Mentors

Mark 4:26-29

“And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then and the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once, he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

I’ve confessed this before, and if you knew me it comes as no revelation, I’m slow in my thinking and have often spoken before my thinker catches up with my giving thought to what is the subject matter.  I am so guilty of reading God’s written word and not letting my thinker contemplate on what the Spirit who lives in me is saying.  But as I read these verses this morning this thought came to my mind, am I a scatterer of seed?  And after thinking about that question, I’ve come to believe we all are in the seed scattering business.  So if that is true what kind of seeds are you scattering, those that will produce a crop of nourishment and encouragement, or is your seed contaminated with anger, hate, and requires the harvester to spend time removing it from the good crop?

First, we must come to this agreement, we all live in the Kingdom of God, and our role is to plant seeds, and God’s part is what happens to the seed.  I enjoy gardening, I’m not a master at it and though I’ve been doing it for about 49 years as I understand it is my job to prepare the soil, buy good seed, and put them in the ground.  At this point, I water and wait for God to do His thing, and that is to make the seeds sprout and grow.  After the crop comes up it’s going to require me once more to mentor those seeds, in the same way, we do with our children.  I spend time with those seedlings, I water, and I pull up the weeds that would steal their nourishment, and I feed them what is needed to help them grow. 

As a man who was blessed by other men who scattered seeds, and was willing to invest in seedlings, they listened to God and poured their lives into mine, I am incredibly blessed.  Ken Ryan taught me that I was to be a 2 Timothy 2:2, a man of God’s; “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

Let me take a moment to give thanks to my mentors, some had wealth, and even titles and others were as poor as I was at that time in life.  My very first was a man who was an independent oilman, Jack Archer, and Jack was in his mid-forties when he asked Jesus into his life.  Jack taught me that God loves me and that was big.  Next was Greg Hood, who came to Corpus Christi with the “Here’s Life” campaign and started the “CBMC” the Christian Business Men’s Committee. Greg was younger but very wise to the faithfulness of God and the importance of listening and doing what God said to do.  Next came Ken Ryan also an independent oilman, a marine in WW11 and a Navigator who loved teaching men what God’s word said.  Of all my mentors Ken was the one who had little time for an unfaithful man, he often asked me if I understood and believed what God’s word was saying?  My reply was sure I believe, and I knew what was coming out of his mouth next, then why do you not obey it with your actions.

Then came Carroll Ray Jr. a CPA and Vice President of Tandy Corp, who came to Christ at a Lay Witness Mission I lead at the church he served in the role of deacon.  Carroll came to understand he knew a lot about God but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and in that weekend he invited Jesus into his life. Carroll became not only my mentor but a very dear friend, it would require a book to share all that I learned from this very insightful man, but most of all he helped me by showing me how to love my wife.

And last is John Davis, and John is the only man of my mentors still living on planet earth, all the others have ejected out of their earth suit and are at the feet of Jesus.  John has been CFO and CEO of huge Corporations and asked me to be his prayer partner many years ago at Spring Baptist.  He moved from that church and then we also did years later, but our relationship of trust and learning and praying for one another has not changed.  Much of what I learned about being a man of integrity in my walk with both God and man, I’ve learned from John.

Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for, these men had a mess on their hands, and they kept pulling the weeds, watering the ground, and praying that God would open my eyes to the truth.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice