Reflecting on Jim's life brought to memory a great paragraph from Lynn Anderson's excellent book on spiritual leadership: They Smell Like Sheep.
I think we all feel (disillusioned) at times. But then something distracts us from our sad, little, self-absorbed soliloquy! We look up from our pity party, and there, way out ahead of the congregation, we see a gray head bobbing as a mentor strides calmly on ahead of the pack. Then we realize, with full force, that this dear person has seen everything we have and more -- in fact a lot we haven't heard of yet -- but he is still moving on. Not only is he still going on, but even though he has been through it all, he has allowed his experiences to make him better instead of worse. He may have been through it personally, or he may have been through it vicariously while ministering to someone else's hurt; but he's been through it. And he didn't give up -- he is still pointing you to Jesus (72-3).
-------------------
Throughout my life of ministry, I have been blessed to have a number of outstanding men who have cared enough to mentor me to deeper faith and more skilled ministry. Dale Mannon, who currently preaches for the Greenlawn church in Lubbock, Texas was my first mentor and continues to this day to be a voice of influence in my life. At Sheridan, Rick Treadway taught me how to be a good daddy and to balance work and family. In West Virginia, Jeff Garrett taught me the value of visonary leadership and modeled for me the value of being an avid reader. In Florida, I learned more at the knee of Perryman Denison each week than I ever did in my studies at Harding. Mark Owen, currently a Vice-President with Boeing, taught me how to experience God through perceiving the work of God in the world today. At Hot Springs Village, I was cemented in ministry through the encouraging ministry of Cecil Fitzgerald, Sam Laird, Jim Mabery, Rick Northen and Gary Thorson. And now at Marble Falls, I've already been blessed richly by the wisdom of Jim Dobbs.
I list all those men as mentors in my life because, like Paul with Timothy and Barnabas with John Mark, they invested in me and my family to make me a better man and minister.
Three years ago, Jimmy Mitchell came to Hot Springs Village to work alongside me in ministry. During the course of our three years together in the Village, we laughed, cried, prayed and grew together. It's hard for me to see myself as a mentor to others -- I think of that role being reserved for wiser, more experienced men than myself. Yet, through my weaknesses and imperfections, God used me to mentor to Jimmy in his development as a minister for Jesus.
Evidently, God isn't ready for that relationship to end yet. As Jimmy announced to the church in Hot Springs Village on Wednesday night, he and Elizabeth will be moving soon to join our ministry staff at Marble Falls. For Jimmy, it is an opportunity to continue the solid relationship we have, working side-by-side in the advancement of the kingdom. For me, it is an opportunity to be blessed again by Jimmy's enthusiasm and passion, his creativity and joy.
As I've come to discover, the really neat thing about mentoring relationships is the blessing goes both ways. The value doesn't solely exist in the relationship of the mentor to the understudy; the mentor can learn and grow through the wisdom and experiences of the understudy.
That being said, I'm excited and grateful that God has chosen to bring Jimmy and Liz to Marble Falls to join Allan Stanglin, Jim Dobbs and myself on the ministry staff.
