Back to School

I don't know about you, but I have always liked this time of year.

I look back, and I have started afresh in late August or September a new chapter of my life (or in my child's life) for most of my 57 years.

I started Kindergarten when I was 4 years old (turning 5 in November), and thirteen years in a row, I started a new grade.

Then it was college, four years beginning in late August.  I had jobs for most of that time, but the school year determined my rhythm.

I followed college with seminary, and was enrolled in some kind of class for eight semesters straight.  I also worked, studied in Washington, DC and even ran a camp while a student.  The school year was what gave my life structure.

After seminary, I went to graduate school, and not only was a student, but taught and did research while on the school calendar.  Even when I started working full-time in local churches, I was still officially enrolled until I was 35, and had finished that last degree. Counting it all up- 31 years as a student in some form or fashion.

Then my son began school a few years later, and it was 16 years marking time with him.  He is still celebrating the beginning of new school years since he works with a high school program in Watauga County.

In the church, we still keep the rhythm of the school year, and do different things in the summer months than we do during the school year.  Just take a look at the church calendar and how it blossoms with activity and opportunities come September.

I am reminded that even though we might have finished school, and we do not have to pass classes anymore, we are always in the process of learning.  We will never run out of books to read, or new information to absorb.

We might have been baptized and confirmed as a Christian, but our formation as a disciple never ends. I have read through the Bible a few times, and I am always learning something new.  I am always finding new ways to serve and encounter new people to teach and serve.

So, as we come to the beginning of a new school year, I hope you get back to class, continue to learn and grow, and remember that it really never ends--just changes through the years.

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