I Am A Student of Life, Faith, and Truth

The Journey to Understanding: Lessons from a Lifelong Learner

Scene from a series shot in Buffalo

My first attempt at being a student was very poor up through my elementary and high school years, growing up in and around Buffalo, New York. I really couldn’t grasp social studies or any cultural experience apart from my own. My understanding on how others viewed the world around them, from different backgrounds was limited. It wasn’t until I joined the US Navy in 1989, traveled the world and meeting many people from other cities and countries, that I began to get more curious on how the rest of the world operates and why. I was a more kinetic or hands-on kind of learner so I had to experiences to relate to new information. One might even say I was a little slow. I had to adventure and explore the vast world around me and expand my horizons.

Commencement Ceremony, University at Buffalo, 2022 (pictured left to right: Rosemarie, Shawn, Moriah)

Traveling on my own throughout the US cities, like Chicago and Los Angeles, opened my eyes to differences in regional cultures. The rest of the world began to make more sense, as I began to take cruises in the Pacific and Indian Oceans onboard the aircraft carrier I was stationed on. I visited many Asian ports, from Japan to United Arab Emirates, as well as Australia. I loved engaging with the array of stores, religious institutions, entertainment venues, and restaurants. I quickly picked up on some of the locals’ languages, accents and mannerisms, and even attempted to imitate them, in a respectful way, never to insult them. I write all this to say, it took me years before I started to put all the diversities on our planet into my brain, to be a better world citizen, able to be more conversational with most people I meet for the first time, and instituting quality friendships along the way..

Once I got out of the service, and moved to Florida, north of Tampa, I got another culture shock, in my own country, meeting people from much more rural communities than I was accustom to. It was there that I went back to school, and a community college, finally getting serious about education. My focus was on Humanities and Media, which have been my focus ever since. Even after finishing my AA degree in 1998, I did a lot of independent study on various topics, trying to catch up on understanding the things I was supposed to have learned in my younger years. Eventually I finished my BA in Media Study in 2021. Yeah, I know, that’s a big gap between AA and BA, but like I said, I was trying to learn and relearn everything, and was researching many topics beyond the classroom. I was also working in warehousing and retail to make ends meet, and creating many side hustles around all that. I’m grateful that the internet was accessible after 1994. It made the research process much simpler. (Some of y’all have never known the struggle of research before the internet).

Shawn (left) and Danish (right) ministering in Okara, Pakistan (2024).

Today, I continue to be a sponge for knowledge and perspective, and base most of my believes on how I understand things. I try to remain humble in my approach to sharing my views or conclusions, but have learned to stand firm on my convictions and belief of what is truth. I believe I have much more wisdom, knowledge and understanding about the world than most people. However, as they say, “the more I know, the more I realize what I don’t know.” It’s been very satisfying journey in the pursuit of knowledge, because, there have been hundreds of rabbit trails on that road. I’ve used my gift of teaching, not only at my local church, but abroad, online and in-person. My friends in the faith sometimes travels several miles to meet for Bible study, and require assistance to pay for travel expenses. I always try to help them so they can eliminate any excuse why they can’t make it. If yo would like to help support these pastrs and leaders of many South Asian churches, you can send a donation to me by CashApp.com$shawnpg716 or PayPal.me/ShawnPGreene. [QRCODES BELOW).

Pastors Bible Study, Andhra Pradesh, India

My latest passion is reading and studying the Holy Bible, looking at it from many viewpoints, using references from other sources to get “the big picture” on context and literary meaning. I try not to assume too much, until I feel I have studied a topic as thorough as I can. Once I get a revelation on a topic I share my thoughts in Bible Studies and Sermons. I do my research as much as possible before presenting ideas, but many of my teachings have come from other mentors in the faith over the decades. One of my biggest influences in my life was Rev. David A. Garcia, the former senior pastor of Brooksville Assembly of God (now know as Grace World Outreach Church). He was one of the best articulator of the Bible, faith, history, and education. He made thigs simple to understand, and yet added depth to the topics for the more seasoned saints. He served there for 30 years, retiring in 2018.

Today, I serve at my local congregation, The Bread of Life Church in South Buffalo, leading two Bible studies, and teaching abroad online to Pastors in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. I find that putting me in the position to teach requires more of me to get facts straight, and know my stuff before presenting it. I may be a leader and teacher of the Bible, but the lessons never end. My journey as a lifelong learner has been anything but traditional, but it has been deeply rewarding. I thank God Almighty for all that he has given me. Every experience—every detour—has shaped who I am today: a student of life, faith, and truth.

Links to places referenced in this post:

Bread of Life Church [ https://bolbuffalo.org/ ], 1638 South Park Ave, Buffalo, NY 14220

Men’s Bible Study (Mondays 7pm) | Open Bible Study (Wednesdays 10 am) | Community Fellowship (Thursdays 6:30 pm)

Grace World Outreach Church [ https://graceworldag.org/ ], 20366 Cortez Blvd. Brooksville, FL 34601

$shawnpg716

paypal – shawnpg716@gmail.com

Donate to: CashApp.com$shawnpg716 or PayPal.me/ShawnPGreene.

Sermon: Whatcha Thinkin?

I give monthly to many great organizations and ministries in need in South Asia, helping to feed their communities. I also serve them as a teacher in the Bible online. If you are looking for ways to donate and help us continue to serve, you can always send
via Cash App: https://cash.app/$shawnpg716 or PayPal: http://paypal.me/ShawnPGreene
Thank you in advance.