What is the role of a mentor? I know I would not be where I am without the men who have invested their time and wisdom in my life. Every day I see the fruit of the seeds they sowed.
Bob E. Cooley and George O. Wood were two mentors that have forever left a mark on my development, not only as a leader, but as a father, husband, and friend. Over the years, I had the honor to sit across from these men to listen and learn from their brilliance. Even when I only understood a portion of their wisdom, I knew that I was being invested in by two leaders who truly cared about me and the mission God had for my life.
Bob could see the future in ways most couldn’t. He easily grasped and understood history, culture, anthropology, and emerging trends while intertwining them with archaeological profundity. He taught with a humble yet confident attitude and modeled seamlessly what educational leadership should look like. Bob always pushed me to steward my leadership in a way that honored Christ, which is still a priority for me.
George was a door opener and a bridge builder. He challenged, defended, and discipled me for 35 years. Uncle George, as I affectionately grew to call him, imprinted on my father, on Kim and me, and on our life and mission. I can point to pivotal moments throughout OneHope’s history when he was there, sometimes in person, but more often by the words he had spoken over me.
The times I have stood before presidents, ministers of education, or people of incredible wealth and influence, the Holy Spirit has reminded me of Luke 12:11: “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say” (NIV). In these particular moments, it’s the Holy Spirit’s guidance and confidence that poured into me, but I heard it all in George’s voice.
It’s often the voices of my mentors like George and Bob that I hear when I feel afraid or insecure or lack the confidence to trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding. Through their prophetic words and faithful mentorship, the nearly 2 billion children who have received God’s Word over these last three decades are recipients of their love and investment in our lives.
Kim and I have established a new vision statement for the next 20 years of our lives: to Build Young Leaders and Serve Great leaders. This is a mentoring mandate. Having learned from those that have gone before me, even now I can still hear their voices challenging me through guidance, comforting me, and emboldening me. That is the role of a mentor, and I commit myself to always be a bearer of their mission to the world.
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One thought on “The Voice of a Mentor”
Thanks for your message, Sir. There is so much to share on this topic. I would like to take it from a different perspective altogether. Apostle Paul himself said, ” follow me as I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). This suggests that Paul’s mentor was Christ. How wonderful!! This is what I have believed in since I discovered my divine purpose, by the grace of God. I must say there is a price to pay for whatever we want to become or be, as we all know. Christ or God always has a point of reference for us to affirm and confirm what we believe or to clear our doubt or disbelief from time to time. For instance, angel Gabriel said to Mary, “look, even your relative Elizabeth has conceived in her old age…” I have had so many mentors in my life through books and by the leading of the Holy Spirit or Christ. Christ should be our ultimate mentor and for that matter the Word. Once again, I must say that Christ gives us points of references like Elizabeth to Mary. Unfortunately, most Christians are not willing to pay the price to stay under the mentorship of Christ. They don’t seek to hear and know the voice of Christ or the Holy Spirit which is paramount if we want to stay under His mentorship. To mention a few points of references in my life are Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, William Braham, Myles Munroe, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Benson Idahosa, Mike Murdock, John Maxwell. It is sad to say that manual Christians, if not most, refer to some of these men as cult. God have mercy! By the grace of God, I love my life and experience in the Lord, because it proves to me beyond any shadow of doubt that the scripture or the Word is true and authentic. I see similar experience as that of Apostle Paul: as unknown, yet well known, as chastened, yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet rejoicing always, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things (2 Corinthians 6:9 -10). Glory be to God!! The Lord be with us all. Shalom, Sir!!
Thanks for your message, Sir. There is so much to share on this topic. I would like to take it from a different perspective altogether.
Apostle Paul himself said, ” follow me as I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). This suggests that Paul’s mentor was Christ. How wonderful!!
This is what I have believed in since I discovered my divine purpose, by the grace of God. I must say there is a price to pay for whatever we want to become or be, as we all know.
Christ or God always has a point of reference for us to affirm and confirm what we believe or to clear our doubt or disbelief from time to time. For instance, angel Gabriel said to Mary, “look, even your relative Elizabeth has conceived in her old age…”
I have had so many mentors in my life through books and by the leading of the Holy Spirit or Christ. Christ should be our ultimate mentor and for that matter the Word. Once again, I must say that Christ gives us points of references like Elizabeth to Mary.
Unfortunately, most Christians are not willing to pay the price to stay under the mentorship of Christ. They don’t seek to hear and know the voice of Christ or the Holy Spirit which is paramount if we want to stay under His mentorship.
To mention a few points of references in my life are Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, William Braham, Myles Munroe, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Benson Idahosa, Mike Murdock, John Maxwell.
It is sad to say that manual Christians, if not most, refer to some of these men as cult. God have mercy!
By the grace of God, I love my life and experience in the Lord, because it proves to me beyond any shadow of doubt that the scripture or the Word is true and authentic.
I see similar experience as that of Apostle Paul: as unknown, yet well known, as chastened, yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet rejoicing always, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things (2 Corinthians 6:9 -10). Glory be to God!!
The Lord be with us all. Shalom, Sir!!