Oklahoma Bible Academy teacher Ryan Reese has a passion for teaching his students, a passion for his family, and is passionate about Jesus. Originally from Lamont, Oklahoma, Ryan attended Redlands Community College, Oklahoma State University, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Ryan accounted his experience, “This is my seventh-year teaching for OBA. Before moving to Enid I was a pastor for seven years in Everett, Washington and a youth pastor for about ten years in Fairview, Oklahoma.”

Ryan explained what his current teaching load includes, “I currently teach 6th and 9th grade Bible, 10th grade World History, and Senior Bible/ Worldview (Philosophy).” When asked what motivates him, Ryan stated, “Jesus. After all, I am working at Oklahoma Bible Academy. As a Christian, my primary order in life is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. To actually get paid to teach young people the Bible every day is something I still can’t believe I get to do. God is good and His Word is amazing. I am charged with pointing kids to Jesus, encouraging them to love and follow Him.”

Asked about his family, Ryan stated, “My wife, Janean, teaches third grade at Emmanuel Christian School in Enid. I have three sons attending OBA: Ezra (16 years old), Judah (15 years old) and Zebulun (12 years old).”

In terms of his passion for teaching students, “They bring me joy.

I love being with the students every day. When I worked in the church I spent a huge portion of time preparing to teach, while the time I spent with the people was limited. As a teacher I’ve found I get more joy when I’m with them everyday-as opposed to only a few hours a week. I get to know them far better and can teach them at a much deeper level than I could before. As it turns out God created me to hang out with teenagers, so I’m actually energized rather than drained when I’m with them. And when I see them leave OBA and flourish at the next level as human beings, I couldn’t be happier.”