Making Music Together

We’ve loved having you join us this past year. Follow along with us in 2023 for a Proverbs refresher. Otherwise, just unsubscribe and check in on the website now and then to see what’s new. Be watching for the release of Bryan’s new book with David C. Cook Publishing this coming summer, as well as the 3rd book in the Land of Ott series coming soon!

Proverbs 1:1-7

 A few years ago, Patti and I went to Mountain View, Arkansas on vacation. They bill themselves as the “Folk Music Capital of the World.” It’s a nice little town in the Ozark Mountains. One unique feature in the town is a variety of what they refer to as pickin’ shacks. These could be a room or a small building or simply an open-air gazebo in the park. They are all over town.

Every evening musicians wander down to one of these shacks to join other musicians to play folk music. It’s typically not rehearsed or polished. It’s more organic, simply depending on whoever shows up. The skill levels of the musicians ranged from experienced musicians to beginners. So some of the music was very good and some…well, not so much.

To me, the variety of skill levels was appealing. I loved seeing beginners—who by the way ranged in age from very young to retirement age—playing with very experienced musicians. Sometimes the more experienced musicians would patiently stop and explain key changes or chord progressions to the less experienced players. Just to be clear, all of this was done without any music. Name the song and key and off they would go.

To me that’s a snapshot of the book of Proverbs. The goal is to make beautiful music together. The Hebrew word for it is shalom. It’s God’s vision to see all people flourish together. Beautiful music doesn’t just happen; it takes time. No one picks up an instrument and becomes skillful overnight. It takes lots of patience and practice to get better. Better together.

I decided to take up the cello when I turned 50. I had played saxophone up through high school, but a stringed instrument was new to me. I took lessons for five years and practiced at home to try to improve my skills. I was motivated by a desire to play in the Christmas orchestra at church, so I kept working at it. When I got to where I could play the notes, I decided to sign up for the orchestra. What I had not realized was how different it was to play with others. At home I could start and stop if I got lost or I could make up my own rhythms. In the orchestra I had to pay more attention to the music, stay with the others, and if I messed up, keep going because no one stopped for me. I learned a lot.

It's good to remind ourselves that shalom isn’t something we practice alone, isolated from others. Shalom is about flourishing together. Skillful living is about how we live with others in the tribe. The righteous focus on the community, the wicked focus on themselves. The righteous are concerned with mutual flourishing, the wicked are about winning.

Speaking of skill, after a year of discussing skillful living, how are you doing? We’ve covered a lot of topics. There have also been certain foundational issues that have cycled back around several times. At the top of the list has been the need to listen and learn. If you are a beginner, you can’t show up to the pickin’ shack thinking you know it all. Listen, learn, and grow. The only way to get better is to show up, humble yourself, and learn from someone more skillful than you. 

Maybe you are more skillful; remember you didn’t get that way over night. You have a responsibility to patiently help others who are trying to learn. Your skills are of little value if you never leave your basement. Get out there, show up, and make a difference in the lives of those who want to learn.

Our culture is becoming increasingly more dangerous. There are countless ways to mess up our lives. Watch out for the strange woman, don’t lose perspective about money, tame that tongue, be honest and truthful in everything. Go back through our discussions and identify the areas you most need to focus on.

Proverbs reminds us that fools abound—they are everywhere. The fool thinks he’s a great musician after playing an instrument for a few weeks. He doesn’t want to play with other musicians because they mess him up, so he plays alone. Strangely, no one comes to his pickin’ shack to hear him because he’s terrible, but he doesn’t see it that way. He thinks they don’t come because they are dumb or wouldn’t know good music if they heard it. The know-it-all fool doesn’t even play an instrument, but he shows up at all the pickin’ shacks and tells the others how to do it better. The scoffer laughs and makes fun of the musicians—especially the beginners—even though he has no musical ability himself.

There will always be fools. But that doesn’t mean we can’t live skillfully. The illustration of the pickin’ shacks above creates a metaphor for assessing your own skill level. Are you the skilled musician who is strategically placed in an environment where you can help others learn? Maybe you are an intermediate musician who is learning and growing, or a beginner who is just starting and looking for help.  What do you need to keep growing and moving forward? Maybe you are simply part of the audience but find yourself wishing you could join in the music. What would it look like for you to take the next steps to make that happen?

The world waits in darkness, living in fear and despair. We have the music that will set their feet to dancing, but for that to happen we have to learn to play the music skillfully together. We can do this. God has given us everything we need. We just need to listen, learn, and obey.

Proverbs 1:1-7 NASB

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

 To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
 To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;
 To give prudence to the naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion,
 A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
 To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.