Inspiration from Soul Survivor

I just finished reading Philip Yancey’s Soul Survivor and instead of writing a normal book review (I have taken a book review hiatus, I will eventually write more) I will instead take his advice in the epilogue and reflect on those God has used to guide me in my journey in pursuing Christ.

Yancey has some odd mentors in his book that initially caused some worry on my part, but after he tells his story about growing up in a hate-filled fundamentalist church (not all fit this category but his certainly did) he struggled to trust the church or even God. We all have struggles and obstacles to faith. These may come from the rebellious nature of our own hearts or from the suffering that results from living in a fallen world or even from the enemy of our souls. Yet the journey is often confusing and with every believer it is unique and tangled, so bear with me for a few paragraphs while I take Yancey’s advice and reflect on my mentors in the faith.

First I must acknowledge the influence of my parents - Mom taught me to love - she thinks that she’s not very good at expressing love. Yet all of her sons have felt loved and learned from Mom how to share love in meaningful ways. Dad taught me how to be a man - that manhood doesn’t consist of grunting and spitting but rather is fundamentally about taking responsibility and being willing to sacrifice for others (in Dad’s case sometimes to a fault, sorry Dad but its true).

Second I would point to J.R.R. Tolkien. When I was in the sixth grade I stumbled across the Hobbit and was immediately hooked. I then went on to read the Lord of the Rings of course. What I learned from Tolkien was from his portrayal of heroes. Throughout my younger years (and to this day) my understanding of what a hero was came from Tolkien, one who courageously does what is necessary even when it means a great deal of suffering by one for others. This was what really captivated me. Seeing poor little Frodo suffering alone to save all of middle earth, that is epic heroism. Repentant Boromir fighting to the death so the little one’s can escape. I didn’t know it at the time but these are Christ-like heroes. In shaping my understanding of a hero, in some measure, Tolkien softened my heart to hear about the work of Christ.

Third (bear with me) is the Dalai Llama. In my junior year of high school I was once again prowling through the library (boy I was a nerd) and came across a book by the Dalai Llama where in very basic terms he explained what Buddhism was. I began reading there in the aisle and was captivated. He was answering questions from his perspective that I had never once thought to ask. I checked out the book and checked it out repeatedly for the next year. To a few friends I declared myself a Buddhist (sorry Mom and Dad). The positive that came out of this deception (for I became convinced that Buddhism is not true and actually does a very poor job of answering the big questions) was that I began thinking about spiritual things. I don’t think that before that moment I had ever had a spiritual thought in my life. So it was a kind of back-handed blessing, good coming out of darkness.

Fourth was John Lucas. John was the first person ever to invite me to any kind of Christian function. I had never been invited to church or BSU or anything like it in my life. Yet John took me to these meetings and shared the Gospel with me and after I became a Christian (and to this day) John has served as a guide and mentor to me as I strive to follow my crucified savior.

Paul Badgett was important for the biggest reason that it was under his preaching that I came to faith in Christ. But also Paul was faithful to proclaim the beautiful gospel simply and clearly week after week. Thank you Paul for feeding me the gospel.

Erwin Lutzer’s book Doctrine’s that Divide was the book that showed me that theology really does matter. That what we believe really does matter. This was the book that God used to kill all the post-modernism left in me.

Now I want to close with a few honorable mentions. Josh Owen allowed me to watch him be a pastor, husband, father, and theologian. He showed me that we can be all these things without neglecting our churches or our families, thank you Josh. Francis Schaeffer showed me that the Christian faith was intellectually beautiful and extremely logical, that we are not leaping into the dark. Mark Helton has shown me how to suffer with grace. My matchless wife has shown me the power of forgiveness and love (she has had much to forgive and little to find worthy of love).

PS - Yancey's book is a great read. His writing ability made this book hard to put down. But most of all the strange path that God used in bringing him safely into the fold was captivating. A worthy read and I've been inspired to read more by Yancey.

My Paul's

I was reading Said at Southern the other day and come across a post where he was writing about mentoring and the one man who took an interest and the time to mentor him. This reminded me of how blessed I have been, all the other men who are writing on this blog have served as mentors to me. And I wanted to take some time to thank them for the time and energy that they invested in me, and also to introduce them to folks at my church who read our blog.

John Lucas was the first real Christian I ever met who was my age. When I met John I was simply another American kid lost in the postmodern mindset and in love with materialism. Yet in John I was confronted with a man who believed in things that were much firmer than I. He had meaning in his life in a way that was completely foreign to me. John was the first person that I ever remember sharing the Gospel with me. It was through his intentional friendship that I became a Christian. Then he began to teach me and model for me the Christian life. John showed that truth matters and he helped turn my love of reading into an edifying habit of reading theology. And since this time John has continued as an ever present friend and support. He is always there for me, he will probably object but I still see him as a mentor, a guy a little further down the road than me with much still to teach me. John I thank you for investing your life and time in me, I hope that God will use that investment to bless you, me, and others.

Josh Owen I met at the Home Depot where we were both employed, he was also one of my graders (Josh has just finished his Phd) but the first time I spoke to him was at the home depot. We began talking about books and ministry and before I knew it Josh was gone, he had taken a pastorate in Owen County. Later I ran into him on campus and he asked me to give him a resume and it led to me becoming the youth pastor at the church he pastored. There at Richland Baptist Church I learned about preaching by seeing him preach, I went on my first home (and hospital) visit with him. We read books and discussed theology. I saw him parenting small children as a pastor, I saw him be a husband as a pastor, I got to be with his family during their time of family worship. Josh opened his heart, family, ministry and his mind to me in ways that are rare. Josh I thank you for being patient with me and my inexperience. I learned as much at Richland serving with you as I did in my seminary classes. You helped me put the theoretical into a practical framework. Josh I thank you.

Mark Helton (who has not yet posted due to some family needs) is a man I got to know when I came to Sidney. Mark and I pastor churches about twenty minutes apart and we discovered that we share a lot of the same convictions and bad taste in movies (John, he knows what going monk means). So we have gotten to know each other and Mark has spent time talking with me and sharing his experience with me in ways that he certainly doesn’t have to. But it is a blessing to have a like-minded pastor so close to me who can share his wisdom with me. Mark thank you for being willing to share with me and invest hours in me that are hard to come by. I look forward to serving with you on this end of Pike County for years to come.

I am a blessed man. Most men in ministry do have the luxury of such wise counselors. Most men in their formative years do not have such influences guiding them toward truth and faithfulness to Christ. Men I thank you and pray that your tribe may increase. I pray that I may be a Paul to a young timothy that you were and are my Paul’s. Members of Sidney these are the other men who are contributing to this blog, I pray that you will listen to their words, because I have and will continue to.