By Michelle Medlock Adams

“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” B. B. King

Listen…do you hear it? It’s the collective sound of #2 pencils being sharpened nationwide. Yes, it’s that time of year again—almost time to send the kiddos back to school. But, why should our children be the only ones in the household gearing up for learning? As Christians, we should always strive for excellence. We should choose to be students of the Word, literature, history, the Arts, etc. We should be people who are committed to improving our minds and challenging ourselves so that we can ultimately improve the world around us, right?

JoAnna Kai Cobb, a middle school math teacher in Bedford, IN., says, “Yes.”

“I list ‘learning new things’ at the top of my hobby list,” she explains. “I love to learn in every realm: academically, creatively, socially, etc.  It helps make life interesting and gives me invaluable experience to help me in many situations.”

“Learning to sing well has helped me be more confident and learn to speak in front of large crowds,” she says.

“And, learning to run has made me healthier and has given me more stamina for simple jobs like carrying the laundry up and down the stairs!

For instance, Cobb has studied vocal performance and honed her singing talent, so much so, she’s even won several awards in that arena. She was named the “Lawrence County (American) Idol,” beating out other talented Southern Indiana performers, and she placed in the Colgate Country Showdown. Not only that, Cobb has sung the National Anthem at an Indiana Pacers game, an Indy Fuel hockey game, and many Indianapolis Indians Baseball games.

But Cobb isn’t one to rest on her laurels. She’s constantly challenging herself. For example, she really wanted to learn to run competitively in 2006, so she sought out the help of area runners who were training for a spring mini marathon. She trained all winter and completed her first half marathon in May 2007. Since then, she has run a total of 27 half marathons and four full marathons, logging a lifetime total of more than 8,000 miles.

“Learning to sing well has helped me be more confident and learn to speak in front of large crowds,” she says. “And, learning to run has made me healthier and has given me more stamina for simple jobs like carrying the laundry up and down the stairs! However, the thing I enjoy most about lifelong learning is that life is never boring.”

So, join Cobb in her quest for learning and take an online course or join a bible study group or take an art class at the community center or learn to run competitively. Determine to increase your knowledge, expand your mind, and challenge yourself every day. It’s never too late to be a better you!

Five Quick Study Tips: Ready, Set, Study!

If you’ve made the quality decision to further your formal education or participate in an intense bible study, you actually have to…er, um, STUDY! If you’ve been out of the learning game a while, you might find easing back into the studying arena a bit overwhelming. So here are five quick study tips to help you on your way.

Set a study schedule  Pencil it on your calendar alongside your child’s soccer games and doctor appointments. Or type it into your Smartphone. You’ll be more apt to keep your study times if you treat them as official appointments.

Study alone before group study Even if you’re part of a study group that meets to cram for tests or simply study the Word of God together, make sure you spend time going over the material by yourself before doing the group study thing.

Set goals and reward your efforts If your goal this season is to read through the entire New Testament and you accomplish that feat, reward yourself! You deserve it!

Get a study buddy A study buddy isn’t necessarily someone you study with for major exams, but it should be someone you’re accountable to on a regular basis. Let your study buddy/accountability partner know your weekly goals, then have set “check-in” times to discuss your progress.

Don’t procrastinate We’ve all done it. You wait until the night before a huge paper is due and then begin researching and writing—not exactly a good plan. So, plan ahead and allow yourself enough time to absorb the information.

About the author

Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association.

Author of over 80 books with close to 4 million books sold, Michelle’s latest children’s book, My First Day of School (Worthy Kids) won the Selah Award for Best Children’s Book in 2018, her fourth Selah for Best Children’s Book since 2012. In fact, in 2014 Michelle’s board book God Knows You not only won the Selah for Best Children’s Book but also won the esteemed Book of the Year honor over all other Selah winners.

In addition, her children’s book, I Will Not Be Afraid (Concordia Publishing House) earned “The Gold” Enduring Light medal for best children’s book in the 2018 Illumination Awards.

 Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,500 articles for newspapers, magazines and websites; acted as a stringer for the Associated Press; written for a worldwide ministry; helped pen a New York Times Bestseller; hosted “Joy In Our Town” for the Trinity Broadcasting Network; and served as a blogger for Guideposts. Today, she is President of Platinum Literary Services—a premier full-service literary firm—and she serves as Chairman of the Serious Writer Board of Directors.

 When not working on her own assignments, Michelle ghostwrites books for celebrities, politicians, and some of today’s most effective and popular ministers. Michelle is also a much sought-after teacher at writers’ conferences and universities around the nation. In fact, she has served as an adjunct professor three different years at Taylor University, teaching “Writing for Children.”

 Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, one grandson and another grandbaby on the way. She and Jeff share their home in Southern Indiana with a miniature dachshund, a rescue Shepherd/Collie mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.