you’ve got to be sharp to cut it

My children make fun of me because my cooking knives are always very sharp, and we’ve witnessed a few cuts through the years. I hate to cut food with a dull knife. A good blade should slide through a piece of meat, peppers, or an onion effortlessly. It is easier, and you are more likely to cut yourself using an unsharpened edge because you must exert more pressure on the item you are slicing, making it more likely to slip or turn and head towards your fingers. Been there, done that.

I inherited my love of good quality, sharp instruments from my father. Though Dad didn’t cook much, he kept the knives in our home honed to perfection. I can still picture him with his large oil stone set into a homemade wooden case sliding a blade across it repeatedly with maximum concentration. He also kept his fishing knife and Old Timer pocketknife ready to use at any moment. It is much easier to clean fresh fish or whittle a piece of wood when the edge is razor sharp. I still have that oilstone, which sparks heart-warming memories of the ole man.

My youngest daughter remembers the day we had “the knife talk.” She has always loved a good steak, so understanding proper cutting technique is essential. I sat at the table watching her trying to cut off a bite-sized morsel by exerting increasing pressure, pushing harder and harder straight down onto the delicacy without sliding action. It was driving me nuts. It’s the little things that get under your skin!

I finally said, “Kristin, you are going about that process all wrong. Let me show you how to cut a steak.”  I explained that we invent tools to make tasks more manageable, and using a knife on a steak is no different. I’m sure she was thinking, “Really, dad? Is this training session necessary? I just want to stuff my face with this sirloin.” However, she gracefully watched and listened as the slicer par excellence took over her plate and showed her how to place the knife on the meat and then slide across the delight, the blade sinking deeper and deeper with ease. I demonstrated proper use of the fork in the process and painlessly removed several bites.

I explained that the idea of using this tool was to lessen the work from plate to mouth; to accomplish that, one must slide it across the meat. Class over. I slid the steak back to her and closely watched as she practiced a critical life skill. I gleamed with pride as she practiced this ancient art that has kept countless generations alive. I now knew she would make it to adulthood without starving. She’s been eating steak effortlessly ever since. Parents, sometimes it is the little lessons we gift our children to make their lives run smoothly. I still see her chowing down on one of her favorite foods occasionally, and I think, “Man, you are an awesome dad.”

The inevitable thing about knives is that the more you use them, the quicker they become dull and dangerous again. So, the sharpening stone comes out on the counter, and within a few minutes, the eating tools are ready to go back to work for you.

I recently purchased a guitar. It’s a beautiful PRS McCarty 594 finished with a gorgeous deep golden curly maple top and gold hardware. I’ve played guitar since I picked up my first Yamaha acoustic during college. Selfishly, I figured it would be a chick magnet, but I also vowed to God that I would always use any acquired musical skill to His glory. My first lessons were with a co-worker who taught me a few chords until I jumped in with both feet and hired a professional teacher. I love electric guitar and fully expect St. Peter to promptly direct me to the blues/rock music room to listen to the greats of blues/rock history.

Though I played for many years, I finally put the instrument away for a long time. I was burned out after playing for two/three worship services each week while also preaching and teaching for each. I’ve always thought the desire would return, and I can now sense the six-string stirrings vibrating in my head. Since I only possess five guitars, a new one was essential to this process.

In fact, I have a closet of guitars, pedals, amplifiers, lesson books, pics, and two large toolboxes of various guitar-related tools. As you can easily detect, a new instrument would be essential to my life's axe resurrection. I have needs. My friend Pat, whose husband, Mike, taught me most of what I know about the guitar, says that guitar players often get G.A.S. No, not that kind. It stands for GEAR ACQUISITION SYNDROME. Guitar players never have enough guitar stuff – ever.

The new instrument sat on my kitchen counter with the case opened for about a week, and I simply stared at the beauty of my new axe. It is an intoxicating piece of art made just south of here in Stevensville, Maryland. I held it in my hands and caressed it while the smell of the case reminded me of the enormous arenas where I used to play with tens of thousands of adoring fans singing my praises. Oh, wait, sorry, I was dreaming again.

Make no mistake, I am not a good player, but I enjoy the art of the instrument, and something is soothing about an overdriven power chord flowing through a tube amp and out the other side at 105 decibels.

I finally strapped up and put the pick to the strings. The action was smooth as silk, and the Moroccan Rosewood fretboard and neck were suitable for these old hands and fingers. However, there was and is one hurdle. My fingers move like they are covered with molasses, slow, uncoordinated, and fumbling. My guitar knife has become dull, and it will take a few months of diligent practice to sharpen my digits again.

 here are two factors involved with proper tool use, and both are learning processes that are often tedious and boring. First, there is learning how to sharpen a tool. For a guitar, this means understanding the art of stringing the instrument, keeping it clean by wiping the strings enough to remove the oil buildup from your fingers, learning the dynamics of shaping the sound through effect pedals and overdrive, and ultimately the key to a sharp instrument, tuning it often and well. Mike used to tell me that you may not be able to play well, but you can play in tune. Now you are ready for the second factor. You must practice, hours and hours of practice. And you must practice smart with proper technique and timing. If you practice the wrong technique, it will become ingrained and hold your playing back. People who are sharp at anything never stop preparing their instruments or practicing well.

You can apply these principles to nearly any endeavor. You are the tool and the only one who can sharpen yourself. Do you want to become a better spouse, then sharpen yourself. Do you want to yearn to be good at some sport or hobby, then keep studying and practicing. Do you want to speak more effectively, study and practice. Would you like to handle your finances well, learn how, and apply what you’ve gleaned. How about becoming more spiritually mature? Study the handbook and put your new wisdom to work.

Jesus instructed that a wise person keeps learning and always practices what they have gathered. The Master Teacher explained that a person who learns and practices His principles is akin to someone who builds a house on a solid foundation of bedrock. Jesus’ teachings are not meant for intellectual aggrandizement but practical living.

Well, that new McCarty is lying on the counter all strapped up, and I’ve purchased a new blues/rock solo class, so I guess I better get to it!

Live Inspired!

Don Mark

P.S. Some of you have been asking about my new book and when it will be available. I have completed the first draft and am now about the arduous task of the first edit. It will likely be late in the year at the earliest before it is published. Thanks for asking!