Cross thoughts: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life.
Drums are used in many different ways.
This drum was played for dancing at a wedding in Khartoum Bahri. Our neighbours were celebrating and we gladly joined them on their happy day.
We always tried to witness for JESUS, in whom alone real joy and forgiveness is found.
I remember hearing another kind of drum at a January 1st military parade. The Sudanese army marched past, keeping step by step to the drummed rhythm.
I remember walking around a dusty area of Suk Mahale while two men beat their drums, assembling a big crowd. The people then came into the church for the meetings where I later preached.
I remember other church services for the Nuer and the Dinka in Khartoum Evangelical Church. Each had six to seven hundred men singing in praise of God – using no musical instruments except for a drum to keep everyone’s voices in time and together – and all making a wonderful, spine-tingling sound.
I am told drums can also be used in war, to beat warnings, to beat commands, and to beat musical celebrations.
I can drum simply using my fingers on my desk. I don’t need a drum to do this. Perhaps you can do it too? I can happily tap my fingers along to songs of praise in worship of God, because my heart is happy with His gifts of forgiveness and salvation to me. In the past I used to hum the tunes as well as drum my fingers, but I cannot hum since I lost my voice-box to cancer in 2006.
Using my same drumming fingers I can point out warnings from the Bible, warnings to people who think they know better than God. They may have chosen to follow religions men have made up rather than Christianity.
Christianity is the true religion. God has shown Himself and His salvation.
“The Father has sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world”, 1 John 4:14.
“Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert”, Hebrews 3:7-8.
July 2010.