Do You Have A Mentor?

mentor |?men?tôr; -t?r|
noun
an experienced and trusted adviser
• an experienced person in a company, college, or school who trains and counsels new employees or students.
verb [ trans. ]
to advise or train (someone, esp. a younger colleague).

I can count on one hand the number of mentors I have had in my 31 years.  I have asked people to mentor me, some have and some haven’t.  I have had mentors who I didn’t realize were mentoring me until after I had moved on to a new location.

One of the best places to find a mentor is through authors.  No I am not speaking of a hip, young and cool author whose hardest challenge in life was turning 30.  I am talking about men and women who have more than likely passed on or who are getting awfully close.

I want to read a book by somebody who has lived it.  I don’t need theories about life and ministry; I need the wisdom that can only come from first hand experience.  I want to know that the author has worked as a pastor so long that he was able to choose grace and mercy over bitterness.  I want a mentor who is gray and old and whose very presence looks similar to Jesus’.

My current mentors include Eugene H. Peterson and Henri J.M. Nouwen.  These men write with grace and depth.  When I turn 80 I hope I have lived a life like theirs because I believe they have lived their life like God has wanted them to.

Do you have any mentors?

My Other Posts:

• I Will Pray For You