I took Rob & Leslie to the airport this morning for their flight to Florida where they'll spend the rest of the week. Their weather in St. Petersburg won't be nearly as nice as they had here, or that we'll continue to have.
We had a great time together, seeing some sights and just sitting around visiting. We need more visitors, and anybody reading this who lives in a place with the abbreviation MI might really benefit from some 75-degree sunshine.
Shortly after getting back from the airport I met Josh W. and we spent the next six hours riding our motorcycles up into the mountains southeast of Phoenix, up through Miami and Globe. The word mountain means different things depending on whether you live in a place like Colorado or Kansas. In this case it meant climbing a up to a little over 4,000' elevation. Note to self: No matter how warm it is at 1,000' it's going to be COLD at 4,000', so take more clothing than you think you'll need.
LESSONS FROM A SMITH AND WESSON
Years ago when I was pastoring a church on the central coast of California I had a guy in the congregation who collected hand guns. His specialty was Smith and Wesson .44 caliber revolvers with a 5 & 3/8" barrel and blued finish. That's the most powerful revolver S&W makes and the gun Dirty Harry carried.
I went with Don to a gun show in San Jose and as we walked up and down the aisles he spotted one of those revolvers on a vendor's table, lying in the original box. The dealer told Don it was a factory fresh gun, never used or opened. Don looked it over, asked how much he wanted for it and then said he'd consider it.
After we were out of earshot Don told me the guy was lying to him.
"How did you know?"
Don went on to explain that the factory test fires every gun before it leaves the factory, and in the case of revolvers that means putting a round in every other hole in the cylinder. The result is a slight discoloration around the opening of three of the holes where the round fired. But this gun had discoloration around all six holes. Also, there were tiny scratches around some of the screws that held the cover over the gun's mechanism, scratches that indicated a screwdriver had been used - something that never would have happened at the factory.
I asked Don why he didn't tell the vendor he knew the guy was lying to him. I would have! Don explained that he may well come across that vendor again and be interested in something he has for sale. Now Don knows the guy lies, but the guy doesn't know Don knows. That puts Don at a strategic advantage in any future negotiations.
Moral of the Story, #1
Don't tell everything you know. It may be the better part of wisdom to let a dishonest person think you're a fool. Being smart sometimes includes playing dumb.
Moral of the Story #2
If you're a dishonest person playing a mark you may not be half as clever as you think you are. Honesty has many advantages, including keeping things a lot less complicated.
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