I realized recently that I have likely robbed many of you of sleep since mid-March when I wrote about my failed attempts to remove a WD-40 straw from the cylinder of my lawnmower, never returning to provide closure via the story's resolution.  I am pleased to report that the straw was recovered three days later and that I have more than once mowed since then, and she runs like a dream. When the initial incident happened, I spent a day or two trying to figure out how to extract the straw myself.  Once I was satisfied that I would not be able to fix it in a timely manner, I called in the big guns.  I know a guy.  I've mentioned him here before in mower-related posts.  He's a "retired" deacon from my church, roughly forty years my senior.  He's spent his life serving other people, working, quietly, not only without needing the spotlight, but actually having an aversion to it.  Over the years this man has developed an experiential knowledge of lawnmowers like no one else I know of.  His weapon of choice is a Bad Boy zero turn...with a roll bar...in case things get serious...

I called him just seeking advice, wanting a wiser head to be involved before I tried something ign'r'nt.  Not only did he advise, but he even showed up.  He dismounted from his pick-up in my driveway, approached the mower, assessed, returned to the pick-up for a specific screwdriver, and did what I was not able to.  He even diagnosed another problem that was easily fixed.  In short, inside of half an hour he accomplished what I had spent two days toiling for.  What was the difference?  There was no mysterious x-factor, no dramatically superior physical strength.  The (not so) secret lies in experiential knowledge.  He has just put in the time that I have not.

A man needs experiential knowledge.  Our families need for us to know what to do in any situation.  Experiential knowledge comes from doing, and nothing else.  Do you have experiential knowledge of the Bible?  Do you have experiential knowledge of God?  Does He have experiential knowledge of you?  What do you have experiential knowledge of? Why?