Reach Out and Ask Someone
I stole the title of this post from John Maxwell. It was in a speech he gave where he talked about the value of asking questions of wise people. John is always taking people to lunch and picking their brain. Keep asking questions, he says, especially of those who are older and wiser.
Yesterday the Lord blessed me with such a wise friend. My dear brother in Christ, Randy Becton, took me to lunch. He was one of those wise counselors that helped me tremendously in processing the injustice issue that I wrote about yesterday. Randy is now semi-retired, having gone through a life of almost dying of cancer twice, working in a media ministry for 30 plus years, and serving as an elder for 18 years. He has suffered so much, and yet the Lord has refined him and made him into such a Jesus-loving, wisdom-filled man.
Even before we got to the restaurant, he helped me see clearly how I should best deal with this confrontation matter. Then as we ate, he asked me some deep questions, such as "Jim, what kind of legacy do you want to leave?" Lunches with Randy make me want to live more intentionally, to pour my time and energy into what really counts in the kingdom of God. I guess that when you've been on the precipice of near death two times in your life, as Randy has, you tend to not dwell on the trivial but instead want to focus on what truly matters. I thank the Lord for mentors like Randy whose wisdom and love have been such a guiding force in my life.
As I think back on my life, I realize how the Lord has blessed me whenever I've "reached out and asked someone."
Clois Fowler, another Highland elder, with whom I worked at Herald of Truth for years. He helped me develop a long-term plan for retirement and investing.
Homer Hillis, a very creative and successful businessman in Abilene. Whenever I get with Homer, he always provides "out of the box" visions and solutions for my life and ministry that get me out of the rut of my routines. Homer is one of the most inspiring dreamers and visionaries I've ever met.
David Wray, a spiritual advisor par excellence. Lunches and prayer time with David have always resulted in a deeper hunger to walk closer to the Lord.
Carolyn Dycus, the head of Highland's prayer ministry. Through her direct influence and how she models prayer, she has been a very significant influence in calling me to be an intercessor for the Lord.
My dear wife, Susan. No one has been better to me in helping me deal with the joys and challenges of following Christ. Susan has been in the word and in prayer for so many years that she has become a wealth of spiritual guidance for me... and so many others.
What wise counselor has blessed you as you've reached out and asked someone?
Jim
posted by Jim Clark @ 7:56 AM
10 comments
10 Comments:
I have so many spiritual counselors! I cannot choose just one. It depends on the situation and the kind of mentoring and spiritual guidance I need as to who I seek out. Some of my cherished spiritual mentors are my mom and dad, Jayma Savage, Carolyn Dycus, Rebekah Zeller, Lynette Bridges, Terrie Bennett, and so many others. Thank you for reminding me how immeasurably blessed my journey of faith is to have so many devoted and intentional Christ followers to lead, teach, cultivate, and deepen my walk.
I would have to say my new friend, Clint...He has an uncanny way of speaking wisdom to my heart, but at the same time reminding me how human he is. Man, that just makes him so much more approachable. I know that comes from his walk with his God. He's my friend and I feel blessed.
Amen, Beverly!
I'd say Lynette and Clint also. And then there's the whole bunch over there at First United Methodist - David and Amy Black, Peggy & Roy Knowles, Karen Sumner, Liz Henderson, Lyn Waters, Millie Gibson - amazing people.
Thanks, guys. Yes, Peggy Knowles. What a gem. Full of the Spirit.
And Lynette, I need to say you've been such a great spiritual mentor to me and Susan, and to our group.
Jim
Candy..you are so the Elder's pet.
But..I agree whole heartedly..
Jim-
One question I asked many years ago is slowly being answered again in my life. My mother's closest friend when I was a kid was Mary. She would tear up and cry at the drop of a hat, then act like it was such a blessing. Having only experinced crying out of physical pain or anger, I asked her why. She told me that some day I would understand about crying. She said it was a great blessing to be able to cry, because in order to cry you had to feel. The greatest satisfaction in life comes from great love, which also requires great feeling. If you let down your guard enough to love deeply, you will cry at times.
Wise woman.
I have come to know weeping as a friend after these many years. I have wept in a few worship services. I weep deeply now every time I hear Val sing "Arise, my love". I weep over loved ones who have gone. I weep over my children. I have wept over my "family" as we shared the Lord's Supper. I find myself tearing up in prayers and songs and rocking babies...It enriches the soul.
Mary and my mother had one other wise understanding about grief, which I have shared with one special person after Kerri Lane passed away. "What a blessing it is to have loved someone so much, and been loved in return so much, that it hurts this much when they're gone."
g'ampa c, thanks i needed that
Oh yeah..my Grandma...Landon Saunders..I got to go on a campaign with him in the northeast..
Sorry..the way I wrote it, it reads like Landon was my Grandma..he wasn't.
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