September Reflections

By David Calamaro

September is the most visceral month for me, and it has been that way for as long as I can remember. I have been on an academic schedule since I was four years old – all through my 13 years of primary and secondary school, 6 years of college, and about 27 years now as a teacher and administrator. So, for me, September always signifies a restart of the school year that produces in me energy and an amplified range of emotions: excitement, anticipation, hopefulness, anxiousness, and – in more recent years – an overwhelming feeling that I am always up against some deadline, or email, or meeting, or waiting for the next mini (or major) crisis to drop. If you are an educator, then you can certainly relate! And, if you are a Christian, you also know how hard it is to remain spiritually and emotionally nourished in the face of these challenges without God’s grace, prayer, and the wisdom of the Bible.

My walk with the Lord and my engagement with His Word began in my early teens at a time when there was no way I could ever imagine that I would be a teacher – let alone a school principal – or a music coordinator at Springton Lake Church!  But God is good – and He used the most important priorities at that time in my life to reel me into his Word, and eventually onto my professional academic path, significant personal relationships, and music ministry.

 

Sitting on a rock in the middle of a stream at World’s End State Park in Forksville, PA singing God’s Highway

I recall being introduced to scripture as a young teenager while listening to a Christian R&B album that my older brother Don brought home. The artist escapes me, but I can still sing the song all the way through to this day. The lyrics paraphrased Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, but his delight is in the Law of the Lord… He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in his season …  yes … and he shall prosper all of the days of his life!” – At that time, it didn’t quite click that the Law of the Lord is God’s Word – His Truth – that is available to us at a moment’s notice. But soon afterwards, I would meet Peter Schaul, a former elder and youth leader at Berith (now SLPC) who opened up for me the abundant treasures that are found in the Bible.  He started a middle school Bible study group that my brother led me to join, and then he quickly had us all memorizing Bible verses. Given my age and my ADHD tendencies, I was not thrilled at the prospect of spending my free time trying to commit Bible verses to memory. I was already not doing my assigned school homework – I didn’t need yet another boring task in my life!

Yet, as I got to know Peter better, it became apparent to me that his only desire was to tend to my wellbeing and to help me, and the others, to learn how to walk with the Lord every day. Peter was a gentle man with a fabulous, dry, Monty Python-inspired sense of humor. He loved The Byrds, The Animals, and The Who, and I thought he was just a cool dude. He even tutored me in math! While I did not necessarily want to spend my time memorizing scripture, I didn’t want to let this kind man down. Because Peter led with such godly love and total care for the young folks in his charge, I wanted to follow his instructions and Christ-like example. Also, I was accountable to the three others in the Bible study. So – I crammed and tried to meet my one-verse-a-week goal that was recited at our weekly meetings at Peter’s place. I did not always succeed,but I was never shamed – only encouraged.

This was a wholly different experience than what I was having in school. Academic struggles began to emerge, and I did feel deep shame for failing tests – not handing in assignments, and hiding my reports from my parents. These difficulties were deeply impacting my self-concept and I was becoming a particularly anxious teenager.

But, all the while, Peter Schaul kept rolling out Bible verses, and these memorized verses became answers to my deepest questions and needs – and changed my life:

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. (“A new creation? –  I don’t need to stay this way?”)

Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (“Through faith, I can put away my “old” self?-- Really?”)

Joshua 1:8 - Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. (“OK, Peter – point well taken!”)

Philippians 4: 6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (These have been the most impactful verses that Peter had me memorize. I have gone back to this Word time and time again throughout my life. And, that peace of God has conquered anxiety in many key moments of my greatest need.)

Peter became my dear friend, mentor, and true VIP in my life until he went to be with the Lord almost exactly 17 years ago. Two others from that Bible study remain close friends to this day. I can clearly look back on my formative years and see the seeds God has planted in my life. Of course, the Lord knew then that my own academic struggles would play a central part in my career in schools serving students with learning difficulties. He developed in me a heart for other young people who are now in the same boat that I was once in. I can relate to them. Also, he provided me with models of authentic relationships and mentorships with other Christians. I am blessed with the gift of being able to channel my passion for music into service at Springton Lake. And, while I still often fail at going to the Word as often as I should, the long embedded verses in my mind remind me of His unfailing love. I often think – “Isn’t God good that He knew I would need to have those anointed words of Philippians close to my heart at all times throughout my life?”

Me on a school trip in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2019.

September is here again, and the Lord has used this act of reflection on my past to raise important questions that demand my attention in the present:

How do I, as an educator, lead with godly love?

Am I going to the Lord each day in prayer – and am I meditating on His Word?

What am I doing to build community in my role as music coordinator at Springton Lake?

How is the Lord using my life to plant seeds, intentionally or otherwise?

To everyone, and especially our educators past and present – may this season be a time of renewal and growth. The Lord absolutely continues to work through you – may your seeds bear much fruit for God’s Kingdom.