During this season of Advent, we have been looking at family members who have touched our lives in meaningful ways. All these people have become part of our “Legacy of Faith.” However, family is not the only influence on our lives. All of us have had teachers who also guided us.
For me, the teacher who impacted me most was Dr. David Needham. After I graduated from a secular college, I needed a stronger foundation in scripture. I searched for a one-year grad program at a Bible college, and Multnomah University promised that the basic textbook in every one of their courses would be the Bible. I wondered how that could be possible. Was there really enough content in scripture to require a whole year of study?
David Needham taught me how to study the Bible. Just as the Christian conference that I had attended earlier transformed the direction of my life, Needham’s course now transformed my entire approach to scripture. I learned to see the people in scripture as individuals who got angry and tired, they laughed and grieved. They had faults, and yet God still used them. There were enough people in the Bible that I could spend a lifetime learning from them.
Needham also introduced me to topical studies and passage studies. There were historical, geographical and cultural studies. Then we learned how to study poetry and prophecy. Each method promised a lifetime of learning.
Psalm 119:11-12 tells us, “How can a young person [or old person!] stay pure? By obeying your scripture…I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.”
Did a teacher touch your life? Was it a Sunday school teacher? Someone in elementary school, a professor at college? I bet that they would love to know that their ideas took seed in your life and continue to grow. Give them a call or jot them a note today. If you have lost touch with your teacher, why not send a text to a friend who is a teacher and encourage them?
