By Doug Creamer

It is very interesting to teach at the same school for so many years. One of the best rewards is running into former students. It’s great to catch up with them and to see what they have been doing since they graduated from high school. I always ask the former students, “Now, when did you graduate?” We talk about the changes that have taken place at school and I always ask them if they are pursuing more education. I want to encourage them to continue learning.

What students do not understand is that most professions require the people practicing to engage in continuing their education. I attend workshops every summer to maintain my license to teach. Doctors are required to learn more about their specialties from their colleagues in required classes. Most professions require members to pass tests to earn their licenses and some require additional testing to maintain a license. Learning should never end with graduation. I remember my grandfather taking art classes after he retired. I own several of his paintings and he actually became a good artist before he passed away. My Dad took night classes on several different occasions in his life so he could grow and understand various points of view on a variety of subjects. Learning should really be something that we all continue to do no matter how young or old we are; no one knows everything.

I am learning some new things at school. We have a new curriculum for one of my classes and it is really challenging me to learn all the new material before I teach it to my students. While I am not excited about the day-to-day challenge of learning and preparing the lessons for this new curriculum, I am glad to be learning new things. Some of the changes are good, but this old dog is having trouble learning all the new tricks. Some people believe that we can arrive at a place spiritually where we know all that we need to know. Others believe if you have read through
the Bible once, you know everything. Neither of these ideas is even close to the truth. You can read the Bible many times over and still miss so much. God keeps little nuggets hidden for those who seek.

My pastor taught me something that I thought was very interesting: that James, the Lord’s brother, is commonly believed to have been the pastor or an important leader of the church in Jerusalem. I asked him about Jesus’ other siblings and he pointed me to a scripture that I have read numerous times in Acts 1:14. It says that Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers were joined with the other disciples in constant prayer. I wonder how I missed that line when it was right there in front of me? Many Bible scholars believe that the book of James was written by James the brother of Jesus. I read where scholars believe that Jude was probably written by another of Jesus’ brothers. It is exciting to learn these things and then like the teacher that I am, to pass on my new knowledge to you. It is fun to discover something new, especially in the Bible. We should be excited when God reveals something to us.

I believe that we should all be hungry to learn more about God and His ways. While it is true that we can grow in our understanding of His ways, no one totally understands God. It’s great that he continually surprises us and challenges us to grow spiritually. We should always be hungry and thirsty for more. The closer we walk with God the more He will whisper to us. He wants to reveal more about Himself to us, but we are often distracted. There are so many ways to learn more, through reading His word, praying, and spending more time alone with Him.

I want to encourage you to open your heart and learn more about God your Heavenly Father, Jesus your Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit. They love you and want to teach you more about themselves and their ways. Our
hearts should be turned toward them with an ever increasing desire to learn more. His ways are mysterious, but don’t you want to serve a God whose ways are higher and whose thoughts are greater? Run after Him and learn from Him because He is humble, gentle, and loving.

Doug Creamer teaches Marketing at East Davidson High School. His website is located at www.dougcreamer.com Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or email doug@dougcreamer.com