January 2024 – Mostly From Memory

Spanish

In 2020 I listened to the audiobook version of Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. I chose that book because it was included in my subscription to Audible and I didn’t have to use any of my precious credits. It turned out to be hilarious. I really appreciated how the 400 year old humor still made me laugh out loud today. It really made me think If the book was that funny in English, how funny was it in Spanish? It is because of this literary masterpiece and too many other books to name about the Spanish conquest of Mexico, pre-Columbian America, and Mesoamerican civilization that I decided to download the DuoLingo app and start learning Spanish. My Mom died that summer and I found studying Spanish a welcome distraction. And by Thanksgiving I became determined to make studying Spanish a part of my daily activity. That was over 1,000 days ago.

Some days I feel like I haven’t learned any Spanish at all. I am sure I would be further along if I was forced to speak in Spanish every day instead of doing the simple grammar exercises. I get the same feeling sometimes about guitar. To put things in perspective I flip the guitar over and try to play a few chords left handed and it makes me feel better about how far I have come. I have done this so much over the years that I am starting to get good playing left handed. With Spanish there are a couple of similar motivation reminders: I can understand spoken and written Spanish far better than I can speak it.

The other day I was at our church’s Fall Festival Fellowship standing around the grill with a bilingual brother and two Spanish speakers. We were eating grilled corn on the cob and they were jabbering away in Spanish. I wasn’t really paying attention to what they were saying until one of the Spanish speakers started talking about eating iguanas. It dawned on me that I was comprehending more or their Spanish conversation than I was not. “Iguana con leche de coco…es muy buena.”

La iguana es el pollo de los árboles

The most rewarding thing about learning Spanish has been being able to communicate with people who still only speak Spanish. Even though I still feel pretty vulnerable because I have to take my time forming my thoughts. There is something wonderfully exhilarating about communication.

Studying Spanish has also allowed me to see and hear English in a different perspective. Because of its silent letters, irregular verbs, and borrowed words from other languages, English is a difficult language to learn for a non-native speaker. You probably even know native speakers of English that still do not speak it well. Language, whether native or foreign, is a skill and must be honed. Studying Spanish has made me want to be a better English speaker.

A person’s vocabulary is a reflection of the books they have read.

There are some things in Spanish that just make sense. Like having punctuation at the beginning of a sentence, letters that only have one sound, accent marks that do not get ignored, and I almost hate to say it, adjectives after the noun instead of before.

I am a long way from writing in Spanish as well or as quickly as I can in English. But I still practice on my wife. When I think about writers like Joseph Conrad, who wrote in English, a language foreign to him, I am encouraged that some day I will be able to express myself in Spanish on such a level.

Dieting

“I’m going on a diet, starting tomorrow. By summer I’m going to have to introduce myself. I’ll be so skinny y’all won’t recognize me.”
Mom. Circa 1998.

My Mom was a serial dieter. My Dad was not. The first time she tried to make them go on a diet Dad would just swing by Nonna’s house and eat with them on the way home from work. When he got ready to go on home he’d say something like, “I guess I better go home. It’s time for my salad.” He gained weight on that diet.

Sometimes Mom would go grocery shopping after she got fired up about dieting and she’d buy a bunch of SlimFast shakes, and those chocolate devil’s food cake snacks. And then us kids would promptly eat all of her desserts in the next two days.

Have you ever noticed how many trendy diets there are? When I was just a lad the Low Fat Diet was popular. That one just sounds like it makes since. Then the Atkins Diet seemed to be the rage when I was a teenager. Later on there were a bunch of diets that I never really fully understood because I was not dieting at the time. Like the Paleo Diet, the Keto Diet, the Carnivore Diet, and the Tight Rope Diet. I just made that last one up. These diets are like a bunch of religions. Sooner or later you’ll run into someone that is spreading the good news of this diet-whether or not they have been changed by it. The funny thing is all of these diets have a “prophet” that did lose a bunch of weight and now you can too. The problem is only the people who are sold out enough to actually make the diet a lifestyle see any progress. The bottom line is any diet works not because you are eating all organic Vienna sausages, or gluten free cabbage steaks, but because you are burning more calories than you are consuming. I don’t care how you want to slice it, that is hard. It is also not fun.

I believe the main reason most of us don’t enjoy dieting-even though we know it works-is because it does not work fast. It’s that time of year though. A lot of us are thinking about dieting whether we are talking about it or not. If you are interested I’d like to share some weight loss tips that have worked for me in the past.

The most success I ever had losing weight was getting the stomach flu. It was the first or second Christmas that Sarah and I were married. She got it first and was having a horrible time. I wasn’t feeling great either. I told her that I didn’t think that she could hold it as well as I could. I would like to thank the Lord for allowing me to get back home-we lived 11 hours away at the time- before it really hit me. I think this method worked so well because I had no control over it. No seems like an insufficient word. At any rate, I lost 15 pounds in less that a week on the flu diet.

I also had pretty good success losing weight when I had my first kidney stone. It was so uncomfortable that I hardly had an appetite. On top of that, once I found out that it was a kidney stone I quit drinking all the sugary drinks and starting drinking about five gallons of water a day. When I finally got rid of the stone I had also gotten rid of some extra weight I had been carrying.

The most practical way to lose weight though is to get rid of your car and cycling everywhere like my neighbor does. It seems like he didn’t really have any input making the final decision about not driving so I don’t know if he is enjoying it. But he is skinny.

If you have kept on a diet this far into January I am proud of you. I want to warn you that Chick-Fil-A is probably going to be giving away free breakfast in February and that might shake your plans up a little bit. They do that on purpose. That’s why I’m waiting til after February to start dieting for real. By Summertime y’all ain’t going to recognize me.

Apostolic Youth Ministry

The Bible does not contain a youth ministry model separate from adults, children, or elders.

Sarah and I drove from Alabama to Virginia this last weekend to attend the funeral of a man who had been a young person while we were leading youth ministry. Being there and seeing the teenagers-now grown people with families-whom we spent nearly every Friday night of our 20s with brought back a flood of memories. I love those people. And I still recognize a familiar connection that is not easily built with people.

In light of eternity, I am reminded that not everything we can involve ourselves with has equal importance. Not all activities or pursuits weigh the same. There are weighty things like righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come, that make people uncomfortable to talk about. So they pursue, and try to find purpose in the frivolous and trivial. There is a grave danger in binding your life up in superficial things that have no eternal significance. Coming through The Valley of the Shadow of Death has also caused me to reflect on the eternal weight of glory that was being stored up in youth ministry. There are some things that we do that are far more important than other things. I wholeheartedly believe that Youth ministry is one of the important things that I have ever done.

And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. Acts 24:25

In the name of personal development, I have read some superfluous and shallow books on the topic of Youth Ministry.

While there are many books about Youth Ministry, there are not many books about Apostolic Youth Ministry. As an Apostolic Christian, I believe in the Oneness of God, and have obeyed the commandment of the Apostle Peter-the man with the keys to the Kingdom- in Acts 2:38. This distinction-and many others-set Apostolic believers apart from mainstream Christendom. So when a non-Apostolic attempts to write a book on Youth Ministry it fails to address foundational concepts of Apostolic Christianity. To be clear, I make no claims to being an expert in Youth Ministry. Indeed I have made many mistakes. But I did serve for 12 years as a Youth Pastor and for a while now I have felt the gravity of the need to write about Youth Ministry from an Apostolic perspective. So today is a start at the very least.

The Bible does not contain a youth ministry model separate from adults, children, or elders. There are instructions at times to these demographics, but no formula for a church service that is unique to a specific age group. This is something that was largely ignored in the many youth ministry seminars, clinics, and training sessions that I attended in pursuit of excellence. Something else that was never at the forefront of these training was an emphasis on preaching in Youth Ministry. In fact there was often a strong emphasis on teaching in place of preaching. I think this is a mistake. Without doubt it is possible to build something without anointed preaching, but it will not be an Apostolic Youth Ministry.

I stood in front of that casket this past weekend and relived those Friday night youth services from days gone by. It was not the shoestring budget that we operated on, nor whatever trendy teaching series that was in circulation, or any hip stage design that came to mind-all these things are fleeting. It was preaching and the response to preaching that made the difference. At its essence, Apostolic Youth Ministry must contain prayer, and preaching. And not just any prayer and preaching, but the kind of prayer that shakes the house, and the kind of preaching that turns the world upside down.

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. I Corinthians 1:21

I wrestled with a man nearly all night when I learned that I would be saying something at the funeral. Not because I didn’t know what I would say-God had already told me- but because of how important words are, and how not all moments are created equal. I did not get rest until I had prayed and written this out:

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Matthew 10:34

Preaching is an offensive action. Its about the most offensive thing that you can endure.
There is no more offensive word than repent. The Word of God is a sharp sword that goes for the jugular. But God chose preaching to save them which believe.

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luke 16:16

Matthew records this same passage in this manner:

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:12

There is something combative about the Kingdom of God.

When I think of Brandon I first see a skinny little middle school aged boy sweaty from playing basketball before Youth Service on a Friday night. And there was preaching. And I see Brandon now as a teenager at Youth Camp not as sweaty anymore because he is trying to impress Makayla. And there was preaching. I see Brandon every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, and every Wednesday night with his crooked glasses. And There was preaching. And I see Brandon now as a young man of God in his office praying, and listening to preaching.

The preached Word of God speaks to us in our essence, or our full potential in the Spirit world. This is why the angel of the Lord spoke to a cowering Gideon threshing wheat by the wine press as a Mighty Man of Valor.

I watched Brandon look into the mirror of the preached Word of God and see Brandon, the man of God that could be.

Brandon heard the Word preached, mixed it with faith, and pressed his way violently into the Kingdom of God. And as his youth pastor, I watched him wrestle with heavenly potential. I could cheer him on, but it was his fight alone.

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Genesis 32:24

I can see Brandon in those altars, alone, without his parents, wrestling with God; the Brandon who Was wrestling with the Brandon Who Could Be.

And I see him grab ahold of God and not let go. I see him wrestle some things to the ground. And I see him walk away, limping, and victorious.

At last I see him by faith, leaning on the top of his staff and worshipping as he died.

Brandon…you are the kind of person that I want to be: a man who died In the Faith.

I never really think about who may read whatever you want to call what I write, until I meet them in person and they tell me. If you are in Youth Ministry today I want to speak directly to you. Have a nice stage. But Preach the Word. Have great music and cool lights. Don’t try to give a TED Talk, Preach the Word.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. II Timothy 4:1-4

Which Guitar Should I Buy for My Student?

As a guitar teacher, I get this question a lot. In fact I got this question while writing this article. My conscience will not allow me to give a quick answer. It is kind of like asking a chef-who likes just about everything- what meal should I eat? Well it depends on what you are in the mood for. Do you like onions? Do you like spicy food? Those kind of questions will help a chef narrow down your selection. That analogy works great because everyone eats. However, beginner guitar players don’t really know what they like yet. They may not even know what there is to like. On top of that, we’re not even sure that they are going to want to keep playing. I can recommend a great guitar, but are parents willing to pay that much money without knowing if the child will stick with it? I am attempting to answer this question because it will not go away.

Perhaps a better question is will this guitar help them learn?

If I had to write an equation for learning to play the guitar it would maybe look like this:

Ti+TG=P.

T=Time spent practicing
G=Guitar
i=Instruction
P=Proficiency

I would think that G and i would be numbers between 0 and 1. For T let 1 equal one hour. If the quality of your instruction and your guitar is good, then you will learn faster than if they are poor. But time spent practicing is the most important variable in this equation. I want to make this point crystal clear.

In short, the quality of the guitar will help a student learn. It would be very hard to express the quality of a great guitar over a poor guitar in a number. In reality, most guitars would fall between .5-.8, or perhaps an even smaller margin.

I welcome any math instructors to critique this equation or point me to an existing, more accurate equation. I am open to instruction.

This article is to address the guitar variable question. Spending more money on a guitar will increase the guitar’s quality to a point, then the gains are marginal. To make things easier, I would like to place guitars into three categories: Beginner, Player, and Professional.

Beginner Guitars

Beginner guitars are typically priced anywhere from $100-300. These guitars are mass produced with affordable materials. Quality control in manufacturing is considerably higher than it was 40 years ago, so most guitars in this category are going to be well built for the price. Playability issues manifest themselves in these guitars through lack of set-up. A poorly cut nut, no intonation adjustments, sharp fret edges and high action; all of these issues can be addressed with basic guitar maintenance which a complete beginner guitar player will lack.

I have pulled a brand new guitar out of the box in this category and had to spend an hour adjusting things before I was able to get the guitar to play in tune. This is my biggest complaint with beginner guitars. A student may not yet realize that a guitar is out of tune. An out of tune instrument will limit a student in three primary ways: by impeding ear training, more time will be spent tuning than practicing, and frustration from fighting an instrument.

In short, most cheap guitars will need work just to stay in tune. Teaching guitar maintenance is important, but it may not be inspiring. A guitar that will not stay in tune will be harder to play. If I must be pressed to recommend a beginner guitar I would go with a Squier Affinity Series Telecaster of Stratocaster. My first guitar was a Squier Affinity Strat that came with a little amplifier. I still have the guitar. And because I have done a bit of regular maintenance-and installed a set of Schaller tuners that are worth more than the guitar-this little guitar stays in tune nicely and I play it often at home.

Player Guitars

A player guitar is going to be $400-900. I would define a player guitar as a guitar that a guitar player would use to play a live performance in front of people. This would be an instrument that would be reliable, comfortable, and would also sound great. These guitars are going to stay in tune much better than beginner guitars.

If I had to recommend a guitar for a student in this price range it would be any guitar from the Paul Reed Smith SE line. I think that they are an excellent value. I have really been impressed with how consistent the quality of these guitars are. I have played the higher end PRS guitars, and while they are outstanding, the SE line feels and sounds just as good to me. I play one of these and it competes with the next category.

Professional Guitars

Professional guitars are just that, the kind of guitars that professional musicians play. A few years ago these started around $1,500, but inflation has pushed that number closer to the $2,000 entry threshold. The first professional guitar that I ever got to play live was a James Tyler Classic. It made such an impression on me that I saved money for years and sold a bunch of gear before I could afford a Suhr Classic Pro-I still can’t afford a James Tyler. It was like I had been driving used Honda Accords with transmission issues for years and I finally got to drive a Ferrari. Professional guitars are that much different than player grade. I once played my Suhr all night at a youth conference in Tulsa, OK, put it in the gig bag, flew to DFW then to DCA, drove an hour home, pulled it out of the case the next day and it was still in tune. To put that in perspective, I have a Gibson guitar that I have to tune after every song.

I do not recommend professional guitars to beginner students simply because they are so expensive. I also think it is important for players to develop their preference for sound, feel, and aesthetics through years of playing. By the time a student is good enough to warrant spending this kind of money, they better know what they are looking for in an instrument. That is part of the fun of learning guitar.

Professional Guitars usually have impeccable fretwork.

Amps

So far, I have focused solely on electric guitar. This is because most of my current students are far more interested in electric guitar than acoustic guitar. We cannot talk about electric guitar and not mention amplifiers. Amplifiers are more important to the sound than the guitar is. You could place amplifier in the same beginner, player, and professional categories. I will simplify and just talk about player amplifiers.

I recommend a Fender Blues Junior for a student who is wanting to take the guitar seriously. At $450 this amp will be useful for years to come and will retain value on the secondary market. This amp is going to be far more responsive to a players touch than the amplifiers that come in beginner packs.

You can get great guitar amplifiers on the used market. I check Facebook Marketplace and pawn shops pretty regular for deals like this. Look for a Vox AC-15, a Peavey Classic, an Orange Rocker, or a Fender Blues Junior. The Boss Katana is also a great value.

Amp Simulators

In today’s digital world, we now have available to us computers that simulate amplifiers. Companies like Line6 pioneered amp simulation 25 years ago and it has gotten progressively better with time. The nice thing about amp simulators is you can practice with just headphones. I prefer a real amp over an amp simulator, but I do use simulation to teach my online lessons. Marvin Gaye said it best, Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing Baby. The important thing is that you understand that the amp-or amp simulation- is a necessary part of the electric guitar equation.

I have been impressed with the Line6 Helix, Kemper Profiler, and Universal Audio Ruby if you need a recommendation from me. Boss just released an amp simulator pedal that is probably the best value I have seen in a while: The Boss IR-2.

Conclusion

The first question that we need to answer is What is your budget?

If you are bound to the $200-300 range then the Squier Affinity Strat Pack is your best option. Everything you need to get started-guitar maintenance not included. As your budget increases your options also increase, especially if you shop on the used market. I have found some great deals on Reverb.com. Sweetwater and Guitar Center also have used sites.

If your student is committed to playing and willing to fight the tuning issues, a cheap guitar and a nice amp is my preference over a cheap amp and nice guitar.

To my regular readers,

We will return to our regularly scheduled rambling next week.