"Called" to be a guitarist

Went to see Tommy Emmanuel, Australian "leg-end" guitarist, play in concert last night at the Angel Place Recital Hall in Sydney CBD. What a freak! His 50 years of playing the guitar has made him a virtuoso who, incidentally cannot read a bar of music. It must be the muscle memory in his fingers that allows him to play some blisteringly fast (and beautiful slow) tunes - melody, chords and bass together - on one guitar.

At one point in the evening he mentioned that playing the guitar was his "calling", and that got me thinking about the "calling" of the Artist: one who is blessed with the gift of creating art (whether poetry, music, visual art, etc) for the enjoyment of others, and ultimately for God's enjoyment. For a biblical example check out David. His gift of music (expressed in playing the harp) would often placate the angry soul of King Saul and averted many disasters, and the legacy of the Psalms he wrote has been a great blessing to the devotional life of the Church throughout the ages.

God has certainly blessed Tommy Emmanuel with the gift of playing the guitar skillfully. Glory be to Him!