Broadway Brew Coffee House

Well I have found a new dive to hang out in. The Broadway Brew in Plainview, Texas. The Broadway Brew is owned and operated by a local couple. The husband is a professor at Wayland and working on his PhD at Tech. The wife mans the store. They are really sweet christian folks. "The Brew" we call it, is somewhat historic to downtown Plainview. It was the Quick Lunch Diner as long as I can remember. My grandad Fails used to take me there as a child and have breakfast and drink coffee. In the Steve Martin movie "Leap Of Faith", this place was the diner that they hung out in. As a matter of fact, the water tower on the east side of Plainview still says "Rustwater Bengals". Kurt, Martha and I have been here nearly every day this week to have coffee or a sandwich for lunch or evening socializing. One thing that makes me feel really good is that there are several college kids that hang out here. Back in my college days, my hang out (along with 90% of the rest of the college crowd) was a bar or night club. Wish they would have had these places when I was in college. I wonder if it would have made a difference? I wouldn't be who I am today without going through the trials of life.

I would like to request prayers for a dear friend of mine. J.R. Brott (I think I spelled his last name right) better known as "Buddy" was an Aim kid we had for challenge week a couple of years ago. He and his teammate, Greg Ashburn, stayed with me that week and we got to be good friends. J.R. has fallen away from the Lord and the Church. I have made contact with him through Myspace. I have been sharing with him some of my trials and mistakes. Hopefully I can reach him. Pray for both of us!

Love you all!
Thanks for reading this and thanks for the prayers!

Preston

The Newness of Fall

I know that it's still summer. Come to think of it, I really don't know exactly when fall begins. But fall is definitely in the air. The crops are beginning to mature, kidos are back in school, and we have our new AIM kids for the fall term. We have three boys: Taylor Morgan, Randall Young, and Angel Herrera, and we have three girls: (I don't have their last name memorized yet) Casey, Tracy, and Miranda. Our assistants this year are Brandon and Katie Price, and Matt Baggett. I am always refreshed to see such young lives involved in the Lord's work so early in life. Think about it for a minute, these kids are 18-22, not going to college, but working for the Lord. This is our 4th year to be an area church for the AIM program. This program has always been close to my heart ever since, my son, Jonathan attended back in 2002. I am so excited to have them, and so ready for their first long weekend. We have some of the best devotionals I have ever been involved with.

Now, my two baby girls are growing up. Sarah made the jump to Jr. High this year! Dad did not have a good day yesterday! I picked the girls up from their mom's house and took them to school. Lizzie was the first drop. Typical day in her life. Lizzie is a lot like me in a sense, always ready for social time and not worried in the least about school. We got to school and she had forgot her lunch box. Actually her lunch bag. I wonder what ever happened to lunch box's? Another time. Once at school again, I got the camera out and took her picture by the sign at Lockney elementary. Sarah reminded me that she did not go to school here anymore! Oh well, it was worth the shot! LOL! Sarah and I walked Lizzie into the cafeteria and hugged her and gave her a good bye kiss and left. Once we were back in the pickup, Sarah said "Dad, I don't want you to walk me up to the school. I can do it my self." I held back the tears as I asked her if I could at least take her picture. She said "maybe some other time".

Our kids grow up way too fast!

Thanks for reading this!!! God Bless!

Have you ever thought about what this country looked like 100 years go? I have visioned it several times. My great-granddad came to Floyd county horseback in the early 1900's. He left the story behind that when he came up the caprock escarpment that the grass was stirrup high and it would make you see sick the way it waved in the wind.

I have been on a couple of grass fires in the eastern part of the county at night. I sat and thought about what it must have been like 100 years ago when you had a fire. It creeping ever so close. Hoping the wind would change directions or the neighbors would show up to help put it out.

The buffalo in the picture are between Cimmaron and Springer, New Mexico. When we passed them, I again found myself wondering. Thinking about what it must have been like when the buffalo roamed freely.

God is GOOD! He must have known I needed to live in the era I live in. BUT,I often wonder what it was like during the dust bowl, the depression, and the "breaking out" of Floyd county. What the first irrigation well was like. The first cotton grown on the south plains.

Happy Thoughts!

Love you all!

Preston

The Chief Drive-In

I have fond memories of the Chief Drive-In. I spent many a Friday and Saturday nights there. Sitting on the back row with our pickups pointing away from the screen so that we could sit on the tailgate and watch the movie. Dippin' snuff and probably doing some other things we shouldn't have been doing. We would park to where we could get the speakers from both post on either side and hear the movie. Way more socializing went on there. Mr. Kinnaman would have to come out and "quiet us down" from time to time. He never raised his voice, he would just say "quiet down please". And we would. If we had a date we would park towards the front so that, if we wanted to, watch from the seat. LOL! There was also a place inside the concession area where we could go "inside" and sit. It was almost as good as going to Vernon or to Wichita Falls to the "inside" picture show theater. I can remember going there and sitting inside and seeing "Saturday Night Fever" when I was in Jr. High. Our parents would pull into the drive-in and drop us off and leave us till the movie was over. My dad farmed the land that was around the theater while we were in jr. high and high school. I can remember cutting wheat when I was about 12 one night and the show was "Truckstop Mama". Mom moved the supper wagon to where we couldn't see that one! LOL! I remember seeing the original "Star Wars" there. "Urban Cowboy", "One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest", and many more that I can't remember.

I remember when I was a freshman. I was plowing the field there at the drive-in and Mr. Kinnaman bringing me out a Slush Puppie. He had just gotten the machine and wanted to know what I thought.

What was a landmark for many years in Quanah is gone. Good memories and Good times! Thank you God for allowing us to have "The Chief" for as long as you did!

Love you all!

Preston

Wild Goose Chases

Have you ever been on a wild goose chase? Or, better yet, snipe hunting? We used to go snipe hunting as a kid and had tons of fun with it. I don't remember the first snipe hunt I went on, but I do remember a few of the times that I did. We used to get these paper sacks, go out in the country, along with some unsuspecting friends (mainly females!!! LOL!), run around in the dark and throw a rock or something similar in to the sack and yell "I got one!". It was very entertaining. and lots of fun.

Life, I think, is sometimes like a "snipe hunt". In a sense, faith is that way. You know it's there, You feel like you have it. But yet, in this form, you can't see feel or touch it. You just got to believe! It's there, It's real, and how awesome it will be some day.

Love you all!!!

Preston

Here we go!

Ok, This is a picture taken less than 100 yards from my mom's house Thursday June, 5. This picture is looking from the south to the north, on the south side of the overpass at Acme. This twister is basically on top of her house. I'm not real sure, but the tops of the trees that you can see are the trees I spent all day Saturday hauling off.

God's power is awesome. I love to chase storms, for nothing else but, to just see the power that we have no control over.

Mom and Dad were there when this thing hit. She described to me the rage of the wind and then the "calm". and then the pure fury that unleashed. Thankfully, and I am thankful!, the storm spared their lives. But God knocked on the door!!! I just sit and marvel at the beauty of the storm. If you didn't know what was going on inside the funnel, you would think that God is just putting his finger there. LOL! That's what it looks like to me. And who knows? Maybe His finger is there to protect Mom and Dad from the storm! An awesome thought anyway.

It also makes me wonder back in Noah's day, what the storm looked like. Was it just a calm country rain that lasted for 40 days? Or was there tornadoes and hurricanes and wind? Can you imagine what Noah must have thought? "Hey boys! Take a look at this! Water's falling from the sky! WAIT! Look at that thing over there, I can see it spinning, OH NO, it just took out Charlie's house and barn! What an awesome God we have!"

Now, I deal with farmers all day. We either don't get enough rain, too much rain, rain is too late or too early. But you know what, I have never not seen it rain when we didn't need it. And the storms that comes with it? We think of those folks as being "victims". A couple of years ago, all we heard about was "Katrina victims". We think of ourselves as being victims when we get hailed out. But just think of the folks that just might get a better understanding of who God is! Despite what Homeland Security and FEMA can do!!!

Just a thought!!

Preston

Standing on the Promises of God!

I know, I'm doubling up today. But I had a thought that I wanted to share with ya'll.



Standing on the Promises of God!



What a statement! What are we standing on if we're not standing on those promises? Here's a few examples that come to mind:

1. Our jobs. What promise do we have there?

2. Our success. What is our success if we're not standing on His promises?

3. The world. The world would like us to think that our promises are anywhere but in HIM.

4. Our Government. Now, Hillary is going to gives us a whopping .18 cents on our fuel for July! Now there's a promise! LOL!

5. Ourselves. I don't know how many times I have been let down by my own promises.

6. Our families. Although they mean well, those promises fall from time to time.

7. Our friends. Again, our good friends mean well but they still have psuedopromises.

8. My college degree. What promises are there?

9. Our possessions. In the event of a tornado or fire they are gone!

10. Law. Now that's a deep subject there. But law promises us nothing!



Now let's look at a few promises God has given.

1. Sancitfication

2. Grace

3. Mercy

4. Dead to sin

5. Faith

6. A heavenly place prepared for us.

7. The Holy Spirit to live in us.

8. Righteousness

9. Cleanliness

10. Success



I can look at these list, very incomplete list, and see which promises I want to stand on!



Ok it's song time!



598.....Five hundred ninty-eight.... Standing on the Promises!



Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Thro' eternal ages let his praises ring: Glory in the highest I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.



Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.



Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to him eternally by love's strong cord, Overcoming daily by the Spirit's sword, Standing on the promises of God.



Standing on the promises I cannot fail, List'ning every moment to the Spirit's call, Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.



Chorus: Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God, Standing, Standing, I'm standing on the promises of God.



I struggle in standing in the right promises daily. Just a little something for those of you have share in my struggles!!!



Love all of you!



P