working knowledge

I have been working in the sound industry for just over 11 years now. Before that I studied sound recording for 3 years and a small stint in electrical engineering before that.
In a nutshell, one could say that I should have a bit of experience in the field of sound, if not then I must be a brick…. Being around anything for that length of time gives you an edge and experience which few others have. This is why people call now for assistance in their sound requirements. They need help and who do they call? The student fresh out of college, or the seasoned professional?

When looking to lose weight, you will sooner go to a person who has lost weight than someone who just tells you what to do, right?
When buying anything its always better to run your decision by someone who bought the same thing before.
When planning on doing a course, is it not always better to run things by a person who has done the course before?
When you need surgery, who do you seek help from? The student fresh out of college or the experienced surgeon?

Why? Theory has its merits, but anyone who has been around for a while will soon acknowledge that theory has its limits and when put in practice it never quite fits into the text book examples does it?

I had a really frustrating conversation with someone the other day, it was after an event. He was basically sharing his opinion on the current technology and how we use it in sound. Basically he was saying that the whole world is wrong and he knows why. I asked him if he knew better than everyone else that run the shows all over the world, he said yes, without even flinching. Crackpots I tell you, they exist all over. As if that was not bad enough, I asked him what sound systems he used, and he said none, because that is not relevant to our conversation. I walked away…….

It will take years to flesh out a seasoned individual in any trade out there. Simply because theory is taught in ideals, but reality has so many variables. This poor guy was not willing to deal with the variables and reality that things in practice are always different from the theoretical side. Thats no reason not to get involved.

Today I want to talk to you about people who quote scripture to validate what they are saying to you. They already believe something and simply use scripture to validate that thought process. But they have a theory which they hold to.
I am not talking about scriptures being quoted to emphasize Holy Living and that lift Jesus up, thats good and proper use of it. But people who have no working knowledge of the scriptures at all, you know those people who spend years memorizing scriptures in some bible classes and get some revelations and suddenly they on a “mission” to save the world from their “deception”.

Firstly Jesus Himself said in Matt. 9:37 “The harvest is plenty, but the “workers” are few……”. He did not say but those who know scriptures are few, those who study the scriptures are few, those students are few. He said the workers. Doers, people who have a working knowledge are few.

I am personally quite tired of people flapping scriptures back and forth with little or no working knowledge of what the scripture actually is. I emphasize that only when you turn 30 will you begin to have an inkling, and then and only then will you realise how little we do know. I am not asking people to do their homework, we have done enough theory for centuries. I am asking people to go out there and live. Find out what works and what does not work. And when you don’t understand a scripture, who is the best to speak to? A student that spent 3 years in bible school or someone who has lived that scripture a few times over?

You know what I mean, I mean really live…..

THO