My Condition: Alopecia Areata

2 or 3 months ago I noticed that a spot of hair on my chin had turned white. At the time I simply thought I was getting older and did not pay it much attention at all. Then one day, I noticed the white hairs were gone and I had an odd bald spot on my face.

My initial thought was that my kidneys were failing (or had some sort of cancer) and was dying – while that may seem humorous, it was my legitimate fear/thought. Fortunately, I already had a dermatologist appointment scheduled and saw my doctor a few days later. The good news is that I am not dying and this is not a life-threatening diesease.

He looked at it, examined me, and diagnosed me with a disease called Alopecia Areata. It is a condition that causes round patched of hair loss. While only my chin is affected now, it can lead to loss of all scalp and body hair! Anyway, I bring this about to let the world know that I am aware of the bald spot on my chin. According to my doctor is it brought about by stress (thank you very much and I stressing out about trying to relax now ) and he thinks it will be a temporary thing. Anyway, if you have any more questions, here are some highlights and links about Alopecia Areata:

• No fully effective treatments are available.
• Irritating drugs may be applied to hairless areas to cause the hair to regrow (my treatment)
• The cause of alopecia areata is unknown (1/5 of people with this condition have a family history)
• Full recovery of hair is common.
• Google Health’s Breakdown.
• Miss Delaware has it.
• Alopecia Areata according Wikipedia
• eMedicine’s Breakdown

21 Things You Should Never Buy New

This is an interesting article taken from Yahoo finance: If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot.

Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used:
1. DVDs and CDs
2. Books
3. Video Games
4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing - odd to me.
5. Jewelry - another odd thing... here is your used wedding ring?
6. Ikea Furniture - Can find on Craigslist already assembled.
7. Games and Toys
8. Maternity and Baby Clothes
9. Musical Instruments
10. Pets - I agree, adopt!
12. Craft Supplies
13. Houses
14. Office Furniture - seems like an odd thing to be on the list.
15. Cars
16. Hand Tools
17. Sports Equipment - and I am thinking about buying a New Putter.
18. Consumer Electronics - I would only buy new, so I disagree with this.
19. Gardening Supplies
20. Timeshares
21. Recreational Items

SBC 2010: Award Winners

Here are my award winners for the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando:

• Best Sermon – Tony Evans, if people would have listened to him they would have listened to Evans they would not have made the asinine comments about Stanley


• Worst "Message" - Joshua Shank, Acts 29 Rap... on the path to being the next Wiley Drake!

• Most Popular – David Platt, the twitter trends for him were ridiculous!


• Least Popular/Most Helpful – Andy Stanley, if people would get off their high-horses and listen to his wisdom, their churches would be better for it.


• Best speech – James Merritt for the GCR, it was fantastic!


• Worst speech – The recent grad from one of our SBC seminaries against the GCR… whatever seminary that was should still thanking God he did not claim them!

• Best Dressed – Anyone wearing shorts in the humid hundred degree weather

• Worst Dressed – Ronnie Floyd, don't get me wrong, Floyd did a great job with the GCR, but this Miami Vice suit is TERRIBLE!


• Worst Logo Ever – Love Loud, this logo is embarrassing for so many reasons... absolutely horrendous - even worse than Floyd's suit!

SBC 2010: Great Commission Resurgence (GCR)

The biggest thing about this year’s convention was the passage of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report (GCR). When I first heard about it, I personally felt like it was an indictment against Southern Baptist that we had strayed so far from what we (The Church) were created to do that we needed to push for the Great Commission to be our focus again, after all, what else is there for the church! Now, a little part of me still feels that way, but more of me is excited that we as a convention noticed the need to change our course and move in God’s direction for us.

There are 7 main parts of the GCR that can be read here, but basically it can be summed up by saying our goal as Southern Baptists is to penetrate the lostness in our world for the cause of Jesus Christ (fulfilling that which He called us to do). The main point of contention came with component three, “Celebrating and Empowering Great Commission Giving.” The reason this was controversial is that some thought it would take away from the CP (Cooperative Giving as established by the SBC in 1925). This point was minimized many times by Ronnie Floyd, NAMB, and the GCR task force as it only really includes giving to SBC causes and not rogues efforts – something I find silly since the Great Commission is not centered on the CP, the CP should be centered on the Great Commission.

Danny Akin addressed this at the B21 lunch when he said, “The CP has not become a golden calf, it’s worse than that.” (I am pretty sure I quoted that correctly, and I am pretty sure Danny Akin was the one who said it) Anyway, this component was changed a little bit to make some feel better about the sanctity of the CP, but I found the change unnecessary.

Some called this the most historic moment in SBC life ever, some called it he most historic sin the Conservative Resurgence, I call it getting focused on what we should be focused on. I am glad it passed, was happy to vote for it, and pray that we as church whom make up the SBC will be Kingdom minded Great Commission churches!

Here are some articles on the GCR:
The GCR
The GCR Campaign Page
SBC messengers approve GCRTF report
Hunt, Floyd discuss their increased CP commitment
GCR passage won't change SBC

Another important Resolution passed was on the Centrality of the Gospel, click here to follow (on Timmy Brister's blog).

SBC 2010: The Dumbest Moment

During the SBC 2010 convention, immediately following the discussion and passage of the GCR, some dude stepped to the microphone and began to introduce a motion via rap. The group of friends I was sitting with came to some conclusions about it. We thought he lost a bet, took a dare, or was in desperate need to attention… I think the third guess fits the best, but I’m still not sure.

In the aftermath of the "rap-motion" Timmy Brister has come out of one of the brains behind the motion. Apparently, he, Charlie Mitchell, & Josh Shank (the rapper) decided to either punk the SBC or make a "contribution" to the business meeting. The motion was "expressing appreciation and affirmation for the investment of the Acts 29 Network for their work in planting gospel-centered churches in the SBC."

Timmy Brister now claims the rap was history making... my hope is that history does not repeat itself (See Wiley Drake for reference). Here is Joshua Shank presenting his motion affirming the work of Acts 29 church planting network in a rap/rhyme.



For the record, I have nothing against Acts 29, Joshua Shank, Timmy Brister or Charlie Mitchell.

SBC 2010: B21 Lunch

For the first time I went to something called the B21 lunch. It was a collection of younger minds (honestly there were 3 younger minds and the establishment there) to discuss topics going on in Southern Baptist life. It was phenomenal to hear what the younger minds said. According to their literature, "Baptist21 is a group of young Southern Baptists pursuing Gospel-Centrality through the Local Church among the Nations to the glory of King Jesus in the 21st Century: We believe this is best stated: Gospel. Church. Mission."

Dr. David Platt (Pastor, Brookhill Church)represented the changing of the guard for what the long-lived establishment wants the new guard to look like (conservative, thoughtful, expository, biblically minded, great example). With one exception – Platt challenges the lifestyles of those living the American Dream and calls them to live sacrificially for the cause of Christ. His message is that God has called us to sacrifice everything for the Great Commission, therefore we must follow Jesus in Radical fashion to live out the Great Commission. My favorite part of his emphasis was not what he said, but how Johnny Hunt responded to it, saying that he had been challenged by Platt to give up some of his own comfort already having accomplished the American dream… Dr. Johnny Hunt (Pastor, FBC Woodstock) is phenomenal leader and his genuine heart/transparency is what makes him truly great!

Matt Chandler (Pastor, The Village Church), was also on stage. He is on the board of directors for Acts 29, and is also a Southern Baptist, thus his church is dually aligned. He was quizzed about why he is dually aligned. To summarize his message, he is Acts 29 because he loves and has a heart for church planting. He is Southern Baptist because he is conservative in his theology and loves our seminaries. He was also quick to point out that the GCR had a major role in bringing him back into the SBC fold. It is my hope that the denominational leadership will listen to his critique of SBC church planting efforts so we can properly resource, train, coach and equip church plants (something Acts 29 does exponentially better than SBC).


Dr. Jimmy Scroggins (Pastor, FBC West Palm Beach) was the last guy who caught my attention. Although he is the pastor of a very influential church, I really had never heard anything about him or the work he had accomplished. He is the pastor of FBC West Palm Beach, Fl. What I appreciated about his comments is that he expressed concern over many of the things many of us have been thinking. He said that although he likes the idea of the Cooperative Program, there are many things he dislikes about it. For instance, he does not agree with the way all the dollars are spent. There are concerns over the structure, overhead and such as well that bother him. It was an honest, fair, and much appreciated expression of concern.

With all this being stated, the best part of the B21 lunch was the free books that came with the affordable $7 lunch price tag. Everyone received 4-6 books, which was awesome. The one book I wanted (Radical by David Platt), was one of 5 I received. All in all, it was a great event to attend and I’ll look forward to attending in the future.

* I did not take any of these photos myself, I found them online.

SBC 2010: Pastor's Conference

This was my second Southern Baptist Convention to attend, and just like the first, the highlight was the Pastor’s Conference preceding the annual business meeting. When I saw the speakers list my first thought was, “Wow, this is going to be great!” Tony Evans, Francis Chan, Andy Stanley and others would be speaking… those were the ones that caught my attention first.

In my humble opinion, Tony Evans is the greatest preacher on the planet and he did not disappoint. He spoke about the need for pastors to take the side of Kingdom and not the side of individuals or the church, something that needs to be heeded by all pastors in attendance. He stated that, “the church does not exist for the church, the church exists for the Kingdom… the authority is in the Kingdom not the church.” He was exegetical, direct, practical and challenging. He ended with a paraphrase of Jesus and why he came, “I did not come to take sides, I came to take over!” It was an awesome message.

The other speaker I’d like to discuss is Andy Stanley. His message was the most helpful for churches, and the one that received the most hostility. He did not preach a 3 point sermon with a poem or song from the Bible, in fact some said it was not a sermon at all… right or wrong, I will say that it was the most helpful for churches on an everyday practical level. Throughout the message he repeated that he believes that every person will spend eternity somewhere, so they strive to win people to Jesus. He also says he (his church) believes that heaven rejoices more over one lost person accepting Jesus than 99 righteous people being righteous – both points taken directly from Scripture.

His message had 3 main points: Evaluate Everything (you do as a church), Acknowledge what your replacement might do, and own up to why you are unwilling to do it yourself, and Identify and remove unnecessary obstacles to people coming to faith (his most quoted line on twitter was, “The Gospel is offensive, your parking lot does not need to be.”) In his first point, he quoted Howard Hendrix, “Experience does not make you better, experience only puts you in a rut… only evaluated experience makes you better.” In his second point he stated, “Some of you are married to Southern Baptist life and you flirt with the Great Commission. Your organization should be organized around the Great Commission. What would it look like to organize your organization around the Great Commission. If it is not about bringing people to faith, don’t do it.” In his final point he focused on Acts 15 and stated, “The gravitational pool of the local church is always towards the insider, not the outsider… You cannot afford to babysit things that are unimportant and ineffective. Embrace the value of reaching people, not just keeping people.”

To me, this spoke to the nature of many pastors to coddle their members at the expense of effectiveness for the Kingdom. For instance, many pastors are far to concerned with whether or not Baptist Bob or Deacon Dave will be offended by doing something out of the ordinary, that they stay within their rut and are thus ineffective as pastors/churches to reach people for the Gospel. The point was to challenge those in attendance to focus on that which Jesus commissioned us to do instead of catering to the self-centered church members. Some took this as Andy saying not to worry at all about those who are members of your church – this is ridiculous and all you have to do is research his church to find out that is not what he believes or practices.

All in all, there was nothing unbiblical about his message, although some harbor on how he took Acts 15 out of context. Andy Stanley also said nothing immoral or illegal. His talk was focused on trying to get pastors to look at how they “do church” and focus on how they could improve their effectiveness for the Kingdom. He even said, “If you are not on a relentless pursuit to make your church better, you will be critical of those that are”… which is exactly what many pastors did to him and his message.

I was blown away by the response some had towards his talk. I am not sure if they were upset that they would not have an extra sermon to claim as their own – yes, many pastors are elated to head home with a handful of someone else’s sermons claiming them as a word they heard from the Lord, taking them as their own. I find this practice disgusting, immoral, and offensive. It is uninspired and represents a heart far from God, disconnected from personal spiritual growth, having a genuine walk with God or hearing from Him. To be fair, there are things to be gleaned and shared with your church family that come from others, but give credit where credit is due and do not claim it as your own.

Back to Stanley, a common theme was that he was just talking about “me, me, me and you, you, you,” which is inaccurate and unfair; those who said it did not pay attention to his message. Many pastors have a negative predisposition towards him because his church runs over 25,000 weekly, thus "Northpoint Community must be doing something wrong" – which is one of the most ignorant criticisms I have ever heard. Anyway, it is true that his message was not a biblical exegetical sermon, it was a practical message that would make pastors and their churches more effective if applied.

I know this was my own tangent on the bashing of someone I respect and admire (Andy also has one of, if not the, best children’s ministry and discipleship programs in the world). The Pastor’s Conference was fantastic, some said they best they have ever attended – I agree, but can only compare it to Indianapolis 2004. It would be great for the sermons to be made public online, but they are extremely difficult to obtain.

SBC 2010: Official Wrapup

SBC WRAPUP: Taken from sbcannualmeeting.net
Thursday, Jun 17, 2010

By Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. (BP)--After months of debate, Southern Baptist Convention messengers meeting June 15-16 easily adopted an amended version of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report and also elected a new president, Bryant Wright.

It was the first time Southern Baptists had gathered in Orlando since 2000, the same year they debated and passed another significant document, the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message.

The 23-member GCR Task Force, formed during the 2009 meeting by then-SBC President Johnny Hunt, released a preliminary report in February and a lengthy final report in May. Discussion on the report in newspapers, Internet blogs and social media led to the largest messenger total at an annual meeting -- just over 11,000 -- since 2006.

In other top annual meeting news:

-- messengers passed a resolution calling divorce a "scandal that has become all too commonplace in our own churches" and an oil spill resolution asserting that "our God-given dominion over the creation is not unlimited, as though we were gods and not creatures."

-- the convention voted in its first presidential runoff since 1982.

-- the Executive Committee elected Frank Page its next president.

But the GCR report dominated messengers' attention. It had seven components, none of which drew more floor discussion during the Tuesday afternoon session than the third component's call for a new category, "Great Commission Giving," that would encompass not only Cooperative Program giving but also designated giving to all SBC causes.

Critics argued the new category would de-emphasize CP giving, and when messenger John Waters (Ga.) offered an amendment striking the new category from the report, a vote via a show of ballots appeared too close to call. Rather than putting the amendment to a ballot vote that possibly would push discussion of the report into the evening, task force members offered two compromise amendments that strengthened the report's CP language. Both were amendments to Component No. 3 and both passed overwhelmingly.

The first amendment said Southern Baptists "continue to honor and affirm the Cooperative Program as the most effective means of mobilizing our churches and extending our outreach." The second amendment -- which was written during a discussion on stage between task force members and Waters -- said Southern Baptists affirm "that designated giving to special causes is to be given as a supplement to the Cooperative Program and not as a substitute for Cooperative Program giving."

Waters, pastor of First Baptist Church in Statesboro, Ga., spoke from the podium and said the compromise amendment was offered by him and task force members "in the spirit of unity and togetherness" so as "to find some common ground on which we can stand for the sake of" the Great Commission.

After the final amendment passed, the report itself passed via a show of ballots by an estimated 3-to-1 margin.

Following the historic vote, task force chairman Ronnie Floyd recalled the statement issued by northern and southern Baptists after the 1845 founding of the Southern Baptist Convention. He told messengers: "Following the pattern of our leaders of old, we also would say to the watching world that the differences between those who support the Great Commission Resurgence report and recommendations and those who do not should not be exaggerated. We are still brothers and sisters in Christ. We differ on no article of faith.

"We are guided by our shared commitment to the Gospel itself and to the articles of faith identified in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000," he added. "The Southern Baptist Convention is a convention of churches that is committed to a missional vision of presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations. We are a Great Commission people."

Task force members said the amendments strengthened the report.

"The bottom line is that in an inelegant way we have a superior recommendation," task force member R. Albert Mohler Jr. said of the amendment process. "I think it's, in one sense, Southern Baptists at their very best -- sometimes a bit clumsy but determined to get to the same place together. And I appreciated the spirit of the messengers."

Said Floyd: "We just thank all of Southern Baptists for believing in the Great Commission. And now we move forward."

Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., was elected in a runoff for SBC president, winning 55 percent to 44 percent for Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla. Speaking to reporters shortly after he was elected, Wright emphasized his church's spotlight on missions and said he would like to see more churches and pastors take mission trips.

"The pastor needs to experience what it's like to be out there in another culture, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ," Wright said.

Wright supported the task force's report.

"The task force leadership has led the convention in taking a very courageous step, but it is really just a beginning," Wright said. "If we're going to be radically serious about reaching this world for Christ, we as individuals and we as churches are going to have to really be prayerfully committed to fulfilling what God has called us to do with the Great Commission."

Wright also talked about how he and his church, frustrated with the amount of Cooperative Program dollars that remain in the United States, lowered their CP giving in order to raise contributions to the International Mission Board.

"We would very much prefer that all those funds go straight through CP," Wright said, "but there needs to be a radical reprioritization of that money."

Asked about a column he wrote urging state conventions to retain only 25 percent to 30 percent of undesignated CP gifts from churches, Wright said, "I'd love to see states move in that direction, knowing it will be a long, long process." Even a goal of splitting receipts 50/50 between state and SBC causes would allow funding for many more missionaries, he said.

Wright said state convention leaders "can be the real heroes in carrying out the Great Commission" since they control budgets and decide how much goes out of state for distribution to Southern Baptist causes.

RESOLUTIONS

The divorce resolution, which passed with what appeared to be a unanimous vote, says the "acceleration in rates of divorce in Southern Baptist churches has not come through a shift in theological conviction about scriptural teaching on divorce but rather through cultural accommodation." It urges churches to "to proclaim the Word of God on the permanence of marriage" and for "Southern Baptists in troubled or faltering marriages to seek godly assistance and, where possible, reconciliation." It further calls on churches "to proclaim God's mercy and grace to all people -- including those who have been divorced without biblical grounds." Resolutions Committee Chairman Russell Moore said it was the convention's first resolution since 1904 directly to address divorce.

The resolution on the Gulf oil spill, which passed nearly unanimously, calls on Southern Baptists to help those in the region who are hurting and to pray for an end to the tragedy. It also acknowledges that "this tragedy should remind us to testify to the love of God in His creation and to the hope through the blood of Christ, of a fully restored creation in which the reign of God is seen 'on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10)."

Messengers also passed resolutions:
-- calling for reaffirmation of the centrality of the Gospel of Jesus.

-- supporting family worship.

-- opposing the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the overturning of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

PAGE ELECTED

Frank Page, vice president of evangelization for the North American Mission Board, was elected the next Executive Committee president during a closed executive session of the EC meeting June 14, the day prior to the annual meeting. He said he hopes to be a unifying voice in the convention.

"There's great division amongst the brethren and to pull us together is going to be a God-ordained task that I shall deal with as best I can," he said. "One of my goals is to be a unifier. We've got to, based on John 17:21. It is imperative for our evangelistic efforts that we be unified."

In other matters:

-- More than 1,500 people accepted Christ during the pre-convention Crossover evangelism emphasis, which had 1,900-plus volunteers.

-- International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin delivered his final report to messengers, applauding Southern Baptists for giving nearly $149 million to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering but saying it still was not enough to send all the Southern Baptists waiting for missionary appointment. "What will we sacrifice?" he asked. "What will we be willing to change in order for the missionaries that God is calling from our churches to go and touch the lost nations and peoples who are dying without Christ? I pray that that question will be implanted in our minds and stir our conscience with conviction."

-- Richard Harris, interim president of the North American Mission Board, told messengers that three out of every four people in North America have no personal relationship with Christ. Yet Harris recounted several reasons for optimism, including a church in Painter, Ala., that saw its Easter attendance double by using the God's Plan for Sharing (GPS) evangelism strategy. Harris also said that 85,000 Haitians have accepted Christ since the earthquake. "I have never been more excited than this day to move forward to penetrate lostness in North America, and the North American Mission Board is going to help you do it," he said.

-- Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman delivered his final report to messengers. "As you may know, I do differ with the last five recommendations that shall be recommended by the Great Commission Task Force," Chapman said minutes prior to debate on the report. "My heart is heavy because these recommendations do not challenge us spiritually and shall never bring us to our knees, much less take us to the ends of the earth. We can accomplish all of these recommendations without the power of God and the moving of God's Holy Spirit." A resurgence, Chapman said, "must be ignited by the Holy Spirit of God and stoked by faithful people in the pulpits and pews of this land."

-- Messengers elected Tennessee evangelist Ron Herrod as first vice president and Eric Moffett, pastor of First Baptist Church in Sparkman, Ark., as second vice president. Earlier in the convention Moffett's church received the Executive Committee's M.E. Dodd Award for its commitment to the Cooperative Program. Over the past 30 years the 100-member church has given an average of 32 percent to CP. By acclamation, messengers elected John Yeats, director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, as SBC recording secretary, and Jim Wells, director of missions for the Tri-County Baptist Association in Nixa, Mo., as registration secretary. Messengers also elected David Platt, pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., to preach the convention sermon at the 2011 annual meeting in Phoenix.

-- The SBC Pastors' Conference spotlighted adoption and used the surplus from the conference offerings to fund a series of $2,000 scholarships for adopting couples. (Information is available at SBCAdoption.com). "Adoption is not God's Plan B ever. Adoption is always God's Plan A, if that's what He's called the family to," Cissy McNickle said during a short video that told her family's adoption story. She and her husband, Buff, received the first scholarship.
--30--

Story based on reporting by Tammi Reed Ledbetter, news editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN; Michael Foust, an assistant editor of Baptist Press; Mark Kelly, an assistant editor of Baptist Press; Erin Roach, staff writer for Baptist Press; Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press; and Norm Miller, a freelance writer based in Richmond, Va.

Think Ahead

Originally posted on Swerve by Bobby Gruenewald on June 17th, 2010.

Successful people are often great at anticipating.

•If you want to be promoted as an assistant, anticipate how you can better serve your boss.
•If you want to be successful in business, anticipate what the market will do.
•If you want to be successful in church, prayerfully anticipate. What new thing is God going to bless?
I try to think ahead by asking questions like these:

•How are people relating differently? What will relationships and community look like in two years?
•How are people going to communicate in the future?
•What future technology/innovation can help spread the gospel?
•What trends (business, entertainment, philanthropy, etc.) will affect the church?
Think ahead.

Book Review: The Prodigal God by Keller

Timothy Keller’s work, The Prodigal God, focuses on The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Although it is not the most exciting or entertaining book I have ever read, it is very though provoking and stirs one’s mind to think about the life you live – whether or not you live it for God or to get something from Him.

He introduces his ideas in a way I have never heard the story framed, by those hearing it. It seems funny for me to say that as I like to be one who follows proper hermeneutics, but in reality it is true. The primary focus is always on the lost son, and I have never heard any preacher talk about the perspective of the hearers of the story. In reality, that is what makes this book great as it opens up the heart of what Jesus was getting at.

Keller intentionally labels the brothers the younger brother and the older brother… eventually adding another brother to the story – no this is not heresy, it simply is an addition to illuminate what could have or should have been. He concludes his book with a Gospel presentation and challenge. This is a book I would recommend to anyone preaching, teaching, or wanting to get to the heart of The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

(here is a link to the parable)

MENTORING MINISTRY STRATEGY

1. Define success by relational connection

2. Help older believers embrace their responsibility

3. Invest in families (partner with entire families)

4. Value differences in a healthy way

5. Allow younger people to have a voice (we have to listen to what they are saying)

8 THINGS A MENOTR SHOULD DO

1. Start with someone you know (if you are not approached by someone and you desire to mentor)

2. The mentor should be further along in life and the Christian walk

3. Ask Questions

4. Share experience

5. Learn Together (books, resources, Bible study)

6. Look for “real life issue” to capitalize on

7. Keep Growing

8. Connect the mentoree with your family

6 ROLES OF A MENTOR

1. Treat the mentoree like a person, not a project
• Projects, not people, require agendas
• God is working in that person, our job is not to force them in a direction we think we should go
• Think relationship, not and end goal

2. Ask, “What is God already doing here?”

3. Understand the difference between beliefs (biblical) and opinions (personal)

4. Understand the difference between spiritual maturity and maturing
• A person is moving closer to God or further away – relationship with God

5. Trust God to carry the mentoree to completion

6. Participate in experiences together (with your mentoree)