As you may have noticed, this Good to Great in God's Eyes book is very action-oriented. I figure that, by taking the time to reflect on the topic of each chapter, I'm actively trying to apply these lessons to my life.
Chapter 3 encourages the reader to "Pursue Great People". Ingram begins this discussion by pointing out the spiritual truth that who we choose to follow will determine, to a large degree, who we will become. Therefore, if we want to become great Christians, we need to pursue great Christians. To emphasize this point, he shares stories about his "spiritual Mr. Rushmore" - aka the handful of people who have had the most beneficial and lasting impact on his life.
I thought that was a very intriguing concept, and - of course - decided I should make my own list. Here are the four spiritual leaders who have helped me get to where I am today:
SARAH HOBART
Although I grew up in First Presbyterian Church and participated in several activities and programs there, I didn't really start to invest in my faith and what it meant to be a part of the body of Christ until the second half of high school. Our youth pastor really wanted to begin getting everyone involved in small groups. Part of me thought that sounded fun, but the stronger, more fearful part of me at the time resisted the idea of hanging out with people I didn't know. Thankfully, my friends pushed and wheedled until I agreed to join a group with them.
Our leader was a young elementary school teacher named Sarah. She had curly red hair and a big smile and was super bubbly and friendly and immediately made us feel at home. Under her guidance, we all became very close friends and shared in all the triumphs and disappointments of our last couple years of school. She listened to our stories, laughed and prayed with us, and somehow managed to get us to stop talking long enough to focus on what we were studying in the Bible that week. She was the first person to really take me under her wing and show me what true Christian community looks like. Under her influence, I fell in love with church involvement - something that has definitely shaped the course of the rest of my life.
It's great because we have managed to stay in touch over the years. Believe it or not, she also married an Air Force pilot and so we have been able to share the whole AF spouse experience. She and her husband Keith just had a baby this past year and James and I enjoy following little Caleb's growth through all of the pictures and updates Sarah posts online. =^)
MARK EPPERSON
Of course, a huge force in my spiritual growth was our college minister Mark, who was the leader of Seekers at First Pres while I was there. The way he taught from the Word really helped to revolutionize the way I thought about faith and our roles in the Body. He challenged us to ask tough questions and really start to apply what the Bible says to our lives.
While that's all well and good, that's not the reason James and I (and several of our friends) love and look up to Mark. He went well beyond the required Sunday morning teaching and really invested in all of our lives individually. He opened his home to us and provided a safe place to come fellowship together and get equipped for our spiritual walks. For many of the students in Seekers, Mark's house was a home away from home, and that had everything to do with Mark's ministry. He was a mentor and a friend and a true, living example of what Christ taught about leading through service.
James and I agree that he was a big part of us getting together, and know that he helped us to grow together spiritually on our way to the altar. Although he was unable to officiate our wedding as we originally planned, we still found a way for him to be a part of our day, which meant the world to us. We definitely miss him, but know that - even now - he's only a call, text, or email away.
DAVE THORPE
Another person that James and I both have on our personal spiritual Mt. Rushmores is Dave Thorpe. He was the intern the year that I started going to Seekers. I don't know that I've ever met someone who is more friendly, fun, or passionate about building deep, spiritual connections with people.
I don't remember the first time I met him very well - though he remembers quite well and laughs a lot whenever I mention it. You see, I was a very new member of Seekers (having just graduated from high school), and although I didn't know him at all, I decided to approach Mark the Sunday before my surgery to tell him that I was going to be in the hospital. He promised to visit, but ended up not being able to because he got really busy preparing for the big mission trip Seekers took to India that summer. Instead, he sent the brand new intern - Dave - to come see me. You can imagine how awkward that must have been for him since we had never met before and I was only half conscious because of all of the medication I was on. However, he came in and introduced himself and talked to me for a good while. I have no idea what we talked about, but I know that even through the fog of that terrible time in my life, he left the impression of genuine kindness with me.
When I was finally strong enough to leave the house and go back to church, Dave took it upon himself to make sure I was as comfortable as possible so I'd make it through the hour long meeting. He also personally invited me to events and Bible studies, and is one of the reasons I got so involved in that group. He inspired me to really own my faith, and I continue to look to him (and his wife Claire) as an example of authentic Christian discipleship.
James and I have worked very hard to maintain our relationship with the Thorpes. Every time we visit the Springs, one of our top priorities is to find a way to spend quality time with them. They are the example we look to for our marriage, and look forward to a long relationship full of lots of laughs, deep discussions, and memorable prayers for our lives and for the world. Everything we leave their house, all we can say is "They are so awesome!" I hope that James and I can be like that for other young people in the future.
PATRICK LANGAN
Patrick was the staff worker that lead our Intervarsity chapter at SIU. He has got to be one of the busiest people I have ever met, being responsible not only for the well-being of his wife and three boys, but the spiritual development of 100 college students. However, he never stops because he is so passionate about spreading God's word to the campus.
I didn't really get to know him until the end of my first year in Carbondale when I applied to be a small group leader. One of Patrick's gifts is for recognizing leadership potential in students and for helping them to bring that to fruition. After our initial meeting in his office (aka the Starbucks in the Student Center,) he realized that I had the drive and the maturity to handle more than the entry-level position I was applying for, and so he went out on a limb and put me on the Executive Leadership Team as the person in charge of all of the small groups.
Patrick pretty much gave me free reign to what I wanted with the small groups. That was great because I had so many ideas and, with his encouragement, we were able to completely revolutionize the small group ministry - making the studies deeper, and incorporating worship and outreach projects which pushed the students to take their faith much more seriously. Patrick completely changed how I think about spiritual leadership, and showed me that it's not about what we can give to the church, but about what God can do through us if we are willing to step up and be challenged.
He also planted that desire to work in college ministry in my heart and continues to give me opportunities to make that happen. He paid my way out to Carbondale in October so I could speak at their fall retreat, has asked my opinions on other leadership decisions concerning certain students this year, and has even proposed that we work together to write an article this summer. If I hadn't gotten married and moved to Del Rio right after graduation, he would have made me a full-time IV Staff worker. Maybe that will happen someday, provided there is a college in a town where we'll be living for longer than a couple of years. Until then, he continues to challenge me to use the gifts that God has given me to further the Kingdom.
Clearly, I have been very blessed by the people God has put in my life (especially my wonderful husband.) I only pray that I might be used in a powerful enough way in someone else's life and make it onto their Spiritual Mr. Rushmore. =^)
No comments:
Post a Comment