Wanted: Mentors

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all of you! And in case I forget to tell all of you dads on or before June 21st, Happy Father's Day, too!

Yesterday, I shared a message about the need for mentors in the church today. But this wasn't just some sort of theoretical idealism talking--it's a topic that is fast-becoming a passion of my heart. I keep asking myself, where are all the spiritual fathers (and mothers)? No matter where I am in my spiritual journey, there are individuals who have gone before me. And there are others who are following behind me. Which points to something very interesting:

I am BOTH in need of a mentor...and I must be a mentor to someone else.

So I ask myself, are either one of these happening in my life? What about in yours? If I am a Timothy, where is my Paul? And who are the Timothys that need me to be their Paul? What should I be receiving from my Paul? What am I supposed to be giving to my Timothy? When should we meet? How often? What should we talk about? Should this person be my pastor? Could it be my spouse? Will they come and find me, or should I go looking for them?

You may be thinking, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...and which came first, the chicken or the egg?" (OK, so this may seem a little overwhelming, or a little too intensive for you. But my point is simple--Jesus told us to make disciples, and that can't be done on Sunday mornings only. Three worship songs and a sermon don't cut it. Too much of "LIFE" happens in those other 6 days. There's got to be more to this spiritual life thing...

So, let me paint a picture for you:

We need people taking other people under their wings. We need big brothers & big sisters. We need older couples investing in younger couples. We need college students spending time with 5th-graders. We need Mr. Grey Hair (or NO hair) taking Mr. Spiked-Hair out to lunch. Or to a ballgame. Or on a fishing trip. And then instead of talking about the NBA playoffs, or the economy, or the stinking weather--we actually dive in head-first to conversations that really matter in view of eternity! Let's talk about things like my prayer life, my marriage, my relationship with my kids (and how I can improve as a dad), my ministry calling, my finances, my fears, my physical health, my understanding of Scripture, or even my struggles with temptation.

For some, this may be too weird, or too intrusive, or too time-consuming. I get that--I really do. It will take time to do this. The time you devote to a mentorship will be taken from something else--your family, your hobbies, your yardwork, or even your sleep. Nonetheless, I can't help but believe it would be worth it in the long run...not to mention, it's what Jesus told us to do!

(NOTE: For those of you who question the biblical imperative for this stuff, take a quick glance through 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus chapter 2. Let me know what you think...)