| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor” Our Bible verse for today: “So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua and went up on the mountain of God.” Exodus 24:13 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Mentors shape lives” In recent years I’ve had a front-row seat to observe an unfolding story of how a mentor can help to shape a life over a long span of years. It involves as Sheriff’s deputy in our county who, about twenty years ago began going into the public schools to teach children about the dangers of drug abuse. He was using the old DARE program as his model. In one of those sessions was a fifth-grade boy who not only identified with the lessons of the program, but more than that, he connected on a personal level with that deputy sheriff. That young boy decided that he wanted to one day be a law enforcement officer too, and he wanted to work with children just like this deputy was doing. That began a years-long friendship and mentoring relationship between that boy and that deputy that continues to this day. Today that boy is an adult man, a husband and father. He too is a sheriff’s deputy and serves on the same force as his mentor. He actually works under the supervision of his mentor, serving as a School Resource Officer (SRO), and he is slowly assuming many of the duties his mentor has held for decades. He is essentially filling his mentor’s shoes. He has never lost sight of the vision he had that day in his fifth-grade elementary school classroom, and it is progressively becoming a reality in his life. By the way, during all those years that older deputy also served as an associate pastor, and then as a pastor, in his off-duty hours. Today that young man, in addition to his work as an SRO, also serves as a youth pastor in his off-duty hours. It’s a great story of how a mentor can help to shape a life. Joshua had a similar relationship with his mentor Moses. Joshua connected at a deep level and at a young age with Moses. He then came alongside and served as Moses’ assistant for many years, learning from him and growing into an effective servant in his own right. Eventually Joshua stepped in and assumed Moses’ role as the leader of Israel. Mentors often help to shape the direction of a life. Tomorrow, I will tell you about an organization in our town that’s focused specifically on pairing older adults with at-risk children in mentoring relationships through the schools. In many ways and in many cases, mentors can help to shape lives. Perhaps God wants to use you to help shape a young life. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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