Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?
28 June 2023
As I young teenager, I wrote a short story which I titled “Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?” My English teacher loved it and recommended, as other teachers had in the past, that I become a writer. There was, however, a problem with my story: I never disclosed just who it was who stole that cookie. No matter how often I have reflected on that question since, it seemed that I could never answer that question and solve that puzzle. That is, until recently.
The Candy Store
14 March 2024
Just down the road stood a magnificent Candy Store. Children could purchase everything from brightly colored lollipops to sour gummies and big round candies that lasted all day. The owner loved to have children, or anyone for that matter, visit him.
Every piece of candy was sold with an offer to sit and relax and enjoy time together. Every piece of candy came with a free one that whoever made the purchase was to give away to someone who didn’t have any candy. When that second piece of candy was given away, it was to always include time spent together.
Jesus: The Necessity of Selecting a Few
6 July 2024
When my daughter was in elementary school, she expressed distress over having so many peers in her life. Her concern was that she couldn’t possibly be friends with that many people. It would take too much work. She wanted to have only a few close friends who would receive the focus of her time.
Upon receiving this information from her, I began a discussion regarding Jesus’ concentric circles of relationships. He was first circled by His inner three (Peter, James, and John), then by His 12 disciples and the women who traveled with Him. Beyond that He established close relationships with people such as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Reaching out even further, He gave teachings to large crowds and to individuals either one on one (the woman at the well) or with others looking on (the man who couldn’t give up his earthly riches).
My point: although our lives will touch the lives of many others, each of those relationships will look different. This is good for us and it is good for them.
Deborah and Barak: Mentoring is Under God's Authority and Means Coming Alongside
6 July 2024
Have you ever stopped to watch small children who are just beginning to venture out on their own? They are forever looking back, not only to ascertain that their caregiver is watching, but also to make sure that their caregiver is present so that if they should falter, they will be caught. Sometimes this catching is physical, but often this catching involves a simple assurance of presence and support.
Caregivers, whether they are parents, guardians, aunts, uncles, siblings, teachers, etc., have a special role to play in the life of all those who are placed under their care. God built us to live in community.
Naomi and Ruth: Building a Relationship of Trust
10 July 2024
Have you ever watched a video of the retelling of the Book of Ruth? Have you ever noticed how quickly the tale unfolds? How quickly we get to that place where Ruth is at Boaz’s feet in the middle of night?
The story of Ruth seems to just move so smoothly from one end to the other. How is it that Naomi could have instructed Ruth to do something so scandalous as to make advances on a man in the middle of the night?
What we don’t see, without really diving in, is the depth of relationship that Naomi and Ruth had built up over time to get them to the place where Ruth would trust Naomi so much that she would follow such scandalous advice.
Paul and Barnabas: Taking Breaks and Sharing the Load
11 July 2024
Have you ever had that person you were mentoring who, for one reason or another, just wouldn’t seem to launch? Maybe that person just wouldn’t take personal steps to mature. Perhaps he or she wouldn’t take responsibility for actions or decisions. Maybe that person didn’t have good follow through or couldn’t seem to own his or her actions. Maybe that person was too dependent on you for answers, not because you always gave the answers, but because he or she just couldn’t seem to take those steps to make decisions and move forward.
Peter and Judas: Sometimes, No Matter What You Do, it isn't "Enough"
11 July 2024
Three years! Peter and Judas spent three years by the side of Jesus, learning about who He was, learning about how much both He and His Father loved them, learning to trust Him. They witnessed His miracles. They took part in His ministry. They dined with Him. They slept near Him. They listened to His words. They were welcomed in, and they were never left behind. Jesus didn’t hurt them, and He didn’t negatively chastise them. He encouraged them to grow and empowered them to do so.
Jesus unabashedly loved Peter and Judas, but they both betrayed Him! What a sting that must have been!
Elijah and Elisha: Prepare to be Replaced
16 July 2024
Elijah and Elisha are names that just seem to go together. Despite the fact that they go hand in hand, one of the most often asked questions, when Elijah and Elisha’s names are thrown out in a discussion, is “But which one came first?” I don’t think that question comes from not paying attention to the pair so much as it is about the similarity of their names. Perhaps this was strategic on God’s part. Perhaps He named them with the thought that we would have to continually go back to Scripture and look them up to remind ourselves which one went up in a chariot of fire and which one received a double portion so that we would be drawn back to and learn from their stories.
Let me save you some time, but not some reflection: Elijah went up in a chariot of fire and Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2).
All mentors are leaders, whether one wishes to admit that about oneself or not. But let’s follow this through. Leaders are those whom people follow. Since mentors are not mentors without mentees and mentees look to their mentor to guide them, which means that mentees are following their mentors, it stands to reason that all mentors are leaders.
The Disciples and Saul: Really? Do I have to Mentor this Person?
17 July 2024
Have you ever wondered what happened in Saul’s life that led him to the decision to persecute Christians? What chain of events or what circumstance in life shifted the heart of this Jewish man into such a position that he would utter “murderous threats” in the name of God (Acts 9:1, NIV)?
Mordecai and Esther: Uttering a Challenge
25 July 2024
When children grow up and move out, it’s not uncommon for parents to watch from the sidelines, not getting in their children’s space, but still being aware of what is going on in their lives and present if needed. The best parent/child relationships allow the parents to be able to navigate this arena in such a way that those adult children always know their parents are there and can be counted on, but the parents refrain from dictating how their adult children should behave or what decisions their adult children should make. Even better than this, however, is when, in these relationships, the adult children have learned they can trust the advice of their parents, but the parents only offer advice when truly necessary or it is asked of them. These relationships don’t magically appear when the children become adults and move out. Instead, they are built up incrementally over the time that the parents and children share the same roof. In families where that trust bond has been established, even when parents believe it is necessary to offer hard advice, it can, in the end, be received well.