5 Things I Learned from my Drum Set

For those of you who know, I will soon be back in Atlanta, serving as Connections Pastor at StonePoint Church. I am a drummer and one of the coolest parts of my job is that I get to play with the band. I know, as most of you know, it’s not too much of a stretch to have me behind a kit, but the thing is, for the last 2 ½ years, I’ve been playing on V-Drums (electronic drums). Electronic drums feel NOTHING like real drums. So, it’s going to be a while until I “get the feel” back of real drums.

And while I was working on the real drum kit, I started thinking about some of the things that this old drum set has taught me, about life, and about my walk with Jesus Christ.

Here are 5 things my drum kit has taught me…

I Need Tuned Up

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

Practically, drums work by stretching an animal skin or in modern times a plastic drumhead, across a drum shell and tighten it until it makes the proper sound. It’s where we get the phrase, “wound up tighter than a drum.” Drumheads are very responsive to their environments, when it gets hot, they tighten, and when it gets cold, they loosen. And when they tighten and loosen, they get out of tune. In other words, they don’t sound or play correctly.

I’m the same way. I am also very responsive to my environment. When things get too hot, I tighten up. When things cool down, I loosen up. Scripture reminds me that I need to loosen up sometimes. I am reminded that I should only work 6 days and have 1 full day of rest…no work, no stress. Just relax and spend time getting in tune with what God wants me to focus on.

Sometimes, I Need New Heads

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Drumheads, just like many things, wear out over time, and you need to buy new heads to replace the old. When they get old, they sound dull and become very unresponsive. In ‘drummer lingo”, we call them dead heads…and no, that’s NOT where they [deadheads] got their name.

At times our minds can become dull and unresponsive when we spend too much time focusing on the things of this world and not on Godly desires. Scriptures remind us that we must renew our minds constantly to stay in the center of God’s will. Having a daily quiet time, with prayer and scripture reading, will help us to renew our minds on a daily basis.

The Drums Don’t Play Themselves

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

You can have the most amazing drum set in the whole world, along with the finest cymbals and equipment. And if you don’t pick up the sticks and actually PLAY the drums, you have the most expensive paperweight on the planet.

In the same way, you can have the latest and greatest translation of the Bible, and read it every day. You can own every Bible study, download every sermon, and watch every blog on the internet…and if you don’t apply what you hear, study, and read…what has it gained the Kingdom? Jesus doesn’t need another Bible scholar; He needs people to be His hands and His feet. He needs us to not only hear the word of scripture, but to DO WHAT IT SAYS!

I Need to be Played (Used)

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Drums need to be played, they need to be used, and they need to have someone play them so that they can fulfill their purpose. Jesus said it best, He came to serve, and we are called to serve. We need to humble ourselves and put others ahead of our own wants and needs. We need to be used this way to not only emulate Christ, but we may be the only Jesus Christ that the people we serve may ever truly experience.

Find a Groove and Stay in the Pocket

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Drumming is all about groove, and groove is all about staying in the pocket. These may be terms that you are unfamiliar with, let me try to explain… When you hear a song that makes your head bob and feet want to move…THAT is groove. And the musicians have found that “special place” [groove] to keep the song moving. Groove is what all drummers aspire to create. Drummers live and die by it.

Our Christian walk needs to be controlled by these words from Jesus, “Go! And remember that I am with you.” We can do whatever God calls us to because Christ is with us. We can accomplish any task He sets before us, because Christ is with us. We can overcome any challenge, any sorrow, any pitfall, any painful loss, because Christ is with us.

We need to find a groove that works for us, and stay in it. We need to figure out the best way that we can serve our Lord and accomplish His call for our lives. And we need to always stay strong in the knowledge that no matter how high, how hard, how long, or how dangerous the journey is, we can stay on that path [in the pocket] because Jesus is always there!