Mentors

The best mentoring relationships are the ones that happen naturally...

I was in high school when I started attending youth group at First Baptist Church in Franklin, TN. A new youth pastor was coming in the fall of 1990. I remember hearing him speak for the first time. It was during Sunday School and he talked about transforming our schools and looking for student leaders. He said if no one in this group would step up then he would go into our schools and find new people. We knew he threw down the gauntlet and we were ready to answer.


When he came on board he handpicked his leaders. I was not one of them. He must not have known who I was. A friend and I decided to crash the leaders Bible study and welcome ourselves in to it. He opened the door with a confused look but allowed us to participate. He quickly warmed up to us and took me under his wing. I learned so much from that friendship and continue to be influenced by him today. He was my first mentor.


I'm not sure exactly how everyone perceived me in college but I know some people looked up to me. There were several times in my upper classmen years when underclassmen would ask me to "mentor" them. I always said "no". This wasn't a pride thing it was a belief that mentoring relationships almost always happen naturally. I had people that mentored me (David Gushee, Mike Mallard among the many) and some that I mentored but it was never "forced".


Now that I'm older it's much harder to find people to be mentored by and to mentor. I am currently working at a place where I would not think to find a mentor. But, nevertheless God has brought people around me to grow and challenge me. My boss in particular is one of those people. For whatever reason he has taken me under his wing and is giving me a lot of guidance, encouragement and friendship. I've tried to let him know that I appreciate his help and he just shrugs it off- not in a bad way but just in a way that says it's not necessary.

I'm learning a lot about humility these days and I believe this is a direct result of being where I am. Pride is a killer and I can be so easily seduced by it. I have called more on God during this past year through this job than I probably did during our church plant. It is stretching me and shaping me in new ways.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on mentors? People who have been mentors to you and people you've mentored? You can give them props here: