can be damaging over the long term. It makes us worse. It wrecks us. Refusing to put in the hard work of temperance ultimately comes at a high price over time.

Discipline sometimes has no involvement with others. For instance, about 3 weeks ago, I began mainly eating carnivore. I did it solely for myself, to feel better. I also hope to drop some unwanted weight, but that was secondary. Nobody else influenced my decision. I'm not doing it for anybody else. Self-discipline helps me improve my health and overall well-being.

Another area of self-discipline is spending. Since January, I've had some planned purchases to elevate my game as a content creator. Late last year, I made some purchases for items I've come to need. Much of it involves unsexing things, such as a network-attached storage (NAS) system that allows me to store large video files easily. I invested in a 4-bay device (that means I can load up four large hard drives that will work in unison). It wasn't cheap.

I also invested in some software and other tools necessary for my current role as a content creator, producing three different shows, including this one. I started this journey around 1999, so it's not how I started. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money to start producing online content. That phone you carry around every day will do the job. I recently encouraged a friend to use his phone and a $150 wireless microphone setup, along with a cheap selfie stick tripod device. It's a great way to start and can likely serve you well for years to come. Twenty-five years ago, that was NOT the case, so through the years, I've invested a significant amount of money in this craft. Until last year, that was all audio, too. New flash: audio is way cheaper than video! :D

Spending on anything can get out of control. It requires discipline to avoid spending, especially overspending. I've hit my limit - planned or otherwise. Okay, I've almost hit it. I've two items on my list that I still need to purchase, both of which are equipment-related. The most expensive of them is a computer hub so I can more efficiently connect everything to my computer instead of having three different smaller hubs. It's a device that wasn't previously available due to technological limitations.

After that, I'm intentionally hitting the PAUSE button on spending because I'm going into full-blown saving mode. I'm approaching this with intention, a plan, and self-discipline, just as I do with my diet.

Teddy Swims was on Q with Tom Powers, a CBC production. Here's the YouTube link.





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A few weeks ago, Megan Moroney was on The Bobby Bones Show. She's an emerging country music star touring with Kenny Chesney. I only know that because I've seen snippets of their shows on social media. Not knowing who she is or anything about her, I trolled through a short clip of Bobby Bones's interview with her. During the interview, Bobby asked her a question that prompted an answer we can all relate to, but here's a young lady who seems to be breaking through country music in a BIG way. But that's hardly the whole story.

For Megan, it was country music. For me, it's currently two things: learning to play the guitar and starting a carnivore diet.



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Thanks for watching. If you choose to listen, thanks for that, too. Other than that, I've got nothing. The show speaks for itself. But here are the links I mentioned (and promised to share): LetTheBibleSpeak.tv
https://hotspringsvillageinsideout.com/a-champion-bull-rider-who-loves-to-cut-hair/



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I apologize for being absent lately. Let me explain.



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He asks me, "How do you measure success?"

I have questions before I answer.

"Success in what?"

"Sales success is easy to measure. Serenity, not so much."

Turns out he was focused on how I viewed MY success in general.

Part of the challenge of measuring or defining success is the common disease of comparisonitis.





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It doesn't mean you're to blame. It means you accept responsibility for yourself—for your choices, decisions, behavior, reactions, feelings—and all the rest. I've yet to discover a downside.

Mentioned in today's show:

VIA Survey



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All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things by Robert Fulghum was published in 1986. It was quite the rage because it was filled with commonsense life maxims. I read it and appreciated the author's point that even children can (and should) learn how to behave toward others.

We are almost 40 years later, and it seems like a prehistoric work of fiction. When I purchased this book, I had yet to turn 30. I had two small children and a wife I'd been married to for about nine years. Back then, the content was much less remarkable than it is today.

I appreciated Mr. Fulghum's sentiment that kindness and courtesy are behaviors he learned as a small child, but that was then and now. When Fulghum grew up, parents trained children by providing guard rails, forbidding certain misbehavior, and encouraging proper behaviors. That's much less visible today.

When I first read the book, I quickly realized that kindergarten didn't teach me these things, but my parents and older folks did. Increasingly, I realized they weren't teaching me some arbitrary rules they had constructed. Their training manual wasn't a book by some doctor or psychologist. They were using the Bible, the Word of God.

The book focuses on fundamentals, such as the " golden rule," which originated in God's mind.

John 13:34-35
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another".

Matthew 7:12
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

I learned that at home while reading the Bible. I also learned it by attending worship services every Sunday, a day that was (and still is) referred to as "the Lord's Day." Of course, every day belongs to the Lord, but the day of worship is unique and set apart for public worship.

Hebrews 10:25
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day (of worship, Sunday) approaching."

As an old man, I reflect on my training, and I've remained true to it because it was always based on the ultimate authority, God, and the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ. It wasn't just a group of old people who littered my life, nor was it just my mom or dad imposing their will. It was a pattern for living, trained into me by these people who loved me and wanted only my best.

Over the years, I've leaned hard on the precepts and principles of my training and continued it. It didn't stop when I turned 18 or 21.

The truth is, I made more dedicated, conscious efforts after I became an adult. I spent more hours studying and conversing with older mentors who continued my training. The foundation had been set, but the building didn't begin until I was an adult, out on my own. That's the litmus test for convictions - when you're on your own, no longer under the thumb of anybody else, and free to choose for yourself. When that time comes, what will you do? How will you behave?

Honesty, truth, kindness, courtesy (and much more) were instilled when I was a child, but as an adult, many no longer make those choices. We justify our poor behavior, choosing to be victims of others or circumstances we don't think we deserve.

I first saw deception at work on a stereo store showroom floor during my teen years. If a shopper was lied to about a piece of gear they considered, they might buy it. If you told the truth, they might not. My training and my conscience wouldn't let that happen. It became easier when I realized that telling the truth worked better than telling the lies I knew others were telling.

 

I posted this on social media a few days ago.

It's easy to desire improvement, but it's hard to change our habits to bring about improvement.

Each year begins with the hope that 2025 will be better than 2024. Maybe it will. Maybe not.

Our habits are going to determine it.

These 2 sentences are true. Life bears witness to their validity.

Links mentioned in today's show:

• In Thy Paths, a YouTube playlist of sermons
• A TV segment about why most New Year resolutions fail



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Happy New Year, 2025!

In the fall of 1997, I uploaded my first audio under the tagline "Leaning Toward Wisdom." It was my documentary, the journey of a 40-year-old dad desiring to pass along whatever lessons I might. Twenty-seven years later, I'm still unsure how successful the quest has been to lean more toward wisdom and away from foolishness. But life ain't over yet, so let the leaning (and learning) continue.

Thank you for joining the journey. I hope it benefits you.



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It started with a voicemail from a client. His message said, "I've got a situation - a problem. I could use your advice. Call me back."

The problem? A relationship. A couple of relationships. At some point during my questioning him, for my understanding, he stopped and said, "What I thought was the problem may not be the problem. Guess I'd better make sure I'm solving the right problem, huh?"

That's solid insight - especially when it's a relationship problem.

During the holiday season, relationships are often strained. It might be a good time to examine how we solve our relationship problems.



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"My ambition didn't allow me to fail," said Jack Barsky, an ex-KGB spy who was a sleeper agent in the United States.

Barsky was quite successful in avoiding detection. Until he was, then no amount of ambition would prevent authorities from moving in. He stayed around his smart spots for years, navigating North American culture to spy for the Soviet Union and his faith in communism.

Barsky might argue that over time, he learned how corrupt and wretched communism was - and how he had been brainwashed to think the pursuit of Utopian socialism was the ideal course of action. Armed with high intelligence, Barsky figured out the need for his smart spots to change, so he changed his mind to become politically a modern-day conservative.

We usually think of being smart around spots regarding achievement in business or some other pursuit. Barsky reminds us that being smart around spots can - and probably should be mostly focused - on our learning ability. To see things more clearly. To remedy our delusions.

Too few of us are geniuses; even genius has a severe downside. Sometimes, we can be too smart to be wise. We may even become stupid in our genius. I'm thinking of serial killers like Ted Bundy, reputed to be high-IQ individuals who arrogantly thought they were smarter than law enforcement. But they were caught by mostly average intelligent people who stayed focused around their spots of expertise and training. With enough time and sufficient clues to follow, law enforcement often (thankfully) figures it out. As we've all heard about criminal behavior, criminals must remain lucky daily, while law enforcement often just needs one moment of luck to capture them.

Thankfully, most of us aren't Soviet (or even American) spies. Or criminals. We're just ordinary Joes and Janes going about our everyday lives. I've realized that it may be an act of genius to a) recognize our smart spots, b) stay around those smart spots, and c) understand if/when those smart spots disappear or change. All of it is hard. Thomas Watson's quote makes it sound far easier than it is. And given IBM's success, I have little doubt he mostly accomplished it.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is said to have this quote posted on his refrigerator...
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
Perhaps Mr. Watson's quote and that quote attributed to philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson are consistent. But Emerson's quote sounds more difficult, doesn't it? Seems downright daunting!

Truth is, life is daunting. Success is hard. Failure is harder! Choose your hard.



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https://randycantrell.com/inside-the-yellow-studio/

The link above is a comprehensive list of the gear inside The Yellow Studio. Assume every link is an affiliate link.

Ironically, I chose to make this an audio, not a video. Yes, that was intentional. I hope you'll click PLAY.

It started in 1997. This podcast. It was a handheld Olympus digital recorder. No SD card. Just built-in memory. It was less than $100 and I'd been using it for a while to dictate work notes and ideas.

Audio was easy. And cheap.

Well, recording it was easy. Getting it online was a bit more cumbersome. Getting it off the Internet to listen was infinitely more difficult because we knew nothing of MP3, today's defacto standard audio file format. My digital recorder used some funky format, but it was still possible to hear it from a website with a domain name a foot long, comprised of a bunch of letters and numbers (a free web page that came with my Internet service provider - ISP - Flashnet). Somebody other than my family found it because my first email came from somebody in Sweden. It blew my mind.

It was all done with a digital recorder, a dail-up modem, and an Internet connection. Add in a bit of rudimentary HTML skills, so I could build an ugly website, and you had the first iteration of Leaning Toward Wisdom. I dubbed it that because it was what I was trying to do - lean more toward wisdom and away from foolishness. I was 40 years old and that was 27 years ago.

Within a few years, I got serious. I registered LeaningTowardWisdom.com and invested a few thousand dollars (okay, probably closer to three thousand) for a rack of equipment and a couple of Heil PR40 mics (an amateur radio operator friend recommended them). That was The Yellow Studio for many years, recording into a Mac computer using software I can't remember until I found Twisted Wave, a Mac audio recording/editing software recommended by a voiceover actor friend.

I bumbled along for a few more years. My audio quality was a point of pride and I was regularly complimented for it thanks mostly to good room acoustics thanks to a ton of books AND to Aphex 230 voice processors (one for each mic, I had two). My broadcast workflow meant that whether I was on Skype (later Zoom) or recording, my audio quality was always the same.

I went for years without investing anything more. That rack of gear and those two Heil microphones were stapmles inside The Yellow Studio for years. Audio was easy. And after that initial investment, cheap. The ongoing costs were maintaining domain names and website hosting (I hosted my own audio files for years before learning I should get a media host). Eventually, I found MapleGrove Partners thanks to a buddy, Jim Collison. They would host my site and my media files because they're podcast-friendly like that. But beyond that, I had no real costs.

People entered podcasting trying to figure out how to do it as cheaply as possible and I never understood it. I don't hunt. Or fish. Or bowl. Or golf. I don't collect anything (well, I once collected books...but only to read). I had no hobbies except this. That's still the case. Buddies who were into all of those things (and more) would regularly spend hundreds or thousands of dollars every year. Most of them weren't wealthy. They were just ordinary guys who enjoyed whatever they were in to. They didn't think twice about investing in hobbies they loved. I loved podcasting and I had saved for a good while before buying my initial setup. Admittedly, I made a sizeable investment, but it was calculated, planned and well thought out. It stood the test of time, too. I produced untold podcast episodes with that rig.

Then Rode, an Australian company, bought Aphex, the makers of my favorite vocal strips, responsible for how my podcast sounded. It didn't affect me...