Taught? Learn! Apply! Thank!

3/26/2020

When you awake to a beautiful song which tells the story of true love, how can your day go badly? Let’s see if the classic romantic thought lingers throughout the rest of this day. The SIMH was “When You Taught Me How To Dance.”—performed by Katie Melua, a marvelous singer. She puts the feelings on the luxury of having been taught a fine art. You can make those thoughts fit many eye-opening experiences of our lives. It happens we are all looking for one right now: the experience of finding the method/cure for a spreading virus. A pandemic that is apt to reach further into the normal day to day life of each one of us than most of us have thought of till now, nor any we’ve seen before it.

Being taught “How to Dance” may also be applied to the skill of carpentry, the oratorical finesse of a master speaker, or the sophistication of a studied baseball pitcher, and many other skills not normal or usual. People refer  to these things as “gifts” (I’m not very sold on that idea) as though some special power or higher being or the God of the Universe has bestowed such things. Most times, it seems to me, someone taught that extra special person a skill, much as the sultry voice of Katie Melua says of her teacher in the song; “you must have been taught well…”

Take the old terminology for Boxing: “the manly art of self-defense.” I watched Cassius Clay as a teenage boxer preparing for the 1960 Olympics, as swift as a bird on the wing, then he became Muhammed Ali, the greatest boxer in a sea of great boxers! His slogan for one fight was “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” He did that. But, he didn’t in 1960, he had to be taught it. Or, and this is a better example than Ali, take the 3 great NBA players who (in my estimation) were the greatest rebounders of all time, considering their prowess versus their size. How did Charles Barkley out-rebound the entire NBA season after season being about 4 to 6 inches shorter than those who were his foes? He knew where the ball was going. And Dennis Rodman, the wackiest of ball players, how did he get the ball from rebound or a loose ball before the big guys or the fleetest of foot could reach it. Or Larry Bird, arguably the best player of all time, who could get rebounds and even shoot without jumping ( couldn’t get very far off the floor) and retrieve rebounds, recover bad passes from the out of bounds line, and even block shots when he was least expected to do it. How did Rodman and Bird do what they did? Just like Barkley; they knew where the ball was going. Was this due to some superior talent or art form handed down from God our Father? No, it was due to a learned skill. Phenomenal as it was, they all learned. Did they ever make mistakes? Good grief, yes! Today, we can watch past stars in sports through the composite lens, showing their exploits which never show the flawed moments. There were many. 

The song’s tie-in is to the exhilaration of having been taught our well-learned lessons! We all had a teacher, we all draw continually from that teacher. And from a purely Scriptural view, we owe “honour to whom honor” is due, according to Rom.13:7. It comes to mind of some I know who never acknowledge their teacher. I believe that will be a need to be ashamed item on the list when they face the Lord.

Blue Jug stores are all doing quite well this month. It has come to an interrupted moment, however, for a couple of us. Two of the 9 stores are temporarily closed due to special care not to spread the coronavirus. May be a bit too cautious, but better too cautious than too careless, right? 

But, the month is still far better than a year ago for all of us. A couple of new stores coming on are having a tough time getting leasing settled. But, I believe that problem will resolve itself partly due to the interruption caused by the virus. Some other stores who might be on the verge of closing will take this opportunity to extricate themselves from further losses, leaving more than usual vacancies and some landlords anxious to fill their spaces. It’s like an in-course correction in rentals—I’m expecting that.

Our April trip to Texas for a bible conference is going to have to be rescheduled for this same cause. Ah, well, ’twill be all the sweeter fellowship in due time, correct? I’m looking forward to when it can be done and seeing as many folks as we can in Texas!

Hoping you stay well from the evil one which lurks among us.

Thanks for reading, the Elder