Do You need a mentor?

If you follow my blog, you will notice that I haven't posted in about a month. Simple reason: My internet has been down. Sorry for not being there for you. However, I have been writing while I've been absent.

Below, you will find an excerpt from a book for prospective preachers I'm working on. It's titled, "So you think you're called." This section is on the subject of the lost art of mentoring. Is it Biblical? Do we need a mentor? Should we be a mentor?

I pray it's a blessing to you. I would also love to have your feedback on it. Feel free to comment. God bless!

First of all, let's clear something up: EVERYONE needs a mentor. Jesus mentored the disciples (who became the apostles). The Apostles mentored new converts. Paul was mentored by Barnabus. Paul, in turn, mentored many, including Timothy, Titus, Silas, etc.
I realize that our western culture speaks much about being independent. From Sanatra's “I did it my way” to modern songs that say things like, “I'm just doing me,” our culture is obsessed with doing things our own way. However, our culture and God's culture are not the same thing.
Jesus came preaching the “gospel of the kingdom.” A kingdom has a king. Jesus is that king. Our culture says we have a choice as to what laws we pick and choose to follow. In God's kingdom, we don't have that freedom. Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?” Lord, in the Greek, means “supreme controller.” Jesus is supposed to be both our savior AND our Lord. If he is not our Lord, then he cannot be our savior. This means we must follow and obey him in every area of our lives.
This is a huge departure from our western culture's mindset. That's why we are commanded to “make disciples of every man.” ( ) Since we are not raised in a kingdom, we need to be taught how to change our thinking from a democracy to a kingdom. This means, before we can make disciples, we must become a disciple. We must learn how the kingdom of God works. We must learn it's rules and functions. We must change our own culture to match the culture of God's kingdom. Then, we are qualified to make disciples.
The teacher/disciple relationship in the culture of Jesus' day was not the same as a teacher student relationship in today's society. Today's students go to a class and learn strictly information from a teacher. The focus of the class is the subject being taught- not the teachers themselves. Other than the information being shared, there's very little personal teaching going on. Teachers are interchangeable as long as the subject is being taught.
In the ancient Israeli culture, however- indeed, in the ancient world in general- it was not that way at all. The subject was definitely important, but what was more important was the teacher himself. He gained students because of who he was, his standing in the community, his area of expertise, and the knowledge and success he had in that particular life discipline. If he were successful, he didn't have to go looking for students. In fact, they came looking for him. He could only teach so many at a time, so he was very picky about who he taught. They had to be bright, attentive, of a good family, of good reputation, and willing to submit their lives to the “Rabbi” (teacher) for whatever he ordered them to do.
The accepted students were called his “disciples.” Why? It took discipline to follow a teacher. It took a total life commitment to follow a teacher. It wasn't a few hours a day, broken up into small classrooms and given in small doses. It was all day long, many hours a day, on the one subject at hand- six days a week (The Jewish culture took the Sabbath day off). A disciple could spend years learning from their master/teacher. Many times, the disciples were young men (usually unmarried) who were trying to learn a trade to prepare them for their future. Their training was a total and complete lifestyle change for them. They had to be completely dedicated to the task of learning their trade, or they would be thrown out of the training, ostracized, and risk becoming a beggar (or worse).
It was to this time period that the disciples (who were about to become apostles) belonged. It was to this mindset that Jesus spoke when he told them to “make disciples of all men.” Jesus had discipled them for 3 ½ years. He had spent nearly every day and night with them. He had totally changed their mindsets about life and religion. Now, right before they were to receive his spirit to empower them for the work he had been preparing them for, he tells them to go and do the same thing he did: disciple people.
For those people who made it through their training, a strong bond would remain between teacher and student, Rabbi and disciple. A bond that would last for the rest of their lives. It was purposely designed this way because the teacher was older, wiser, and more experienced. When the disciple finally branched out on their own, they carried the same practices of their teacher into their own lives. People familiar with their teacher could see the evidence of his teaching in their work and lives. They also knew that they still could go to their teacher with questions and find answers.
When Jesus told the Apostles to make disciples of men, he was saying, “ I have poured my life and heart into your lives for 3 ½ years. I have been with you in good times and bad. I have taught you day and night and helped you change your whole way of thinking. Now, you go and do the same in the lives of others.”
Jesus preached to and fed multitudes. He taught thousands. Yet, he only discipled twelve. These men (except for the one who betrayed him) would form the basis for his church. Even though they preached to thousands and performed miracles, there is evidence in the scriptures that they only mentored a few- so that they could mentor others.
Wait, brother Winskie. I thought we were talking about teachers and students. Now, you say mentor? That's what a biblical teacher truly is. A mentor. One of the biggest areas of lack in today's Churchianity is the lack of true teacher/mentors. There is no lack of people who like to be heard speaking to show others what they think they know. But, there is a decided lack of men who are willing to get involved in the lives of men (and women for women- see Titus 2), get their proverbial hands dirty, and raise up true disciples who will help mentor the next generation.
If you don't have a mentor, pray and ask God to lead you to one. If you can't find one, God will definitely be your mentor. But, make it up in your mind and heart that you are going to become a mentor for some other men. If you do, this will begin to heal part of the breach in the churches walls.
Become a disciple. Then, become a mentor. Some others out there need the wisdom, knowledge, and experience you will gain in the process.
Anybody can work and draw a paycheck. Anyone can teach a class, if they can learn the subject matter and learn how to speak understandably. But, it's a special man that will pour his life and knowledge into the lives of others. He may not make a lot of money, but the rewards are ever lasting and he will affect generations to come. The man who's in it for the paycheck will be forgotten. The man who truly mentors will be remembered for years to come.
Which one do you want to be?

Are we wishing upon a star? Or hoping in God?

Romans 8:24-25

King James Version (KJV)

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Hebrews 11:1-3

King James Version (KJV)

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

James 2:20-26

King James Version (KJV)

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Ever notice that most people use the words, "wish", and "hope," interchangeably? In fact, ask someone the definitions sometime and you'll find that, most of the time, there's no real difference between the two words in their minds. Is there a difference? 

When Paul says that we are "saved by hope," is he saying we are saved by a wish? If not, what's the difference in the two?

The two words are similar. Both are expressions of unfulfilled desires. Both are expressions of wants and (sometimes) needs. Both words mean that there is something "out there" that we don't have and want to have. But, what's the difference in the two?

I can say I sure wish I had a new car, for instance. But, unless I get up and work- unless I make the necessary preparations that will enable me to get that new car- it will remain an unfulfilled desire.  

Peter was faced with a choice between a wish and a hope one day. It was a rainy, stormy night. He and the rest of the Apostles were scared stiff inside of a fishing boat. All their knowledge of the seas told them that they were all about to drown.

Then Jesus came walking into the situation.

At first, they were all terrified. They just knew that a spirit from the realm they were all about to go to had come to escort them there. However, Jesus spoke to them and said, "Fear not, it is I."

Peter asked, "Lord, if it be you, then bid me to come to you on the waters."

Jesus said simply, "COME."

Here's where Peter had a choice. If Peter's request were merely a wish, then what he had really asked Jesus to do was, "Lord, through no effort of my own, cause me to get up, step out of the boat, and walk on the waters to you."

Indeed, when most people ask Jesus to be their savior, that's really what they're asking. They're really saying, "Lord, I know I need a savior. But, I don't want to change. I want you to just wash me and make me clean with no requirements on my part."

In other words, "Jesus, I want a savior. But, I have no interest in having a Lord."

The word, "Lord," means "supreme controller." We want to be in control. We want God to save us, but we want him to answer to OUR desires, not the other way around.

That's why most peoples "faithful hope" is really a "faithful wish." We want to be saved, Lord, but how dare you require me to give up anything I want. How dare you ask me to not have all this world has to offer. I want to talk how I want, dress how I want, act how I want, see who I want, read and watch what I want, but STILL be saved.

These folks do go to church (most of them). They do know some scripture. But, their desires are to BE conformed to the image of this world, rather than be conformed to the image of Jesus. And they can find large crowds at large churches to tell them what they want to hear.

All the while, Jesus cries out to them to be like David- "a man AFTER God's own heart." He wants us to pursue HIM every bit as hard as he pursues US. He wants our walk to be like Peter's, who heard Jesus say, "Come," and knew that he must leave his comfort zone and follow the call of his "supreme controller."

Hope requires us to enter into partnership with Jesus. Indeed, the word "grace" (by which we are saved) actually is a relational partnership with Jesus. The definition of the Greek word includes, "the divine influence on the heart AND it's reflection IN THE LIFE- including gratitude."

So, when we are saved by grace, we are saved by God influencing us and we CHOOSING to reflect that influence in our actions, thoughts, and deeds. It effects every area of our lives.

Like Peter, we must willingly respond to the call of Jesus and step out of our safe comfort zones, out onto the turbulent and uncertain waves. We must leave behind the laws of this world and obey the laws of God.

When Peter stepped out of the boat, he was ignoring the laws of gravity and physics that screamed that he would sink into the rolling seas and drown. He was responding to his master's call and trusting his master to protect him from what he was sure was a deadly situation.

When he stepped out, Jesus responded by suspending the physical laws and allowing him to walk on top of the deadly waves. THAT is faith in action.

When God's word says for us to step away from this world and it's sinful ways, it is for our benefit. For those things will lead us to eternal torment in hell. Yet, in repenting of those sins and leaving behind the world's ways, we are stepping away from what comes natural to us. BUT, we are acting on the call of God and trusting him to do his part. HE says he will lead and guide us into all truth.

Indeed, salvation is not simply a one time event. Rather, it is a lifelong process of seeking, hearing, and obeying Jesus. Every step we take away from this world, is a step closer to joining Jesus in HIS world.

Be sure that this world will fight us every step of the way, but in this case, the end will more than justify the means.

And just as Peter barely made it to his master, so the Bible says that "the righteous SCARCELY be saved..." We won't make it without him, but we also won't make it unless we give it our all.

We are saved by HOPE, not by a wish. Hope requires an obedient action in response. A wish requires nothing but empty desires.

Which one do you want? Will you have a wish for heaven, or a fervent hope?
If hope, then make Jesus your supreme controller and begin to follow him. 

If we are the body? The truth about binding and loosing.

^{Matthew 16:19} And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

You hear it said often:

"Speak to your mountain."

"I bind that spirit...."

"I loose the power of God into...."

People love this kind of stuff. Preachers love to say it. It gives us a feeling of power and control. And why not? Are we not the "children of God?" Didn't he say that what we bind or loose, he will too? 

Not exactly.

Lets dig a little bit deeper here. 

The word bind here comes from the Greek "deo" and means: 
1) to bind tie, fasten

a) to bind, fasten with chains, to throw into chains

b) metaph.

1) Satan is said to bind a woman bent together by means of a demon, as his messenger, taking possession of the woman and preventing her from standing upright

2) to bind, put under obligation, of the law, duty etc.

a) to be bound to one, a wife, a husband

3) to forbid, prohibit, declare to be illicit

See, you say. We CAN bind the devil. Not so fast. We have the power to CAST out demons and resist them. But where is the scripture that says we can bind them? Where is the scripture that says we can rebuke them? Even the archangel Michael didn't take that kind of authority. He told Satan "The LORD rebuke thee." (Jude 1:9)

So, what about loosing? The word loose here comes from the Greek, lyo, and it means:  
1) to loose any person (or thing) tied or fastened

a) bandages of the feet, the shoes,

b) of a husband and wife joined together by the bond of matrimony

c) of a single man, whether he has already had a wife or has not yet married

2) to loose one bound, i.e. to unbind, release from bonds, set free

a) of one bound up (swathed in bandages)

b) bound with chains (a prisoner), discharge from prison, let go

3) to loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together

a) an assembly, i.e. to dismiss, break up

b) laws, as having a binding force, are likened to bonds

c) to annul, subvert

d) to do away with, to deprive of authority, whether by precept or act

e) to declare unlawful

f) to loose what is compacted or built together, to break up, demolish, destroy

g) to dissolve something coherent into parts, to destroy

h) metaph., to overthrow, to do away with

So, can we indeed "loose the power of God" into anything? No.
Not on our own.

I believe that the proper understanding of what Jesus told Peter (and by extension, the church) is found in Jesus' mission. We are "Christians" The word means "Christ-like." 

As I've said before, Jesus died to prepare a spiritual place for us so that WE could have the kind of relationship with the spirit of God that the son of God (the flesh) enjoyed. 

His intention was not to build a religious organization. Rather, it was to develop a "body of believers" that would- through HIM- be empowered BY him to do the things that he did. We are to be his hands and feet. Healing the sick, raising the dead, setting the captives free (through him), etc. 

Just as Jesus started his days (and many times ended his days) in prayer, we are to do the same. Even though he was God in the flesh, the secret to his ministry was the relationship of flesh and spirit that was built through prayer and time in the word. 

ALL our ministry begins in prayer and study. THEN, we are to obey his leading. WHEN we obediently act or speak, THEN all the power of heaven is released to back up our obedience to God. In this way, what we bind and loose on earth, is bound and loosed in heaven. 

The more we pray, the closer we get to him. The closer we get to him, the more we begin to be able to discern whether it's HIS voice, our voice, or the voices of our enemies we are hearing. If it's ours, we repent. If it's the enemies, we respond with the word (resist). If it's HIS, we submit and obey. 

We have become a presumptuous generation. We have bought into the "name it, claim it" falsehoods. God is NOT our servant to do as we please. We are HIS servants to do as HE pleases. We can't order God to heal someone. All we can do is ask. If HE says to say, "be thou healed", then say it under his power and anointing. But, we can't just say it and expect him to obey us.  

We are his body to do what he says. WE are to complete HIS mission through HIS leading. So, what was his mission? 

Luke 4:18-19

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Notice, "heal the brokenhearted." 

Another definition of a "bind" is a bandage. A bandage stops further infection, keeps in the medicine, and allows healing to begin. When we "bind" the hurting, we are placing a holy bandage on their spiritual wound that allows inner healing in their lives. 

Binding is not, as some teach, an offensive weapon. It is a healing balm to the hurting.

Most sins begin through a response to pain. They are bound to that sin because of some past pains and hurts. If we will stay close to God and do as he says, we will be able- through him- to enable inner healing in the lives of many. This helps them to repent and takes away (eventually) the perceived need for the sin in their lives. 

Notice, "to set at liberty them that are bruised." When we set something free, we loose them. There are many in this world that have been bruised and battered by both their own choices and the choices of those around them. If we will walk close with the Lord, he will help us- again through him- to do and/or say something that will cut the ropes and break the chains from their hearts. This will allow them to begin to heal and be set free in Jesus.

So, the true order is this: 

HE says bind, we do or say as he told us to, he unleashes his resources to accomplish what he told us to do. 

When he says loose, we do or say as he told us to, he unleashes his resources to accomplish what he told us to do.

If we try to circumvent the first step in the binding and loosing cycles, then we mistakenly try to do the second, the third part doesn't happen.  

As Christians, we truly do have a lot of power at our fingertips. But, this power cannot be used arbitrarily and at OUR choosing. This power is to be used when HE wants and how HE wants. 

The popular song by Casting crowns, asks, "If we are the body, why aren't his arms reaching, why aren't his hand healing..." The reason is either a) we aren't his body (some that claim to be truly are not), or b) we are trying to improperly bind and loose.

God has limitless power and resources available for his body to use, but we can only access them through the patterns and ways HE has ordained. If we break from these, we are powerless against a dying world- and defenseless against an enemy that has sworn to destroy us. 

If we will truly submit to Jesus, then we can become his body indeed. 

We are his body, lets let him use us as he sees fit. If he speaks, then we should speak. If he says do something, then we should do it. Our ministries should grow out of our relationship with him and through him, not out of our own minds, attitudes, or popular methodologies. 

We plug into his power through the new birth, but we only use his power when HE turns on the switch, not when WE decide. 

The mother's challenge. (Pray for the mothers)

Genesis 2:¹⁸ And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.


Ephesians 5: ²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

³² This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

³³ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Deuteronomy 6: ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Titus 2: But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

³ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

I appreciate my wife. Truly, I do! But, I'm very glad that I'm a man. I don't believe that I could do her job. The worst thing that our femenistic society has ever done, is to convince a generation of people that being a wife and mother is a waste of material. Our children and our homes are suffering for this- desperately. 


Understand this also, God in his infinite wisdom created the family BEFORE he created the church. The family relationships are to be a model of the relationship between Christ and his bride. Our homes are MORE important than our callings of ministry. In fact, if we don't perform our duties at home correctly, the word says we are not fir to lead in his church.


So many preachers kids go slap wild because they were neglected in their homes! The parents put most of their emphasis on their ministry, rather than on their family. This is wrong and needs to be corrected- now! 

Lets take a close look at what scripture says about her job. Let's really look at how tough her job is. 

First of all, she is to be a "help meet" to her husband. Many folks have taken these two words and made them mean something they do not. This does not mean that husband and wife, male and female, have equal authority in the home. In fact, the term "help meet", in scripture, actually means, "help help" in the Hebrew. 

The wife is there to help the husband, but as we will soon see, this does not make them equal in authority. It is NOT a 50-50 proposition, as some teach it. And we husbands DO need, probably, twice as much help as the wife does. 

However, the husband is the head (authority) of the wife in the same way that Christ is the head (authority) of the church. It is HIS job to lead the family in the direction that Jesus wants the home to go. It is the wife's job to submit to his leading- even when she disagrees or doesn't like it- just as we must submit to Jesus in the same way. 

Disclaimer: Paul told the church to "follow (him) AS (HE) follows Christ". It's the same in the home. If the husband is trying to lead the wife and children down ungodly path's, she can disobey him and not submit. 

We husbands are to love our lives as Jesus loves the church- AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR US! We are to pray, work for, follow Jesus, and lead our family- even if it kills us to do so. If we will devote our lives to our families, then them following us won't be an issue. They'll be happy to follow us. Just as we are happy to follow Jesus- look at all he's done for us. 

We are to nourish and cherish our wives and children. Our wives are to love and obey us- and nourish and cherish our children. The children are to be taught to submit to the parents and will learn to love and cherish their own families one day by what they see modeled in the homes that they are raised in. 

If the wife is submitted to the husband, then the children see a picture of how the church is supposed to submit to Jesus. If the wife is not submitted to her husband, but rules him or tries to be equal to him, then the children are raised to think that Jesus is to either give them equal say so or even is to submit to them- and they get mad when he doesn't! 

Deuteronomy 6 tells us how we are to raise our kids. But, guess who does most of the teaching? MOM! Read Titus 2. The husband does lead, teach, and enforce. But, mom does most of the teaching to the children since they spend the most time with them. 

If we line our homes up the way God tells us to, then our children will be raised to fear the Lord and come to know him. If we do not, then our children will not only have a hard time in their future marriages and with their future children, but they will have a hard time in their walk with God. Mom's have the tougher job, by far. 

I spent several years in restaurant management. People think that you're the boss and have it made. You're not. The owner is the boss. The supervisor he hires is your direct boss. Yes, you manage the restaurant and the crew, but you are confined in what you can and cannot do by the policies that the owner and supervisor lays down. 

It's not a problem, really, if the owner, supervisor, and manager are on the same page. But, if the supervisor begins to go against the owners policies, problems arise. It is then the managers job to stick to the owners policies, irregardless of what the supervisor says. 

If the manager steps out of line and the supervisor has not, it is the supervisor's job to discipline the manager and bring them into compliance with the owners policies. 

If the crew steps out of line, it is the managers job to discipline them and bring them in line with the owners policies.  

If the supervisor convinces the manager to go against the owners policies, they cause BIG problems. If they don't change, the owner will fire them.

The husband, in a home, is the supervisor. Jesus is the owner. The wife/mother is the manager. She is confined in her job by what her husband allows her to do and not do. 

If the husband tries to do things a different way than Jesus has said, then problems arise. The wife is to hold her ground- standing in prayer on scripture- until Jesus (the owner) disciplines him and brings him back in line. 

If the husband is following Jesus and the wife is not, then it is his job to pray for her and lovingly correct her. No, husbands, you cannot whip our wives. God does a much better job of that than we do.  

If husband and wife are following Jesus, and the children are out of whack, it is the parents job to pray for, correct, and whip them when they need it to bring them in line with God's rules. 

If husband and wife are NOT following Jesus, expect a bad whipping, possibly even being fired (we can lose our salvation). The kids will go slap wild in this case! 

This is why Titus 2:5 says that if the husband and wife don't do their jobs they risk "blaspheming (1) to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme

2) to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at the word of God!" 

Titus 2: But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

³ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Mothers do the majority of this teaching, as they spend the most time with the children.

Men are the head of the home, but mom's are the heart. As the heart goes, so goes the body (home). If the mom submits to dad, and dad leads, loves, and corrects, then the children turn out right. 

But, if our homes are not in God's order, then the kids don't turn out right and we risk blaspheming the word of God. 

Lord, help us to fix our homes. Help the husbands to lead, and help the wives to obey and lead the kids. No job on earth is anywhere close to as important as Mom's job. Help us to help them. In Jesus name! 

Mike and Dewain: A short story

Mike shuffled through the lines to pay his entrance fee for the “county fair by the sea”.

“What am I doing here?”, he thought.

Still, he continued forward. He idly ignored the happy family of four with the two year old, laughing in her daddy's arms. Her mother held their four year old son. He ignored the obviously in love couple flirting behind him.

He stared straight ahead with a grim look on his face. He couldn't watch. It reminded him of what he'd once had and lost. The anonymity of the crowd, he hoped, would ease his loneliness.

“That'll be eight dollars, sir,” said the girl in the booth. He paid the fee and meandered off into the fair.

As he watched the nearby ocean, memories assaulted him. His beautiful Evon and little Marie. He could see them playing in the surf. More scenes played across his mind. Laughing at Marie's three year old antics. Evon and he throwing water at each other. Holding Marie on one arm and Evon's hand with the other.

A weary smile crossed his face, only to be replaced by a wince of pain as other memories invaded his reverie. The frantic phone call from Evon. The car parts strewn about the freeway. The angry policeman yelling at him as he slid to a halt near the wreck. Firemen using the jaws of life trying to cut Evon out. He was told, but didn't remember, that he'd kept yelling their names. The terrible feeling of doom that had fallen over him as he saw them lifted from the wreckage. They weren't moving.

He physically ached whenever he thought of them. He quickly averted his eyes from the surf and moved further into the fairgrounds. He took deep breaths and let them out slowly, trying to regain control of his emotions.

“Pastor Moody?” he heard a voice say.

Surprised, he looked up to see two young couples. Aaron and Heather Sinsley and John and Erica Brown. He remembers their courtships and their weddings. Then, the young couples had moved away. The Sinsleys to his North Carolina Marine base. The Browns to Florida. He shouldn't have been surprised to see the sisters and their families together here on the coast.

“Just Mike, please. I haven't pastored for more than a year.”

An awkward silence fell. Some small talk. Some offerings of prayer. Then, the group parted ways. They didn't say it, but they obviously wondered how he could've walked away from his calling. Mike wondered how he could have stayed.

“How could you take them?” he asked God for the millionth time.

Again, no answer came. So, he'd trudged on through the neon lit booths and rusty rides. Leaving his ministry behind, he'd started driving a truck. He made a good living and he wasn't bothered. How could he tell people about the love of Jesus anyway?

A piercing scream caused his blood to freeze. A thousand memories resurfaced. He forced them down and tried to walk away, but the press of the crowd gave him no choice but to move toward the cries of help. Soon, the sirens blared and the police had come, followed shortly by an ambulance. Curiosity overcame him and he made his way to a clear vantage point.

From there, he could see the scene. The young couple that had been ahead of him in the entrance line lay on the ground, their bodies twisted. Their screaming and confused children were being held back by the young couple that had been behind him. One glance told Mike that the couple was dead, having fallen from the top of the roller coaster, somehow.

Renewed rage at a God who would allow this to happen filled him. He tried to leave, but the crowd had him hemmed in.

“How could I have been so blind?” he inwardly screamed. “I told people for all those years how God loves them and he allows this kind of stuff to happen.”

A movement caught his eye.

An old man stepped from the crowd. He had gray hair, carried himself with authority, and used a shepherds staff- of all things.

“Is he trying to look like Moses?” Mike thought.

The man walked right past the officers trying to control the crowd. His attention was focused on the bodies. An EMT tried to block him, but, something about him caused the EMT to allow him access.

The crowd went silent. Hundreds watched as the old man stepped forward, knelt down, layed his hands on the corpses, and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he simply said, “In the name of Jesus, arise and be made whole.”

“Moses” (as Mike now had him dubbed in his mind) got up. Suddenly, the breath entered back into the bodies. The bones that were broken were now straight. The skin that had been opened and pouring blood, was now as smooth as a newborn's. The couple stared at each other in confusion. The other couple, who now had tears rolling down their faces, released the two children. Immediately, the kids ran to their confused and healed parents. The family embraced.

The crowd stared at “Moses” in awe. He ignored them all and headed straight for Mike. A strong hand reached out and rested on Mike's shoulder.

“My name's not Moses, it's Dewain. I've come a long way to see you. We need to go somewhere where we can talk.”

Shock displaced anger, and Mike allowed himself to be led away. They walked right out of the park and down the road.

“Why am I following this guy?” he asked himself. “He could be just out of the psyche ward, for all I know.”

Yet, for all the reasons he could think of to walk away, the memory of those two bodies coming back to life kept his feet moving. As much as he wanted to leave, he wanted answers more.

Dewain suddenly turned left down a well worn path into the woods. The night was dark and the humidity and temps were high. As they walked, Mike kept being hit by tree limbs and palm leaves. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, an opening appeared.

A fire with two tents nearby greeted Mike's vision upon entering the clearing. The tents were little more than white pup tents. A circular row of rocks surrounded the fire. Around this, sat three small canvas chairs. Mike hears the sounds of running water nearby.

“Won't you have a seat, Mike?” Dewain said as he motioned toward the chairs.

“Why are we way out here? You said we needed to talk. We could've talked anywhere. Why here? Wait. For that matter, how'd you know my name?”

“I cannot answer all your questions at once. Perhaps if we were to sit, we could have a better discussion?”

Begrudgingly, Mike sits, as does Dewain.

“Now, I suppose you need answers.”

“Answers to what?”

“To why your life fell apart, of course.”

“And a man who lives in a tent and dresses like Moses is gonna give them to me?”

“Things aren't always what they seem, my friend.”

“It seems to me they are. You want to answer all my questions about life, and you don't even have your own place to live?”

“Like my Lord before me, I have no place to lay my head.”

“How can you possibly understand what I've been through? I suppose you call yourself a prophet. Truly, you're a vagrant psychologist!”

The old man's face reddened and his countenance grew fierce. With authority in his voice, the man stood and faced Mike. “If you won't ask your questions, then maybe I should ask some of my own.”

The authority in his voice and the fire in his eyes caused Mike's angry retort to stick in his throat. The prophet continued. “Who do you think you are? How could you just walk away from the lives that the Holy One intrusted to your pastoral care?”

“How did you know...?”

“I know far more than you could possibly imagine, boy! Life is hard. Sin ravages the land right down to its roots. Souls die and face eternal flames every hour of every day. Some of those that trusted God have walked away because of your lack of a backbone. Did you think that the world revolved around you? Did you think that you had control? Only one being in the universe has control, Mike, and you certainly ain't him! How could you just walk away from them?”

Mike angrily stands. “Evon and Marie were my life! I'd die a thousand deaths for them at any time. Yet, God saw fit to take them from me. What did they ever do to deserve that? How could a truly loving God allow them to die- mangled in a car like that? How could I tell people about a loving God after seeing that? What testimony could I possibly give them that could ever compare to the loss of my family?”

In the past, on the few occasions someone had questioned him for leaving his ministry, Mike's angry retort had shamed them and turned them away. Not now. 

Dewain got nose to nose with Mike, his eyes glared and veins extended on his forehead. “How DARE you! How dare you stand here in your arrogance and blame your loss and your own lack of intestinal fortitude on the almighty.”

“But, he...”

“HE is always right,” Dewain screamed. “HE is righteous. HE is Holy. HE knows all and sees all.”

“If he's so righteous, then WHY did he take my family?” Mike's hands shook with his pain.

The prophet now spoke in a softer tone. “Evon had cancer, Mike. She was going to die a slow and painful death. Marie's life would've went in a downhill spiral from losing her mom.”

Shocked, Mike asked, “How did you know about her cancer? We'd just found out.”

Dewain gently placed his hands on Mike's shoulders. “I am his emissary, Mike. I spend my life going where he sends me. He gives me tasks and messages. He tells me what I need to know.”

When Mike looked up, he saw tears rolling down Dewain's cheeks.

“I've walked in your shoes, Mike. I lost my son. I wrestled with the very things that are tearing you apart now.”

“So...” Mike paused to get his composure, “God took my family?”

“No.”

“But, you just said...”

“I told you what God knew. God didn't take them, though. The enemy of your soul caused their deaths in order to destroy your life and ministry. The Lord simply allowed it, because it suited his purposes.”

“How?”

“It showed mercy to both Evon and Marie. They are both in eternity, happily engaged with their savior and the many that have gone on before. They have no more pain or suffering.”

“That's fine and wonderful for them, but what about me?” Mike said. “How can I.... How can I continue without them?”

“By giving it to him, Mike. This experience can either break you or make you. He longs to hold you in his arms. He desires to ease your pain and comfort you.”

“I walked away in anger.” Mike said- as he shook his head in defeat. “He won't have me.”

“Yes, he will.”

“But, the Bible says 'No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.' He wouldn't want me.” Mike started to walk away.

Before he could leave the clearing, Dewain responded, “Mike, it also says 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”

Mike froze in mid-stride. Could it be? He looked back at the old prophet.

Tears flowed down his face. “Yes, son. He is willing and able to forgive you. He is ready to use you again.”

Mike remembered his wife and daughters deaths. Yet, now he could almost see... Wait! This isn't in his mind. Suddenly, as if through a window, he could see them! They were running towards the clearing. His clearing! They were laughing and smiling. They ran right up to Dewain.

Dewain was now facing away from him and hugging Mike's family. Yet, his clothes were changing texture and color. His skin darkened and, as the prophets robes slipped down his arm, Mike could see a nail scar on his wrist.

“What in the world....?” Mike whispered. He tried to step forward, but it was as if an invisible barrier were there. He lifted his arms and tried to reach for them, but his hands could go no farther than his feet. He screamed their names, but they couldn't hear him. Tears rolled down his face. He balled his hands into fists and dropped his head, his eyes closed against the sight.

“Why, Lord?” he asked. “Why show me this? Are you trying to taunt me? Haven't I felt enough pain?”

Gentle hands gripped his shoulders again. “I show you this to help you see where they are and what's awaiting you on the other side- IF you return to me. They truly are in a better place. Walk with me down the path's I choose for you. You will see them again in glory.”

Mike's knees lost their strength and strong hands guided him to the ground. Strong arms embraced him, as he began to pour his heart out. All his pain. All his hurt. All his anger. All lain at the master's feet. When he finally reached the end of himself, strength infused his being.

Mike stayed there, engulfed in love like he'd never felt. When he finally opened his eyes, the old man smiled.

“Dewain, I....”

“Shhh, son. What you have seen and felt, go and tell. Others need to hear your testimony. Go and tell them what great things God has done for you.”

“But, I'm not worthy.”

“You've been made worthy, son.”

Suddenly, as if a mist were being blown by a gentle breeze, Dewain and the rustic camp site began to disappear. The voice repeated, as if on the air, over and over, “You're worthy, son. You're worthy .”

A sharp raven's cry broke the spell. Mike looked around in surprise. He stood in the same clearing- alone in the sunshine.

“Was it a dream?” he wondered.

Immediately, a familiar “still small voice” inside him answered, “look down”.

He could see two sets of footprints- his own boots, and a set of bare feet that looked as if there was a hole in the middle of each foot. A soft smile appeared and fresh tears ran down his face .

“Thank you, Lord. Thank you.”

In response, he heard, “I love you, son.”

As he turned to leave, the old Shepherd’s staff was still there against an old oak.

“Take your staff, and go tell them of my love.”

Mike picked up the staff and headed back into the rest of his life and ministry. He'd been gone too long already.         

Excuse me, but your insides are hanging out!

Imagine with me that your walking through the streets of your town. As you walk, you begin to notice that some folks are looking at you strangely. The farther you walk, the more folks keep looking at you. You don't wonder about yourself. You know there's nothing wrong with you. You're not sure what's gotten into these people, but they have problems. You decide to ignore their stares.

Finally, a kindly old gentleman approaches you. He begins to speak to you in a nice, but concerned manner. His words strike you as strange, for what he says is, "Excuse me, but your insides are hanging out." You're offended at first, but your automatic reaction is to look down. Sure enough, your insides are hanging out!

You are stunned! Fear takes a hold of you. You begin to feel weak and dizzy. Your breathing becomes rapid and shallow. But, the old man, places gentle hands on your shoulders, looks you in the eyes, and says, "It's OK. I'm a doctor. Let's get you into this hospital over here and we'll fix you right up.

Does this sound ludicrous to you? Of course. Yet, millions of people every day do just what you were doing in the above story: they walk around with their insides hanging out. Not physically, to be sure. But, all of our inner lives are on full display for all the world to see everyday. It's obvious by our actions and speech (remember, "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh", Jesus said.) to any who care to look closely, what we truly believe.

Proverbs 23: ^{7a "}For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."


Our actions always follow our emotions. Our emotions always follow our beliefs. Our beliefs always follow our thoughts. Who we are on the inside is- quite literally, who we are! 


This is why the scriptures warn us to think only on godly things and, in this way, to guard our hearts. If our thought life is in line, then our beliefs will be in line. If our beliefs are in line, then our emotions will be in line. If our emotions are in line, then our actions will be in line. 


As an example, lets look at Saul's life. 


King Saul's story begins in 1 Samuel 9. We find him out looking for his fathers donkeys with a servant. His father, according to verse 1, was a "mighty man of power." His father evidently was a man of some financial means, as he owned animals and had multiple servants. With money comes power. So, he was an influential man, as well. 


Saul, was a young man who seemed to have his life planned out ahead of him- beautifully! Grow up in wealth and prestige. Take over the family biz. Grow that wealth and prestige. But, the Lord God had other plans.


Israel had lived in a theocracy for hundreds of years. But, Israel wanted to be like everyone else and have a king. So, the Lord looks around and chooses Saul. He doesn't allow Saul to find the animals. He gets him so frustrated that Saul goes looking for the judge/prophet Samuel to learn where the animals were.


This is where Saul's life takes a sudden turn. Like Saul, most of the time, when God wishes to call us into a different direction, it seems he reaches into our everyday lives to work things to get our attention and point us in a different way. 


Saul is told that God is calling him to be King over Israel. Talk about unqualified! From herding animals to leading a nation- Oh what a change. God equips him by filling him with his spirit to strengthen and guide Saul in his new duties. God gave him a great start! 1 Samuel 10: 9-10)


Saul is a bold man, if nothing else. We've already been told of the wealth and prestige his Father had. Yet, he has the audacity to LIE to God's prophet about who he is in society: ^21"And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"


He's a liar who suffers from low self esteem- as most liars do. Already, his insides (who he really is) are beginning to show. To top that off, on the day of his coronation, Saul is nowhere to be found. Where is he? He's out "hiding amongst the stuff." (1 Samuel 10: 22) He doesn't want the responsibility God has given him. More of his insides were hanging out. 


How many of us RUN from the call of God on our lives because we don't want the responsibility, nor do we desire the necessary change in our lives. So, we hide in the stuff of life. We get caught up in entertainment, our jobs, finances, parties, status, etc. All the while, God has a job for us to do that will benefit many other people- IF we will submit.  


Later, he is told to wait on Samuel to come and sacrifice before he goes off to war. Samuel is late. Some of his men begin to leave him. Saul's lack of faith in the God who called him, his looking to others to validate his self esteem, and his impatience come rapidly to the surface. He steps out of his God-given role and tries to stand in Samuel's role. He performs the sacrifices.


As he's cleaning up his mess, Samuel comes. God requires obedience and listening to him MORE than he requires sacrifice. Saul's lack of letting God change him costs him dearly. He fulfills the ritual, in the wrong way. 


He should have been praying and seeking God all along. When he was hiding in the stuff, he should have been asking for God's direction. Instead of religion and ceremony, he should have sought relationship. 


Due to his bad insides, he has a bad ending. He loses his kingdom and loses out with God. 


Saul was placed under immense pressure. This pressure caused the real him to come out for all the world to see. 


Like Saul, God calls us- even with our bad insides hanging out. But, if we don't enter into relationship with him and allow God to change our insides, we will lose our promises and lose out with God as well. 


Let us be like David: "Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, Oh Lord. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me all the joy of thy salvation."