Learning Key Lessons to the Beat of a Drum

As I’ve mentioned before, after a hiatus of several decades, I decided to resume taking drum lessons so I could make better use of the electronic kit I had purchased. In high school, I played drums in the marching, concert and dance bands, but had allowed my skills to go dormant in subsequent years.

 

My drum teacher, a veteran of the country music circuit, has helped me to relearn techniques I had forgotten. And he’s taught me lots of new things as well. Recently I told him that besides the specific “grooves” and “fills” I’m learning, I’ve discovered – or rediscovered – two important principles, ones that transcend the world of drumsticks, tom-toms and cymbals. 

The first is that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t have an appreciation for the scope of modern drumming. I had no idea how much technology has advanced drums and percussion over the years. And the simple rhythms I learned as a teenager barely touch on what skilled drummers are doing these days.

 

My second principle is that it takes time to develop skill, no matter how naturally talented you are. The Internet offers thousands of videos of drummers playing with precision and incredible speed. Each time I see one of those I think, “How in the world do they do that?” They have natural talent, but more than anything, the key is practice. Many, many hours of it. Mastering the craft of drumming takes time.

 

These simple principles are applicable for virtually any area of life, whether it’s academics, marriage, parenting, business, sports, hobbies, or even spiritual growth. Especially for spiritual growth.

 

When I committed my life to follow Jesus Christ many years ago, I definitely didn’t know what I didn’t know. I understood Jesus had died on the cross for my sins, and I needed to receive what Romans 6:23 calls “the gift of God” to experience His forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. I knew the Bible had an Old Testament and a New Testament, and was familiar with some of the Scriptures’ key individuals. 

 

However, I knew little of what the so-called “Christian life” is all about, I didn’t know trials and adversity are building blocks for strengthening one’s faith. I didn’t know we can’t successfully live a godly life in our own strength – believe me, I tried. I didn’t know what it meant to have a sense of divine calling, or that God gives each believer one or more spiritual gifts. I definitely had no understanding of how practical biblical teaching is for many areas of life, things like handling money, navigating the challenges of married life, raising kids, building relationships, making decisions, becoming a leader, and many others.

 

Then I began learning the truth of passages like 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

Similarly, I also didn’t understand the vital role of time in developing spiritual maturity. Just as seeds planted in a garden take time to grow and produce flowers, fruit or vegetables, the Word of God, which is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12), takes time to take root and bear spiritual fruit. 

 

I recall attending a weekly men’s Bible study many years ago and marveling at how some of the guys there could navigate the Scriptures to answer questions that came up for discussion. “How do they do that?” I’d wonder. Getting to know some of those men, I realized they hadn’t acquired their familiarity with the Scriptures overnight. 

 

The Bible speaks to this in many ways. For example, in writing to his protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul admonished him, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). 

 

Psalms opens with the declaration, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). Much later in the Psalms we read, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I will seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11).

 

“Being diligent.” “Meditating day and night.” “Hiding [God’s] words in my heart.” Each of those statements, along with other passages in both the Old and New Testaments, suggest a combination of time, effort and determination. There’s no such thing as an overnight success spiritually.

 

On several occasions, Paul used the metaphor of being an athletic competitor to describe the dedication and commitment necessary to become a fruitful follower of Jesus. He observed, ”Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

 

Whether striving to be an accomplished drummer or an unwavering disciple of Christ, there’s always something yet to be learned – things you didn’t know you didn’t know. And even the most seasoned believer, even if he or she has been walking with Jesus for many years and has read through the Bible numerous times, still has more race to run. 

 

Nearing the end of his life, Paul wrote, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it…. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Even after a bountifully fruitful life of ministry, Paul didn’t feel as if he had yet arrived. What does that say about us?

The ‘How-To’ Book That Teaches We Can’t

Self-help and how-to books promise help for just
about anything, except what's most important.

Have you checked out the self-help section at the local bookstore lately? On those shelves we can find “how-to” books on practically everything: Becoming a millionaire. Growing prize-winning flowers. Finding lasting happiness. Redesigning a house. Taking eye-catching photos. Starting a successful business. Achieving greater intimacy.

We all would like to know how to excel in our favorite pursuits and passions. And if by reading their how-to books we can learn the secrets of others who have already excelled at them, it can save us lots of time and effort. At least that’s what the books promise.

But there’s one book you won’t find on most self-help shelves, because it stresses how not to do something. In fact, it emphasizes that what we might yearn to do is exactly what we truly can’t do. What’s the book? The Bible.

And what is it the Bible teaches that we can’t do? It tells us emphatically that we can’t live the so-called “Christian life.”

We’ve all heard the saying, “God helps those that help themselves.” Well, you won’t find that adage in the Scriptures. Maybe it’s in 2 Opinions, but not in the 66 books of the Bible. In fact, what we find is quite the opposite. During one of His discourses, Jesus declared, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

In terms of accomplishing things of eternal value, Jesus didn’t say there are only some things we can do. No. He stated we’re unable to accomplish anything of lasting significance apart from Him.

The apostle Paul affirmed this when he stated, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Later he added, “I can do everything through him (Jesus Christ) who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

Recently I spoke at a men’s breakfast on, “How Do You Live the Christian Life?” I explained the process God began in my life in 1981, enabling me to understand with increasing certainty over the past 35 years that the answer to this question is simple: I can’t. The Christian life isn’t hard. It’s not difficult. It’s impossible to live, humanly speaking.

This is one of the truths that set Christianity apart from any other belief system or religion. Religions essentially stipulate, “This is what you must do – and what you must not do.” In the Scriptures we find that in Jesus, what must be done has already been done. Once and for all.

The Bible’s Old Testament shows the people of Israel had plenty of laws of follow. They just did a miserable job of following them. As someone observed, “Before Moses got to the bottom of Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, the Israelites had already broken every one of them!”

But the fact we can’t possibly live the perfect, holy life God requires doesn’t mean we should shrug our shoulders and resign ourselves to being “sinners saved by grace.” Because through the power of Christ, we can live the life we can’t possibly live in what the Bible calls “the flesh.”

We all have struggles; some of them seem insurmountable. Deep-seated anger, or anxiety, as I’ve dealt with for much of my life. There might be addictions or other compulsions we can’t control. Inability to forgive and bitterness are particularly problematic for some. But in wrestling with such “besetting sins,” those who have truly been “born again” in Christ can’t opt for the excuse that comedian Flip Wilson’s character, “Geraldine,” often used: “The devil made me do it!”

Because if we scour the Scriptures, doing as the ancient Bereans did, who “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what (they heard) was true” (Acts 17:11), we discover sin no longer holds mastery over us.

In the 6^th chapter of Romans alone, we find numerous passages declaring we have “a new life,” that “we should no longer be slaves to sin,” we are “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus,” and we “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” If we can grasp such truth, believe it, and act according to it, rather than depending on our feelings at any particular moment, the impact can be transformative.

As Galatians 5:1 declares, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free….” Years before the apostle Paul made that assertion, Jesus gave this promise: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:32-36).

We’d do well to heed the oft-repeated words of the late Wayne Barber, beloved pastor of a church in Chattanooga, Tenn. who recently passed from this life: 
      “I can’t. God never said I could. He can, and He always said He would!” 

Muddling Through Life’s Messes

In college I learned a new word: Prerequisite. It meant you had to take certain courses before you could take more advanced ones. For instance, I couldn’t take Journalism 312 before I’d taken Journalism 205. Before you took American Literature 210, you had to take freshman English 101.

Life’s like that, too. There are prerequisites for advancing to the next stage of development. Learning to walk before you run, for instance. Being taught to print before you write in cursive. (Although printing these days has become just a prerequisite for texting.)

Another prerequisite of everyday living, it seems, is that you have to endure messes to achieve masterpieces.

The construction mess prepares for future grandeur.

Our local mall, for example, is more than 30 years old and the new owner is doing major renovations. Construction is underway, so things are messy. But for all the shopkeepers and shoppers, putting up with the present mess will be worth it when the work is finished, resulting in a bright, better-than-new retail center.

As every parent knows, the euphoria of a infant’s birth is quickly followed by…messes. Dirty diapers, spit-up, baby food everywhere but in the mouth. But parents also will tell you the messes are worthwhile. Because they’ve envisioned what their baby will become in childhood and eventually, adulthood.

After living in the same house for many years, my wife and I have undertaken a number of remodeling and fix-up projects. Remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, landscaping, painting, wallpaper, and a new roof. Since I operate out of a home office, such undertakings cause an annoyance – even though I’m not the one doing most of the work. But in the end, disturbances and minor aggravation are worth enduring.

The same holds true spiritually. In fact, the Bible states, “Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox” (Proverbs 14:4). Stated another way, you won’t get any milk unless you’re willing to put up with manure.

Like buildings undergoing
renovation, our lives also
are "under construction."

If anyone’s ever told you the so-called “Christian life” is easy, he or she lied. Because (spoiler alert) it’s not. We’re told to “rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3).

In case we’ve missed that passage, James 1:2-4 reiterates, “Consider it pure joy, my brethren, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Even when we’re doing what we should, God sometimes sees fit to “mess” with us so we’ll become even more productive. Jesus said, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2).

Looking over the course of my life, even after committing my life to Christ, I see lots of messes. Some of my own making, some that the Lord allowed simply because “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). From His perspective, I’ve been “under construction.”

So the next time you look around your life and find a mess, take heart. It’s not easy, convenient or fun. But somewhere in the midst of the mess, God is creating a masterpiece.

No Job for the Lone Ranger

The U.S.A. was founded with a healthy dose of “can do.” Pilgrims sailing across the ocean. Venturesome pioneers exploring the horizon to the West, discovering territories previously unseen by non-native Americans. During the Industrial Revolution, enterprising entrepreneurs embodying the virtues of “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.”

The Lone Ranger and Tonto,
a team of the 1950s.

Yes, we’ve prided ourselves in our self-sufficiency. From 1952 to 1954, TV even offered a “poster child” for this independent attitude: “The Lone Ranger.” The mysterious masked man would ride into town on his white horse, Silver, accompanied by his faithful companion, Tonto, and discern what problems were plaguing the local citizenry. He’d deftly dispose of the bad guys and then, without fanfare, ride off into the sunset with a mighty “Hi-yo, Silver, away!”

The local folks were left behind, scratching their heads and wondering, “Who was that masked man?”

In July, we’ll get a fresh look when a new “Lone Ranger” movie premieres, starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. I have a suspicion “ke-mo sah-bee” will never be the same!

American culture being as strong as it is, this lone ranger mindset infiltrated every aspect of daily life, including spirituality. For decades churches have produced “lone ranger” believers showing up from time to time for worship services, professing to be devout in their faith, but having little ongoing connection with other followers of Jesus Christ.

This is not how the so-called “Christian life” is to be lived.

In John 15:5, Jesus declared, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Paul the apostle affirmed that when he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

A major distinction between Christianity and other belief systems is that through His Spirit, God can empower believers to live as He calls them to live.

But there’s another dimension to this reality. Jesus’ followers aren’t to live in isolation – they need one another. Many passages underscore the importance of strength in numbers.

For instance, Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” And Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 points out, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!... A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The apostle Paul also offered a model for carrying out Christ’s Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Paul instructed Timothy, the man he was mentoring, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Have you ever wondered, with various studies showing a large portion of Americans believe in God and the Bible, even claiming to be followers of Christ, why is our nation in such moral and ethical chaos?

That question has no simple answers. But “lone ranger thinking” is a significant contributor. Through the years I’ve been fortunate to have many people, men and women, who invested in my life in various ways. And I’m striving to “pay it forward” by investing in others through personal mentoring and teaching. We can't do it alone.

The Christian life never was intended to take place in a vacuum. Just as human organs must function in concert to sustain healthy life, as parts of the body of Christ we’re designed to support and complement one another. For following Jesus, lone rangers need not apply.