Some early reflections from a new course/writing project:

There are three things I’ve noticed about Christians who keep growing: They are teachable (you could say humble), pain has caused them to wrestle more honestly with the Christian faith, and they are curious/hopeful that there is much more to the Christian faith than what they presently experience.

To those of us in teaching positions we must have these qualities as well.  Dr. Howard Hendricks liked to say, “You can’t impart what you don’t possess.”  And Dr. Luke wrote, “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”  (Luke 6:40)  Do you want people to embody the same virtues which characterize your life?

Those of us who teach need to work hard at saying things clearly and in ways that fire the imagination.  Thomas Paine’s approach in Common Sense reminds us of the former, while writers like Chesterton and Lewis help with the latter.