Hitting Brick Walls

In a few months, I will sit for an eight hour test and, if successful, I will receive the credential of "Professional Engineer" or "PE" for short. Between now and then of course I must study; rigorously study. Many of the things I like to do I will have to cut back in order to fulfill my need to study.

I graduated from college 15 years ago, age 35. I remember working hard all through junior  college – doing quite well in fact, far better than I had ever achieved academically during high school....even getting on the Dean's list.  I just remember feeling really old… having decided to go back at age 30 you know. But then I got to the University of Texas - the school of Engineering- and there I remember feeling like I had hit a brick wall. 

This hard reality, I wasn't as smart as I might have appeared to be or thought myself to be, began to sink in. Here I was - this average guy - swimming with thousands of young geniuses. 

What had I gotten myself into? 

While others went to football games and parties I studied, and studied some more and still studied and ultimately, did much worse on my exams than those whom went to the football games and parties. Certainly my spiritual reversion had taken root here as many prayers were said over the ensuing months and years. 

UT Austin graduation, 1999

By the grace of God I graduated a civil engineer. By the grace of God I'd been given the gift of understanding.  In the whole scheme of things I am but a fool; in the whole scheme of things I really knew and know nothing at all. 

Precisely this understanding, for the first time in my life, (finally), has led to real knowledge. 

The whole truth lies outside of myself and my limited perceptions; the truth unaffected of course by them - truth always being truth.  

What are the reasons for my joy? 

Understanding leading to knowledge leading to a will aligned to the will of my Father in heaven, to OUR Father in heaven.

Without faith there is no understanding.  With faith an entire oasis of knowledge opens up before us.

An unlimited source of knowledge is found outside of oneself in the Gospels, Church traditions and documents (Magisterium), nature, art, music, prayer & spiritual books, in the liberal arts like philosophy and theology, through journalists, scriptural scholars & exegetes, converts, TV personalities, radio personalities, doctors, religious authors, Church Fathers, Popes, priests, nuns, deacons, the Saints, etc.… a body of knowledge, today more than ever before, so readily accessible to everyone.

The sheer breadth of material to study for the PE exam is indeed quite intimidating, certainly another humbling, brick wall manifestation in my own life. Yet, by making my way through it I've come to understand and appreciate the relative "smallness" of our own Catholic Catechism. I never thought I'd feel that way about the Catechism with its nearly 3000 paragraphs of sacred wisdom.

I CAN get my hands and brain around the Catechism, at minimum becoming proficient in using the citation and subject indexes in the back just as I CAN pass this PE examination - I pray, on the first attempt; God willing and for the glory and honor of God of course.

If I don't post for a while you at least you'll understand why now.  Until next time...may I ask for your prayers?

"You pray, you mortify yourself, you labor at a thousand apostolic activities… But you don't study. You are useless, then, unless you change your ways. Study – any professional development – is a serious obligation for us." #334, The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva

Better late than never!

Like Living Stones

Coming home last night from a prayer meeting I got to thinking about the topic at hand: mental prayer. 

The leader had encouraged us to first find a casual, contemplative mood, a peaceful meditative disposition and once there to simply let our Lord know “Here I am Lord; let’s talk” or “Here I am; I have no idea what we can talk about but I’m here Lord; I’m listening.” 

Not to be too serious….

I had about 30 minutes left on my journey home and so I decided to put what I learned into practice. I lowered the radio and began to pray. I used the power of imagination to recall God’s omnipresence and I went as far as concluding if Jesus is my friend and truly loves me then why wouldn’t he be in spirit with me at that very moment. I pictured Jesus sitting next to me in the passenger seat. 

Then I asked, rather casually, as a friend to another friend “Lord, out of all the Churches in the world, which one is your absolute favorite?” 

A civil engineer, not a denominational theologian, I was thinking more along the lines of physical beauty – brick, mortar, and architectural style; I was picturing the magnificent cathedrals in Europe…. “Lord….which one is your absolute favorite?” Then I became silent and listened – knowing full well the answer may not come right away and when it came it would be more than likely through something I would read or hear about over the next several days.

What happened next absolutely floored me, gave me chills, put a great big smile on my face, and gave my wife chills when I shared with her what I’m about to testify to you.

Remember I had lowered the radio volume?

As I was listening, waiting for our Lord to speak, the barely audible radio signal caught my attention. I turned it up. “A few days ago the second oldest person in the world celebrated her 115^th birthday!” the radio host announced. "Asked for her secret she replied 'It’s all in the good Lord’s hand’s … there’s nothing I can do about it'."

It suddenly dawned on me what had been written in 1 Peter 2:5 : “...you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Within moments from asking I had my answer; the Lord had answered my prayer!

Our Lord’s favorite church is not the physical brick and mortar structures I was thinking of when I asked – but each one of us, his “living stones” and especially Mrs. Jeralean Talley, the oldest living American, the second oldest person in the world, a devout Christian all of her life, a person who isn’t afraid to proclaim to everyone the source of her joy, one whom lives by the motto “Treat others the way you want to be treated” (the Golden Rule -Matthew 7:12).

Wow! Rest assured I will be encouraging everyone, as I am doing this very moment, to allow more time for mental prayer in their own lives. See for yourself how mental prayer can work in your life. You will develop and unshakeable faith in the process.

“...you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5

                                          

    

Drum and Bass

G8 Bullet 1 – Getting to the next level; practice. To finally understand something, especially after some degree of effort, is truly one of life's most certain joys. 

2. Who can deny the lofty elation one experiences when that wonderful "ah-ha" moment occurs? You've figured something out or you've mastered something complex after a long and difficult struggle. Often it occurs after a torturous low point, a seemingly endless frustration.... nothing seems to be happening anymore, no progress is being made. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, an epiphany! The solution is in your hands. 

3. The point must be made, we don't get these if we do nothing. 

4. Momentum must be maintained. Effort must be expended. Practice must be worked in and if we are being faithful, we say our prayers too. 

5. From the revelation of personal experience, if God and his Church are not part of the equation, I will fail to do my best.  

6. But God works in many ways, often allowing us to be "successful" (in a worldly kind of way) even when we are completely distant from him. 

7. Growing up, my brothers and I made a conscious decision that we were going to be a band and really nothing else mattered from that point on, at least for a while. We didn't try to excel in sports or academics or religious studies or any other number of things successful teenagers do. Those just weren't our goals. 

8. Personally, I missed out on getting to the next level because I stopped practicing for a while, I dropped out. How often does this happen with our faith life? It did mine. 

9. Outside of church I made no progress; going further all on my own; without knowing it, becoming morally and spiritually bankrupt. 

10. Piously practicing religion would have been boring compared to the worldly attractions I was chasing at the time. I got big headed and prideful. I believed if anything were to happen it would be solely because of my own efforts. 

11. One thing for certain, outside of church and its influence, I didn't put forth any effort to learn more about God or to start reading spiritual books.

12. Instead, I started practicing the electric guitar once more but soon moved to percussion instruments. I was driven again to excel, driven by imagination and vision; visions driven by my brothers' successes and the sensualities felt in my heart for worldly success and fame. I was practicing to get to the next level alright. Meanwhile my brothers excelled in getting booked at more places to play as a band. Consequently, they did things with music that others only dream about. 

13. Ultimately, it was because of their success that I was able to eventually get into the music scene later and do things I had only previous dreamed about before.  

14. Ultimately, it was because of the unmerited grace of God (the love of God), the prayers of others, and the protective acts of my guardian angels that I was able to eventually recognize the call to my true vocation and find the narrow path leading to eternal salvation, Jesus Christ.

15. Do you see how we need practice, prayer, and one another in getting to the next level? 

16. Shoot for at least 3–4 solid, 30 minute sessions per week; rhythm practice along with prayer time. Always opt for multiple days over one day-long practice or prayer session.  

17. Once you've got the pattern down, pick a favorite song of yours (make sure that it's a 4/4 song) and play your pattern with it. Don't pick a super fast song. 

18. "In the Church it is through living Tradition that the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God how to pray.  In fact prayer cannot be reduced to spontaneous outpouring of an interior impulse; rather it implies contemplation, study and a grasp of the spiritual realities one experiences." Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church #557

G8 Bullet 2 – Fill in the empty beats with touch, but don't touch too much! Remember the touch serves mostly as a timekeeper between louder strokes helping your hands to flow and adding a subtle fullness to a rhythm. Alternate hands. Even on a tabletop, always concentrate on getting the best possible tones. You never know when you might get to transition to a real drum. No cotton hands. Leave some breathing room in your playing too. If you need to touch stroke to keep you on beat and in time, fine. With practice, there will come a day when you no longer rely on the touch stroke for timekeeping. If you get a chance to play with others or along with recorded music, don't fight to be heard. Don't even worry about hearing yourself. Concentrate on the feel of what you're playing and focus on the sound of the group you're playing along with. If your hands start to hurt, stop playing until they stop hurting. Before you start playing again, take time to analyze the problem. If you continue to play on an injured hand, you may do permanent damage. It's like making a daily examination of conscience before our Lord. Self analysis allows us to replace our counterproductive habits, our vice, with virtue - the habit that will make us kinder, merciful, and more compassionate to others. In our Lesson G8 pattern remember to play the touch significantly softer than the bass and slap tones.

G8 Bullet 3 – Drum set adaptation for the tabletop. In the cut-time/backbeat handout below, the slap tones fall on the backbeats – defined as every second pulse in a pattern with two or four pulses.  In cut-time, every second pulse falls on beat two of each measure. In 4/4, the backbeats fall on two and four. The backbeat is the backbone of most dance music, from rock, Christian pop, funk and hip-hop. On a drum set, the backbeat is usually played on a snare drum using a technique called a rimshot (produces a loud crack). On a tabletop, the closest thing to a rimshot is a slap – so we use the slap for our backbeats. The pattern in Drum and Bass is simple but tasteful and it can be played with nearly everything. It may even sound like a popular drum set pattern. In this adaptation for the tabletop, the bass stroke mimics the bass drum on a kit, the slap stroke mimics the snare drum, and the touch strokes mimic the hi-hat. Another drum set technique used in this pattern is called the fill - "a rhythmic bridge between repetitions of a pattern or sections of a song." It happens between the end the part of the second measure, moving from slaps to open tones and then back to the bass on one.  "Drum set players do the same thing by moving from the snare to a tom to the bass drum." (Pattern 1-9 adapted for tabletop - source quotes courtesy Hip Grooves for Hand Drummers: How to play funk, rock and world – beat patterns on any drum, by Alan Dworsky and Betsy Sansby) 

G8 Bullet 4 – Cut time/backbeat handout. Understanding "time" isn't always straightforward.  If there's one understanding of time that propelled me personally to the next level in playing of percussion instruments, it was not the theory of cut-time. The good news is that in preparing for this lesson - the theory of cut time has become even more "explicit" to me. 

OK, here goes. 

22. The difference is in the "pulse" underlying the rhythms. In our practice boxes, the "pulse" is always shown in the topmost row; its the greyed out box with a numeral in it. In 4/4 there is a pulse of 4 beats. In 2/2 there is a pulse of two beats. The time signatures 4/4 and 2/2 are mathematically the same. Both fractions, when reduced, equal one, which means that any measure with either of these time signatures would contain one whole note.

23. Basically, If I can play the same pattern in half the time it normally takes, I must be playing it in "cut time." Right? We'll sort of. piano.about.com writes: one uses cut time "to speed up tempo: when switching from common time (4/4), cut time means you'll be playing twice as fast. In this manner, cut time can be referred to as "halftime," or "playing in 2."   

24. This handout will help (a bit).  Watching the Drum and Bass movie with the YOU practice sheets in front of you will help a lot.

25. If there's one understanding about "time" that propelled me to the next level in my understanding of God it was found in the book by C.S. Lewis called Mere Christianity. 

26. "A man put it to me by saying 'I can believe in God all right, but what I cannot swallow is the idea of Him attending to several hundred million human beings who are all addressing Him at the same moment.'" 

27. What Lewis wrote next has had a profound effect on how I think about God. 

28. "Our life comes to us moment by moment. One moment disappears before the next comes along: and there is room for very little in each. That is what time is like. And of course you and I tend to take it for granted that this time series – this arrangement of past, present and future – is not simply the way life comes to us but the way all things really exist. We tend to assume that the whole universe and God Himself are always moving on from past to future just as we do. But many learned men do not agree with that. It was the theologians who first started the idea that some things are not in time at all: later the philosophers took it over: and now some of the scientists are doing the same. Almost certainly God is not in time. His life does not consist of moments following one another. If 1 million people are praying to him at 10:30 tonight, He need not listen to them all in that one little snippet which we call 10:30. Ten-thirty – and every other moment from the beginning of the world – is always the Present for Him. If you like to put it that way, He has all eternity in which to listen to the split-second of prayer put up by a pilot as his plane crashes in flames." 

29. Ah-ha!  Wow! An epiphany perhaps, something to turn over and over again, to ponder in the shower, to contemplate before the Blessed Sacrament, to gradually understand, to help make one's understanding of God more explicit. 

30. God created time. Our Lord has no beginning and no end and exists outside of time (time itself 'a thing' created by God) as He has for all of eternity. If God has no beginning and no end, when I die, He can be there alone with me as if I am the only creature of his creation. 

31. If God has no beginning and no end, when his son Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died for my sins and my sins alone. 

32. If God has no beginning and no end, when I sin, i.e. "to miss the mark," it is me alone that offends my Lord and my God. 

33. If God has no beginning and no end, then all of these apply equally to each and every person created in the image of God! That is you, my tiny band of students and followers, and the millions and millions of all the rest who could care less. 

34. This is how big our God is. This is what he shows us about himself when he sends his Son to us. Whether we are found in the state of caring or not "God shows us in Jesus Christ the full depth of his merciful love." (YOUCAT #9)

35. Some things just naturally take "time" for us to gradually grasp - don't forget about putting forth a little daily practice and effort either; my not so well-kept secret of success.

36. "Yes even if Revelation is already complete, [there's nothing more to be said] it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries."  Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) # 66. 

G8 Bullets 5 – 7, Learn the Rhythm - Drum set groove: Drum and Bass 

SPEAK THE RHYTHM: Ge te re te Pa te re te Ge te re te Pa Pa Du Du....

Work both hands:  Remember; when working on technique, whatever is true for the right hand is true for the left hand.  You will find that if you are right handed, the patterns  starting with the right hand will be easier to play than when starting the same pattern with the left hand (and vice versa).  Switch hands: If you are right handed, use your left hand now to start playing the pattern.  It helps me to go to the practice sheet (see YOU Practice below) and write out L,R,L,R,L,R,L,R below the R,L,R,L,R,L,R,L line so that I can clearly see the strokes my left hand is supposed to be playing at a particular moment (beat) in time.  Start slowly and work up your speed as your accuracy improves; this exercise develops dexterity.

G8 Bullet 8 – Topic A3, Tradition and Word. God approaches us men: The "Big Reveal."

1.) From John 1:18 complete the sentence. No one has ever seen God; ______________, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. 

2.) Read Hebrews, 1:1-2 and CCC #65. List two ways that God has spoken to us.

3.). Which apostle was Jesus speaking to when he said "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9)

4.) According to 1 Timothy 6:14, how long should a disciple of Christ expect to "fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:12)?

5.) Read the following Bible verses and then complete the sentence at the end using just one word: Ezekiel 33:11, Luke 15:11-32, Matthew 15:24, Matthew 9:12, and Matthew 26:28. From the preceding 5 passages of Sacred Scripture, we can know that God is _________.

G8 Bullet 9 – YOU Practice: Rhythm sheet (2) and (3 cut-time). If you want measurable results - try to practice both your faith and drumming at least 30 minutes a day.  

a.) Playing simple rhythms on a daily basis can be similar in repetition to (but never used in place of) a prayer recitation for family and friend, living and deceased. Try to pray slowly and deliberately for these loved ones and friends. 

b.) Did you know that a typical weekday Mass lasts right at 30 minutes? What an ideal spiritual setting to bring prayers for family and friends! 

c.) No local church in your area offering daily Mass? Watch online then! Most on-line daily masses are less than 30 minutes. Ask yourself: "If that's Jesus really present in the Eucharist shouldn't I really want to see Him as filmed during Mass?" 

d.) Practice perfects the one undergoing the repetitious movement; either naturally or supernaturally. 

e.) Answered prayers are reminders of God's supernatural order present in our very own lives. The Church teaches the fruitful value of a sound prayer life. My family and I can give personal testimony to the effectiveness of daily prayer. Practice makes perfect!

G8 Bullet 10 – Table Task: Decide. God has a plan for everyone's life. Even if there were times in your life when you didn't believe this - God did. Nothing is forced on anyone. You are free to choose - at all times. Ask God to reveal his plan for you. To choose it is to decide. Decisions entail actions; actions are practiced over and over until they become habits and then virtues. If we're prayerful - if we are in a state of grace, our advantages become realities when, more often than not, we are able to use sound reason over fickle feelings and emotions alone. Before bed, decide to conclude each day with an examination of your conscience, asking if you are doing whatever God wants you to do.

G7 Bullet 11 – Basic Notation (1) and (2) handouts: study them.

G7 Bullet 12 – Counting (1) and (2) handouts: study them.

Gray Level Syllabus

"Time For The Table" The Way and Means

Puerto Rican Bomba

G7 Bullet 1 – Keep speaking the strokes. When we speak out a repetitious prayer it's not like God needs to simultaneously hear the prayers of millions of people for the stroke of his own ego. No, in fact it's because WE need it that he commands it. 

2. By praying throughout the day, often and in a repetitious manner, we learn to maintain God's presence in our daily lives. 

3. The alternative: being sucked into the concerns of the worldly, often to the exclusion of God or religious realities. 

4. When we learn to speak a rhythm first, it's not for the benefit of the audience that will ultimately hear our performance. They will never hear the speaking of the rhythm that we do in advance of our performance. The speaking of the rhythm is for us, for our own benefit.

5. As we have learned in prior lessons, if we can speak it we can play it. 

6. Someone could quite possibly stumble into Puerto Rican Bomba, pull up the YOU practice sheet and be utterly confused."What are all of these symbols and letters here?" They might ask. "What language is the instructor speaking here?" "How do I make any sense of all of this?" 

7. Granted, I have now placed seven patterns from seven different lessons on one page and for anyone brave enough to start at Puerto Rican Bomba, which I don't recommend by the way, the material indeed will look quite intimidating, jumbled and and perhaps even nonsensical.  

8. This is exactly where "speaking the rhythm" cuts through the clutter.  Watch the movie below, observing how the rhythm is first spoken before any hand demonstrations occur. Next, go to the YOU practice sheet, find the lesson number of interest, and immediately go to the bottom of the practice box. I've spelled out the way each stroke is to be spoken out.

9. Because Puerto Rican Bomba contains a two measure pattern, the Bomba low drum parts, there are two different teaching boxes.  It just so happens I did not place them consecutively, one to follow the other, and that's okay, each one can be learned and played to stand on its own.  Have you found both Puerto Rican Bomba teaching boxes? Good. Now practice speaking each one before going to the table and playing them with your own hands. Part one of the low Bomba is spoken: Pa        Du    DuDu. Part two of the low Bomba is spoken: Pa       DuDuDuDu. Recall the "Pa" stroke is a "slap" and the "Du" stroke is an "open." See the The Big Calypso and Existence and Middle Calypso and Middle Earth movies to review your slap and open stroke for the table top.

G7 Bullet 2 – Limit your strokes; temperance. When you see the term "on beat" in four, the numbered beats 1, 2, 3, and 4 are being referenced. When you see the term "off beat" in four, the AND's of each of the numbered beats (+) are being referenced. You'll see these numerals and symbols in the teaching boxes contained in the YOU practice sheets. 

11. Notice the space in the Bomba low drum parts. Yes! Breathing room. 

12. Sometimes, what IS NOT said is equally or more important than what IS said. Just like in a real conversation with other people, it can be more difficult to say less, to keep quiet, especially when we are just itching to express ourselves and our own opinions. 

13. Rather than us doing all the talking, some of the best prayers can be those made before the Blessed Sacrament, just listening in silence to our Lord's will for us.  

14. A common mistake of many beginning drummers is to pick up an instrument and to "machine gun" away on it. This too, just like a domineering conversationalist, will surely annoy other drummers, musicians and casual observers within ear-shot of your vicinity. 

15. One must form oneself if one hopes to be an interesting conversationalist or hand drummer alike.  And part of this formation is the art of brevity and discretion. Well-placed tones and rests are the objective. 

G7 Bullets 3 – 5, Learn the Rhythm - The Bomba Low Drum Part.  Puerto Rican Bomba

SPEAK THE RHYTHM: (1) Pa   Du   Du Du (2) Pa   Du Du Du Du

G7 Bullet 6 – Topic A3, Chew On It. God Approaches Us Men: The "Big Reveal." Why did God have to show himself in order for us to be able to know what he is like? (YOUCAT # 7). 

18. You've got to take this question personally - here's why. If indeed it's all true as generation after generation after generation have declared, go ahead then and give it better than a 50-50 chance, choosing today to believe God has indeed revealed himself, meaning you and I (your brother), have been instructed in both the Old Testament: “Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children—" (Deuteronomy 4:9) and the New Testament: "Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven"  (Matthew 5:19). 

19. We have received our marching orders. We have had something both majestic and noble revealed to us, clearly something awe-inspiring, something that has survived and come to us through the ages, and now, WE are being called to carry the baton forward, to spread the Gospel, to speak the truths of this good news to others, to REVEAL.

20. There was a time in my life where I couldn't be sure God had showed himself at all. I had personally projected this idea of how God, as spirit, should and would "act" – and since I didn't find these self-projected acts of God anywhere in my life, I started to live as if God didn't exist or at most, he probably didn't care how I lived my life. 

21. Yet when things would go wrong in my life I would scream at God, he would always get the blame – he was the stoic taskmaster, the "payback" God, the unforgiving accountant of all the bad things I had ever done, and consequently, the great punisher. Everything Father Robert Spitzer has said God is not, I thought God really was. 

22. In reality, through sin, I had lost my memory and knowledge of this loving Savior, Jesus Christ and thus, any will to form and deepen my relationship with God.  

23. "Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling." -Gaudium et Spes, 22: AAS 58 (1966), 1042. 

24. We are to become like Christ - "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren" (Rom 8:29).

25. But blaming God, is in fact, in itself - a weak form of faith, small as a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), certainly not the preferred, joyful way to live a Christian life- but faith, none-the-less!  

26. "Jesus uses different images to teach us that the path that leads to life, to holiness, consists in the full development of the spiritual life. He speaks of the tiny mustard seed which grows into a great tree; in its branches the birds of the air come to rest. He speaks of the grain of wheat which reaches maturity and produces rich ears of fruit… That growth, not without its difficulties and sometimes seeming so slow, is in fact the increase of virtue (those good habits acquired through the repetition of good acts, with the help of grace)...[S]o as to grow in the human and supernatural virtues, as well as in grace, we need to make a personal effort to develop the practice of these virtues in our everyday lives until we acquire authentic habits, and not only the appearance of virtue. The façade appears full of strength and resilience. But how much softness and lack of willpower there is within! You must hold to your determination not to let your virtues become fancy dress but clothes that define your character." -St. Josemaria Escriva, Furrow, 777, In Conversation with God, Volume Two, Francis Fernandez

27. I could've just stopped sinning, repented, and made reparations, mending my ways, and God would have manifested himself in my life much sooner.  It happens all the time to others, there's many ways He can accomplish this; certainly not limited to my ideas of how he should "act." 

28. It's a miracle that you and I were born in the first place, that you and I now get to walk this great, beautiful, planet in some semblance of awareness. That breath you just took right now – it's a miracle too, the fact that the sun doesn't just simply burn out like a coal in your charcoal grill, that's an even greater miracle. I simply can't take things like these for granted any longer. How can I know? By exploring faith and reason alike; studying within a mindset of faith and reason have revealed truths I had been ignoring.  

29. In the movie "God's Not Dead" (2014), the protagonist, a talented freshman college student, a Christian, refuses to sign the requisite class statement "God is dead" and is permitted to instruct his indifferent classmates and atheist philosophy professor factual scientific research proving man can know, by reason alone, God exists. Just the scientific facts! 

30. Ok, the contemporary physicist, Dr. Stephen M. Barr does it superbly in his book "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. "It is the mission of modern-day apologists and scholars alike "in the plethora of words, to make the essential words heard" said Pope Benedict XVI. 

31. Maybe St. Edith Stein (1891-1942, Jewish Christian, philosopher, and Carmelite nun, concentration camp victim), said it the best when she wrote "All that is said about God presupposes something said by God." 

32. And so God, in the fullness of time (Ephesians 1:9), became man: Jesus Christ, God and man, divine and human -becoming one of us to REVEAL certain truths.

33. God could've chose any number of ways to obtain his will - to tell us about himself; but he chose divine revelation to speak to us; by humbling himself and taking on our human form, by becoming one of us.  

34. And this is where faith comes in: believing both the early, oral Christian traditions immediately following the death of Christ and this collections of new books, known as the books of the New Testament, written sometime later by eyewitnesses and inspired followers of the Christian traditions. 

35. Books that were meant to be passed on, books revealing to us a Creator, a Father, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, and ourselves - now children of God. These are the traditions followed by men and women alike, writings by men inspired by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and men and women alike going to their deaths for these God given traditions, writings, and fundamental truths.

36. All this so that they may now rest with you and me some 2000 years later. And so the call comes to us as it did to those in the past. 

37. How will we answer?

38. The words "reveal" and "revelation" are related.   Are you really understanding these words?  Probably not if you believe Christ's gospel to be relevant only 2000 years ago but not today. 

39. You're probably making things too easy on yourself just like I did. 

40. Offering just a little work, through a bit of YOUCAT research, I can list 4, of many more, doctrines that have been revealed through Christ:

• The role man plays in God's providence (YOUCAT #50),
• Why an all knowing and all-powerful God does not prevent evil (YOUCAT #51),
• There is heaven (YOUCAT #52) and 
• There is hell (YOUCAT #53). 

41. In the REVEAL..."Our Lord asks us not to seek mere earthly supports which would inevitably lead us to pessimism. He asks us for supernatural trust, for us to be supernaturally realists – to count on him, that is, being aware that Jesus Christ continues to influence our lives." In Conversation with God, Volume Two - Francis Fernandez

42. By showing Himself we know God has given each living person unique talents. Trust me - you have yours too, as does the homeless man down on his luck, as does the person stricken with disabilities since birth. Some are grand talents, most are ordinary talents – but talents they are, unique talents, God-given talents. 

43. Talents are given to the good and sinful alike. The difference, Christians choose and then commit to use their talents to serve Christ's kingdom; modern-day disciples whom now hold and run the baton onward from Christian generations past. We are being called, you and me, to come run this victory race, shouting out along the way: "join us - the battle's already won - let our hope in life everlasting be enlivened!"

44. Notice the YouTube conga soloist about midway in the Gray Level Syllabus: Giovanni Hidalgo, master conguero. Considered one of the best conga players in the world, Mr. Hidalgo, from the country of Puerto Rico, has properly formed his talent, technique and playing style over the course of many years with many hours of arduous practice I'm certain. During his entertaining YouTube solo, he takes the creative license to rip "machine gun" like sections into the solo but notice also how he uses well-positioned rests and slower tempos to create interest and variety.  

45. Many musicians will agree that it takes more skill to play slower pieces with notes surrounded by rests; many of the notes occurring on the "off-beat." If because of the rests you struggle with this Bomba low drum part, don't worry - however, do try to master it the best you can. 

46. In an upcoming lesson we will add a technique called"ghost notes" to make this an even easier pattern to play all the while avoiding an, overly busy, "machine gun" effect, that unless you've risen to the ranks of Mr. Hidalgo, just isn't going to cut it.

G7 Bullet 7 - YOU Practice Lesson G7.  If you want measurable results - try to practice both your faith and drumming at least 30 minutes a day. 

a.) Playing simple rhythms on a daily basis can be similar in repetition to (but never used in place of) a prayer routine like morning prayer, done first thing, right after your morning alarm sounds. 

b.) Spend 15 to 30 minutes with your morning coffee, daily bible readings, and a good "virtue building" book. I just received "Unearthing Your Ten Talents: A Thomistic Guide to Spiritual Growth" by Kevin Vost, PSY.D.  So far so good, it's written in clear language (essential quality for me given the word 'Thomistic' appears in the title of the book); this one is going to be a great, virtue building book for my own personal formation and growth and I hope yours too. 

c.) Practice perfects the one undergoing the repetitious movement; either naturally or supernaturally. 

d.) Answered prayers are reminders of God's supernatural order present in our very own lives. The Church teaches the fruitful value of a sound prayer life; my family and I can give personal testimony to the effectiveness of daily prayer. Practice makes perfect! 

G7 Bullet 8 - Table Task: Learn. Make a goal today to never stop learning. Learning involves asking questions. 

a.) Ask another musician to help you today to understand something about music that you find challenging. 

b.) Strive to overcome your difficulties, your frailties, your defects -in all areas of your life. 

c.) Is there some aspect of your faith that causes you difficulty? Ask another person - your priest, your deacon, parents, teacher, a Catholic blogger, or other creature - such as your guardian angel, to help reveal what it is that is currently confusing you. 

d.) Wisely and prudently use the Internet to find additional learning resources in all honest and moral subject matter. This should include locating great books for your personal spiritual formation. 

49. In between all of this busyness, to clear your mind, have a little fun in learning to play the world rhythm patterns I am posting in these lessons. You'll surprise yourself on how the rhythm patterns, persistently practiced over short periods of time, will work to clear your thinking and ability to articulate complex matters of any sort. Then, back to work on becoming a saint: learning more virtues, learning how to better correspond to grace, and learning to make daily prayer an absolute necessity. Be patient and persistent in discovering answers to all of your questions and prayers.

50. "St. John Chrysostom urges us to struggle in our interior life like little children at school. First, says the saint, they learn the shape of the letters. Then they begin to distinguish the strokes; and thus, step-by-step, they learn to read. If we divide up the virtues into different parts, we can learn first, for example, not to speak badly of people. Then, passing to another letter, we can learn not to envy anybody: we can learn never under any circumstances to be a slave to the body: we can learn not to give way to gluttony. Passing on from there to the spiritual letters, we shall study continence, mortification of the senses, chastity, justice, and scorn for vainglory. We should try to be modest and of contrite heart. Let us link virtues together and write them on our souls. We have to do all of this in our own home, with our friends, with our wives, with our children. - St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Psalms, 11:8, In Conversation with God, Volume Two, by Francis Fernandez.

G7 Bullet 9 – Basic Notation (1) and (2) handouts: study them.

G7 Bullet 10 – Counting (1) handout: study it.

Gray Level Syllabus

"Time For The Table" The Way and Means

"One" for the Pocket; the Tumbao

G6 Bullet 1 – Tapping your foot. Learning to keep time is essential for any musician. Keeping time can be practiced and perfected just about anytime you're listening to music. But when you're actually playing music, you've got an instrument in your hands, tapping one's foot to the pulse, the 1, 2, 3, and 4 (assuming you are playing a song in 4/4 time) becomes a great way to keep time.  

2. In our "One" for the Pocket; the Tumbao movie below, I will count time, using my foot and tapping my heel on every first and third beat.  Notice how the tabletop that I'm playing will rise on every first and third beat. In the Tumbao rhythm that we will be playing, the first and third beats are played with the heel; and spoken as "ge" (Speak the rhythm: ge re Pa te ge re Du Du).  If I'm playing this rhythm live and I happen to lose my place, as long as I'm tapping my foot to the first and third beat, I know I can find my place again by putting a heel stroke at either one of these markers.  If I pick it up on the third beat, here's how I will speak it: ge re Du Du, ge re Pa te ge re Du Du.

G6 Bullet 2 – Timekeeping devices; the metronome. A metronome is an invaluable tool for practicing music, especially rhythm patterns.  It is a mechanical or electronic device used to measure beats per minutes.  A metronome marking (m.m.), is notated by using a note value (usually that which is represented in the denominator of the time signature).  The speed of the pulse, the 1, 2, 3, 4 you tap your foot to (assuming your song is in 4/4 time) is called the tempo.  Tempi (plural for tempo) are measured in beats per minute (b.p.m. or bpm).  

3. I use a Seiko Quartz metronome.  It uses two modes: audible and silent.  During the movie Lessons, I use the audible mode.  Do you hear the clicks?  That's the metronome.  Both modes utilize a red flashing light.  The light flashes with each click.  Each click represents one pulse beat.  

4. Even better metronomes will distinguish the "one" of each measure with a distinctive sound different from the rest of the pulse beats.  These make great tools for learning to find the "one."  

5. Nearly all the patterns that I demonstrate in the movies are all played at 116 bpm.  If I was to run a stopwatch and then turn on my Seiko with the dial set to 116 bpm, at the end of one minute I would've counted 116 clicks, or played 116 quarter notes, or tapped my foot to the pulse beat 116 times.  

6. In 4/4 time, after I count or tap four clicks with my foot that's the end of one measure.  

7. Now you can answer the following question: how many measures can I fit in one minute?  

8. Simple math, 116 divided by 4 gives us 29 measures.  

9. These days, one can even find free metronome applications on the Internet or smart phone.  I just downloaded a cool, free metronome application called "Pro Metronome" for my iPad mini.  Maybe I will feature it on a future lesson!

G6 Bullet 3 – Four beats and four pillars. It's structure that gives music it's drive and popularity; the invisible force behind the visible energy that moves people to dance, to memorize the words, to identify a memorable classic.  

10. For most of my own life the music that I've been involved with is good old, four over four, rock 'n roll.  That's four quarter note beats to a measure.  Yes, even the pop music and country pieces I've played along with follow this tried-and-true time signature.  

11. It's only after being introduced to Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythm patterns that I expanded into new time signatures.  The 4/4 has been a pillar to the songwriting success of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and many others - drawing together millions of fans across the globe.  

12. It's structure that makes our Lord's invisible reality into visible manifestations. 

For 33 years He was fully present in history, fully visible with hundreds of eyewitnesses, fully human  - only his divinity was in question, even to many whom had witnessed miraculous healings and demonic exorcisms.  

13. Our Lord, in his infinite genius, left us the visible Church.  A Church clearly marked with four pillars of visible strength and stature yet remarkably, quite invisible to anyone choosing to remain in a state of ignorance to supernatural realities.  God simply won't impose himself on anyone - he certainly did not with me.  

14. What are those four pillars? 

• the profession of faith,
• the celebration of the Christian  mystery,
• life in Christ and
• Christian prayer. 

15. Maybe, like me, for a good part of your life, you just haven't seen them;  indifferent perhaps as I was, full of scorn for those who would try to direct me down this path.  The world and its ways can be alluring, quite addictive, blinding even.  

16. If God isn't willing to do it, who among us would try to control the ways of another person?  God himself giving each of us undeniable freedom to choose....yet many of us do exactly this, using peer pressure and other manipulative actions.... we try to impose our worldly ways on to others, to fulfill our own selfish desires. 

17. Guys know what I'm talking about. 

Tossed about like a ship without a rudder I had no visible structure during those days opting instead for the changing winds of fad, cultural relevance, the shifting sands of feelings, unbridled sensuality.... the lower passions, if you will.  The rave is hypnotic, the steady beat lulls us into a trance, the visible, our human dignity, soon compromised by the invisible.  We find ourself becoming more animal like - the lower passions aroused -especially if we are drunk or high.  

18. Others are mere objects of our fancy now, there's nothing rational to this any longer.  The environment: dark, dingy, pulsating with light and steady patterns of thud, thud, thud... 

19. People joining together, twisting, gyrating, lusting, drooling, like fall elk in frenzy - far from theirs minds the inherent dignity in every person: the baby the mother once cuddled, the toddler the neighbors babysat, the young Girl Scout leader, mom's little helper in the kitchen, grandma's brilliant letter writer, Dad's exulted princes....soon to be violated...handled in a way frightfully disturbing.  

20. Yes, the invisible is visible here too, from the dark recesses of hell itself...what seemed like fun....a harmless night out....has shown itself in all of its horrid ugliness, with breath like the broken down, overflowing bathroom stall that no longer respects male or female, it has come to rob another precious saint of her very innocence.  

21. Good ole Rave Regular, there he goes again, relieving himself on the floor - this time to the total disgust of the band leader who rebukes him with a lesson on liberty and license. 

22. I professed a belief in myself. 

I celebrated my own freedom and liberty.  

23. Christ was someone who lived a long, long time ago.  I guess I hardly ever prayed all.  

24. It took hitting rock bottom before I finally changed my tune.  

25. What matters most to our Lord is whether you are willing to give him a chance; even a second or third chance.  

26. The four pillars in the Catholic Catechism outline a structured plan, part of the mystical plan of God to help us navigate through this earthly pilgrimage.  God, a Father with open arms, through a loving heart full of mercy, a human heart, the heart of Jesus Christ, takes all of his children back.  

27. What's it like to have such a father so full of love?  

28. Once we recognize this we want to naturally profess our faith, pillar one.  

29. Was I really created for a unique, special purpose unlike any other?  Our dignity revealed, we quite readily join with others to celebrate, this supernatural love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and us, the mystical body of Christ, this Christian mystery, pillar two.  

30. As I was born into the world so too was the Savior - God, the Word made flesh - born into the world although, unlike me, without sin and incarnate by the Holy Spirit.  Where else then would I go but to Christ?  A life in Christ, pillar three. 

31. Answered prayers are encouraging, inspirational, and consoling.  And to keep me from slipping back, to keep me in love, to keep me growing in memory and knowledge of what I was really created to be, I practice Christian prayer, pillar four.  

32. There is more freedom in a life like this, a Christian life - ever more aware that I have been chosen by God before creation, a visible action of the invisible Holy Spirit - than I could've ever imagined.  Even when the "bad" days come, as they do, sooner or later for all of us living life on earth, I see even these are full of new and profound meaning, an opportunity to co-redeem with our Lord.  All the "good" I use to seek in night clubs and bars I find now in God, the true source of profound joy, inner peace, and freedom. 

33. "The line between being unable to believe and being unwilling to believe is not clear. The attitude that simply dismisses faith as unimportant, without having examined it more closely, is often worse than well considered atheism." (YOUCAT 357)

G6 Bullets 4–6, Learn the Rhythm - More Tumbao Variations - because it's highly versatile in many settings. "One" for the Pocket; the Tumbao

SPEAK THE RHYTHM: ge re Pa te ge re Du Du...ge re Pa te ge re Du Du

G6 Bullet 7 – Topic A3, Sound Check.  God Approaches Us Men: The "Big Reveal." My stepson is off to Austin, Texas this weekend to see the musical Wicked with some friends.   This modern day production is somehow tied to the wicked witch best known from the movie the Wizard of Oz.  Talk about a family favorite!  Growing up, we would eagerly wait for it and then watch it, year after year, what a great tradition we had.  How surprising to finally learn the great and all powerful wizard was really just a small man behind a very big microphone and special-effects console.  We are calling this today - the "Big Reveal."  (YOUCAT Study Guide, pg. 7)

36. Indeed I have had varying ideas about God throughout my own life. 

Some of the wildest ideas about God came during those times when I was grossly misinformed.  

37. Just because I was becoming smarter in certain other areas like engineering and science, I concluded that I was also becoming smarter in the area of the supernatural.  What I was really doing though is making God out to be what I wanted him to be rather than coming to know him as he is.  

38. He was the all accepting supporter of what ever felt good in my life - whether or not someone else might be getting hurt in the process. 

39. "Everyone will be saved and go to heaven, there is really no sin" I told myself.  I thought God was far too grand and omnipotent for any one person or institution to define; agnosticism at its best.  

40. "Just do good to others and God will do good to you" I believed.  But something wasn't right - I kept getting hurt and it seemed that I was never satisfied or at lasting peace.  

41. After reading 1 Corinthians Chapter 11 verse 31 through 32 - it makes sense why we need not oversimplify God's Will and sense of Justice. "If we were to examine ourselves, we would not be falling under judgment in this way (sickness and infirmity); but since it is the Lord who judges us, he chastens us to keep us from being condemned with the rest of the world." 

42. Even after partially straightening out my life, getting an engineering degree at age 35, marrying and settling down, something was still missing.  Like Dorothy and her companions I kept asking spiritual questions, except instead of a good-witch looking over me, it was God, responding to the intercession of my guardian angel and prayers of family members I'm sure, showering me with unmerited grace, grace that enabled me to slowly move forward, becoming a new creature in the process. 

43. Amazingly, come to find out, God was always drawing me closer - always moving me forward - toward this invisible something I found gnawing in my heart.  

Jesus Christ is the "Big Reveal."  

44. Not until I learned who Jesus Christ really was and is could I then come to know who God really is and the Holy Spirit too.  

45. "The supernatural is not to be understood as an entity or a place that begins where the natural ends, but as the raising of the natural to a higher plane. In this way nothing of the created or the human order is foreign to or excluded from the supernatural or theological order of faith and grace, rather it is found within it, taken on and elevated by it.  "In Jesus Christ the visible world which God created for man (cf. Gen 1:26-30) - the world that, when sin entered, 'was subjected to futility' (Rom 8:20; cf. Rom 8:19-22) - recovers again it's original link with the divine source of Wisdom and Love.  Indeed, 'God so loved the world that he gave his only Son' (Jn 3:16). As this link was broken in the man Adam, so in the man Christ it was reforged (cf. Rom 5:12-21)." (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #64, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace)

46. As bearer of the Gospel's message of Incarnation and Redemption, the Church (the invisible made visible; the "Big Reveal") can follow no other path: with her social doctrine and the effective action that springs from it, not only does she not hide her face or tone down her mission, but she is faithful to Christ and shows herself to men and women as "the universal sacrament of salvation." (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #65, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) 

47. "In each Mass Christ offers himself up completely, together with the Church, which is his Mystical Body, made up of all the baptized (the invisible made a visible, the "Big Reveal").  By reason of their union with Christ to the Church, the faithful offer the sacrifice together with him.  They also offer themselves with him.  They take part in the mass, therefore, as those who offer and are offered." (In Conversation with God: Daily Meditations, Volume 3 by Francis Fernandez)

G6 Bullet 8 – YOU Practice Lesson G6. If you want measurable results try to practice both your faith and drumming at least 30 minutes a day.  

a.) Playing simple rhythms on a daily basis can be similar in repetition to (but never used in place of) daily reading of an uplifting spiritual book.  Just read a few pages a day, not more than thirty minutes at a time. Recognize God's presence during this period of reading.  

b.) "The world and the culture cannot answer our deepest questions or bring profound meaning to our lives. For answers to our deepest questions we must turn to God.  Only then, through those answers and with an open heart, will our lives be flooded with meaning and purpose... One of the best things about Catholicism is that there are answers.  Let's start to fill our hearts and minds with the truth and goodness of those answers.  How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." (The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic by Matthew Kelly ")

c.) Gradually, your memory and understanding of sacred things will improve and your formation into the Christian disciple our Lord desires of you will be well on its way.  What was once invisible becomes visible soon enough!  

d.) You will begin to recognize the fruit in inspirations and consolations that gently answer questions or concerns regarding your spiritual growth and God's will for you.  

e.) Keep up your spiritual reading, every day if possible.  Practice perfects the one undergoing the repetitious movement; either naturally or supernaturally.  

f.) Answered prayers are reminders of God's supernatural order present in our very own lives.  The Church teaches the fruitful value of a sound prayer life with Scripture reading.  My family and I can give personal testimony to the effectiveness of daily prayer.  Practice makes perfect!

G6 Bullet 9 – Table Task: Pray. Pray. If you don't know how to pray, read about others who are accustomed to praying.  You'll soon learn that these people, like you, have a taste for the truth.  Even if it's just a few pages a day, say 4 or 5 pages, reading like this over time will amount to a tremendous spiritual formation.  You will indeed learn how to pray better. If reading isn't your thing, then download podcasts.  Go to the iTunes store or here and find free Catholic Answers podcasts.  Try to listen to at least one a day and then take a moment to reflect or pray on what you just listened to.  

50. Go to a quiet place and contemplate the following reality regarding the visibility of sin in our modern world: "That Christ takes away the sins of the world is the greatest cause for jubilation, but it is a joy that can only be known by someone who has acknowledged the reality of sin. The denial of sin creates a dull and ugly world where sin reigns unacknowledged. The recognition of sin, and the reality of the Redeemer, brings joy even to those who still fight the battle against sin and the devil."  (Inside the Mass: A Spiritual Reflection on the New Translation by Rev. Theodore Book, SLL)

51. God speaks to us through our reading; the coincidences of the day; very few will hear "a voice" so to speak.  

52. Apparitions approved through the Church are rare but nonetheless many of these have been recognized.  

53. Most of us are gently urged through our daily circumstances; I have been.  

54. This makes one's whole life the subject of a fruitful re-inspection.  "How has God been speaking to me all of these years?" we should all ask ourselves.  "Yes, even when I was steeped in sin!" Yes!  Even then.  Indeed this is a loving God, the "Big Reveal!" 

G6 Bullet 10 – Basic Notation (1) and (2) handouts: study them.

G6 Bullet 11 – Counting (1) handout: study it.

Gray Level Syllabus

"Time For The Table" The Way and Means