Every once-in-awhile, I am blessed to have a guest blogger from right here in the mountains of East Tennessee. Wayne is a simple man born and bred in the Boones Creek area. His love for Christ and others is infectious. He grew up hard, but the grace of God continues to mold and shape him into Christlikeness. His viewpoint on life is biblical and full of plain ol’ common sense. So, with joy I share with you today a recent writing of his. Besides, I have a genuine love for bluegrass, too!
Did you happen to see the video of Earl Scruggs and Friends. Not only was there some great pickin”, there’s a lesson to learn. As the video took us through the door into the midst of some very talented musicians, we immediately picked up on the toe-tappin“, hand-clappin” tune of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”. If you could see the sheet music, you would note that each musician was seeing five lines and four spaces with matching notes to the old familiar tune. Granted, there was a considerable amount of talented liberty taken by each individual, but each was following the fundamental notes, the original standard, the very foundation of this song penned by Earl Scruggs. Now, as the music progressed, did you find yourself, pattin” your foot, maybe tappin” the table with your fingers. I know you grinned, no-one can listen to that and not grin…So, what made it so special. It was the individual musician. Their zest for the moment, their excitement, their pure enjoyment of playing the fundamental song their own special way.
Let us take a lesson from that. We have the fundamental, original standard, the foundation, the absolute truth of the Word of God. What we must learn is to present it with zest, excitement, enjoyment in our own unique way to all who will allow us to do so. Ponder on that a while and look for ways to make people grin.
From A Pastor's Heart 