Arnett's Greatest Talent Comes From Teaching Others

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By: Angie Stryker

There is a famous story that Jesus liked to tell of three different people who were given something special. We like to refer to it as the parable of the talents. One is given 5 “talents”, another given 2 and then the last one is given 1. What is the talent Jesus is talking about? Talent literally just meant a measurement of something valuable, like gold. As with most stories Jesus tells, there is a little more to the story.

The one who is given 5 talents, goes and makes five more. We aren’t told how, just that they multiplied what they had. The one who is given 2 talents, makes 2 more. Jesus is pretty excited about these two, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of much more. ”There is one who sits on their talent, hiding it even, to keep it safe. No more talents were given and Jesus has less than favorable things to say about this.

Spiderman takes the idea and gives it language and a phrase we often use today: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Enter my friend Gina Arnett.

Gina has a long and winding story of how her talents have been multiplied time and time again.

As a young woman she found herself using the gift of singing in various locations. What started out as singing in the kid’s choir turned out to be a real talent that others recognized and encouraged. She sang professionally in an Atlanta restaurant for many years, and alongside famous musical artists. (She has an impressive rolodex that she is very humble about.) Her musical career was really going somewhere and she was having a lot of fun. She was being paid to use her talent.

Then there was a severe car accident. She would need surgery. On her vocal chords.

Her voice was never the same. She could still sing. It just didn’t sound the same.

After the surgery she looked around and counted 58 people asking and waiting on her to teach them how to sing and play piano. So she had a decision to make-keep singing for herself or “sing for others,” as she puts it.

She chose the others.

She helped churches set up praise and worship bands for Sunday mornings. She started teaching music therapy for autistic students to help them identify patterns for math and science. She taught young people by giving them tools for their own musical learning and has students playing in bands in colleges like JSU who were taught by Gina. She had a studio in her basement in Atlanta for all the lessons.

While music and teaching music was incredibly fulfilling, she needed that artistic escape for herself. Something that she did just for her.

That’s when she started painting. It was meant to be an outlet. However, after you see her paintings, you could see how people were coming to her and asking for her to multiply those talents with them as well. They were asking for a teacher. Would she impart her amazing talent on them?

In 2018, she sold her home of many years and took some time for her own healing. She felt in her bones that she should be in ministry somewhere. She traveled around visiting many friends all over Georgia, Florida and Alabama, seeking her new place to share her talents. Gina grew up visiting Wedowee with family members. After many twists and turns, Gina chose Wedowee for her newest chapter. In 2020 she moved to Wedowee and bought a little home that she loved.

While she didn’t land in formal ministry, she knew deeply that she was to teach music and art here. She looked all over the area for a place to teach her classes. She had a short stint in the Antique Treasure Mall right after it opened and then decided to move her classes to her home, just outside of Wedowee.

Many local people, whose names you might recognize, have taken classes with her and learned so much, honing their musical and artistic craft. She shows up in the Arts and Crafts on the Median (in June and October) in Wedowee. She teaches young and old, people who have been painting for years and people who are just picking up a paintbrush for the first time.

Gina says, “What I tell my students is that you don’t have to start at the bottom, you do not have to pay your dues, those are all lies. You just have to work on what you do and He will take it from there. I’ve seen it over and over. You have your tools ready as well as you can and He will give you work. And he will give you everything you need to do it.”

Gina’s gift keeps multiplying, and Wedowee is the grateful recipient of her talent.

Well done, good and faithful servant.