Wisdom calls aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech (Proverbs 1:20-21).

This is it:  the last month in the Proverbs 365 project.  Just 31 days left to stroll through those 31 chapters of the Proverbs that have become as familiar to me this year as a collection of old home movies.  Every time I read through the Proverbs, I find myself smiling, getting choked up, remembering the stories and situations that helped to bring the Proverbs into a personal and immediate context.  Now, it's not all sentimentality and grandfatherly warmth and wisdom after my year of soaking in the Proverbs.  The truth is that I'm going to be genuinely glad when I'm finished.  It's a lot of work to try to do anything for 365 days in a row!  Consequently, there is a part of me that will breathe a great big sigh of relief when this last month is finished.  I'll be glad to be able to pick up other reading and writing projects again.  I'll be glad to rid myself of the pressures of constant content creation for awhile.  Even so, considering the fact that I'm down to the last month of my Proverbs 365 project, I also realize and appreciate how much this focus on the wisdom of the Proverbs has enriched my life.  I've learned a lot about the power of my words, the patterns of my actions, the pitfalls of pride, the lessons in leadership -- and the ways that life, love, and faith truly work themselves out in my heart and in the world around me.  I still have a lot of questions, not just wise answers; but I also have a deep appreciation for the clarity, consision, and wisdom that the Proverbs have to offer.  Their value may not always be immediately apparent (or, in some cases, not even apparent after eleven months of dedicated study!).  But they are always there, confronting us even in the most mundane and ordinary places in life -- the homes, the markets, the streets, the transportation hubs leading in and out of our cities.  The wisdom of the Proverbs calls out to us and demands an audience; and if we listen and apply ourselves to what they're saying, we can be transformed in the process.

It's not just about being transformed into a better neighbor, a better leader, a better lover, a better parent, or a better disciple of Jesus -- though I believe the Proverbs can facilitate all this and more).  It's about being transformed into a deeper thinker, a more considerate person, and someone who integrates ideology and practice to an extent that is tragically rare in the world.

The Proverbs are paradoxical.  They are as plain as the nose on my face:  right in front of me, calling out to me, raising their voices, making impromptu speeches, like a flash mob in the middle of a department store or train station or public square.  Yet they also require attentive listening and deliberate application, like assembling a model airplane from a kit with 3000 pieces and a veritable novella of an instruction manual.  The Wisdom of the Proverbs is being put forth as an an attractive, open invitation for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear, like you can read about in Proverbs chapter 8; yet they also require the careful search and considered application of Proverbs chapter 2, in order to be fully absorbed and appreciated.  I like this about the Proverbs -- fantastic at the first bite, but with a subtle, interesting aftertaste as well.  Wisdom calls aloud in the streets.  How will you answer the call?