The Fifteen (#4)

repeat…over the course of the final fifteen days of 2009,   i’m going to let you in on fifteen things that need to change in my life in the coming year.   fifteen decisions that i am making that reflect things that are important to me.

i’m going to go waaay out on a limb.   i’m going to give you my best shot at honest transparency, in an attempt to be held accountable.  some things will be  about my spiritual journey…others are simply improvements to the life i walk.   either way, they are important to me…and here’s the next one on the list:

change number four

i started playing a guitar in my second year of college…1972…37 years ago…right when i started to do youth ministry.  i was a music major, but realized that i was going to have a hard time leading singing around a campfire with a trumpet.

wanda and i were dating and she bought me my first guitar…a nylon string, classical guitar.  i still have it!  and that begin a lifetime of teaching myself how to play one.

i’m not a great guitar player, but over the years i have pretty much mastered about twenty chords and a variety of strumming patterns.   looking back, it was more than enough to do a pretty good job of leading singing in our youth group times over the years.

a few years ago, when i stopped doing youth ministry full-time, i started playing my guitar less and less.  now, i no longer play it at all.  my various guitars are all collecting dust…gentle reminders of great days.  but i miss playing.

i no longer have callouses on my finger tips.   i can’t remember the last time i changed the strings on my guitars.   i don’t even remember how to play very many of the songs we used to do.   so i’ve decided i’m going to play my guitar again.

i don’t need to play in front of anybody.  those days are gone.

but there’s something creative about playing a guitar that i miss.   there are things i never learned how to do.   there were techniques that other guitarists had that i always admired…and always wanted to be able to do.   i think i’ll pick it up and learn how to do some of those things.

so i’m going to do it.  youtube has some pretty cool guitar lessons that i’ve wanted to check out more carefully.   maybe i’ll ask buzzy to show me some of what he knows.  i’ve never asked.   maybe i’ll even take some lessons.  we’ll see.

you’ll know i’m serious about this change if you see blood dripping from my fingertips…

#blood #creativity #guitar