Keep on Learning

When I was about six years old my school diagnosed me as being ‘educationally sub-normal’ (a less politically correct term for what is now labelled ‘special needs’). After a few one-on-one lessons with the headmistress (during which I demonstrated a technique for observing the way that snails propel themselves and created an elaborate full-size painting of a native American chief, complete with headdress made from real feathers), they realized I was not ESN, but simply bored.

Not that they did much to alleviate my boredom.

A year or so later I remember ‘sneaky-reading’ a book about a grizzly bear. It was a more difficult book than I was supposed to be able to read and I imagined that I would get into trouble if caught reading it; so I would sneak it out of a friends tray when no-one was looking and read a chapter or two before sneaking it back again.

Madness.

I was interested in snails and red indians and bears. I wasn’t interested in most of what school was attempting to teach me – and would probably have learnt more (and certainly been happier) had I been allowed to stay at home and collect lizards and build dens in the patch of waste ground at the top of our road.

Despite these early educational frustrations, I have always been interested in learning, just so long as it is something that I have an interest in.

Today I travel to South Africa and to two churches that have been formative in my learning about Jesus and his plan for his Church. Jubilee Church in Cape Town is where I came back to faith after two years of teenage wandering, and where I began to learn about ministry to the poor and to observe church leadership in a different way from how I had previously. I’m looking forward to being back there, and preaching there for the first time. Godfirst Church in Johannesburg is the only megachurch where I personally know the lead elder, and PJ Smyth is someone who knows more about leadership than I will ever be able to grasp. As well as teaching and preaching in a number of settings while there I’m excited about the opportunity to pick PJ’s brains again.

I’m looking forward to learning lots on this trip – I don’t want to be spiritually ESN!