Category Archives: The Teaching Life

The joy of teaching is more than “leaving a legacy”—a phrase which keeps the focus on the teacher and what he or she passes on. The joy of teaching Is seeing students come into their own, experiencing God’s creative grace … Continue reading →

The second entry from Merton’s journal that I want to pass on is his realization that each new generation of students is necessary to keep faith alive and fresh. He reflected on this following his saying of Mass for a … Continue reading →

Living into retirement may be simply making me more sensitive to the kind of readings I want to share with you today.  But whatever the reason, I can surely attest to the fact that the great joy of teaching—in fact, … Continue reading →

This morning’s post about prayer as “sacred space for God,” reminded me that teaching requires the maintenance of sacred space—surely space for God, but also the space that spark’s a student’s own creativity and interest. If the space is too … Continue reading →

One of the joys of teaching is watching something that has deeply influenced my life have a profound effect on someone else.  When it happens, it’s a feeling that says, “this is not going to die with you; it is … Continue reading →

This past weekend, I taught the class “The Spiritual Life of the Minister” for the last time at Asbury Theological Seminary.  I taught it first in the Summer of 1981. As I was bringing the class to a close, the … Continue reading →

It’s an old adage, but as I come to the end of a long teaching ministry, I think it’s true:  people care how much you know when they know how much you care. Students get used to being “passed around” … Continue reading →

This post comes on the day I begin teaching the Fall semester—my final semester at Asbury Seminary before I retire.  In a way, I guess I’m pondering what “final word” I’d like to give in relation to teaching.  And this … Continue reading →

When I began to teach, I thought my role was to sift through all the “maze” of information and pull out the best “answers” I could find, and then pass them on to the students with as much passion, creativity, … Continue reading →

One of my main learnings as a teacher is that I am always teaching.  When I began as a professor, I was very concerned about my classroom—getting lectures and other learning opportunities in the best possible shape.  I concentrated on … Continue reading →

I am heading into the “home stretch” of my professional life as a teacher.  I have been a professor for 32 years, and I was an evangelist and pastor 17 years before that.  I have just retired from appointed ministry … Continue reading →