-1
That is my score for music/worship on any spiritual gift/talent inventory I’ve ever taken. Ok, -1 isn’t a score, but it’s my lowest category of any of them.
Growing up, I was told that you needed to spend all your time making your weaknesses better. But I would disagree. No matter how hard I work, I will still have no rhythm or be able to play most instruments. However, I am aware of that.
Knowing my weaknesses helps me delegate them.
Why I Mentor…
I love doing life and ministry with young adult women. More often than not, these young women teach me and pour into my life with their fresh perspectives. Here are three lesson’s I’ve learned from spending time with my “slightly” younger girlfriends that I mentor.
I didn’t grow up desiring to someday be a mentor. I “fell” into it when a colleague suggested I interview for a Resident Director (R.D.) position. I was looking for a new job and it seemed like an adventure — especially since the university was in Southern California!!!
After over 20 years of R.D. life and serving with over 170 Resident Assistants (R.A.s), I can truly say that I am a different person from interacting and walking with many wonderful college students.
A few years back we asked about 50 students to rank 1 through 17 in order of the value of our different ministries in their minds.
Our 50 students filling out the 1 to 17 list rated it (a one-on-one mentoring relationship) as the number one most helpful and needed thing we did!
I mentor because I’m convinced that being mentored was the single most impactful component for my spiritual growth in college.
Living in a world of helicopter parents who essentially make decisions for their children, collegians need mentors more than ever to grow spiritually and encounter life responsibly.
Helicopter parents tend to believe their child can do no wrong. This sentiment oftentimes positions adolescents for failure. In college, my mentor asked me the tough questions that no one wants to answer; these were questions that I intentionally avoided for the sake of spiritual sloth. However, without these questions, I would not have discovered the spiritual journey that I’m trekking today.
I’m excited to announce The 2013 Faith ON Campus FALL FORUM.
This two-day event will be held on the campus of Belmont University, in Nashville, TN on October 23rd & 24th, 2013.
This year’s event will feature extended conversations with author and leadership guru, Dr. Tim Elmore.
Those of us who work closely with today’s college students know that they are in the midst of some of the most formative years in life — and yet many are struggling to take advantage of the incredible opportunities that lay before them.
It’s that time of the year again…
We’re getting ready to say good-bye to our students — some for the summer, others for the foreseeable future.
And you’ve likely noticed over the course of the spring term a shift in conversations with your graduating seniors towards more future-oriented topics.
If your seniors are like most — they are struggling to know what’s next. Some are fearful. Some are anxiety-riddled. And some are down right paralyzed.
Why?
Because there is a lot up in the air regarding “what’s next.”
I met the Rev. Jack Fogleman when I was eighteen years old and a freshman in college.
In United Methodist organizational nomenclature, Jack was a district superintendent. That meant he had supervisory oversight for roughly sixty congregations in a particular section of the State (Kansas).
Another responsibility that district superintendents have is to keep track of young ministerial candidates. At the point of our first contact, I was not one of them, but Jack was paying attention.
We all know that conversations — of a wide variety — are what make up the life and work of those in ministry. Much more so than programs.
And we also know that conversations are the bread and butter of mentoring relationships.
While some things will be learned through shared experience, much of what we share with students comes in the form of conversation — over meals, coffee, and number of places across campus.
Conversations are key.
But do we really know what goes into a good conversation?
How about a great one.
The #iMentor Initiative was started to honor the investment of mentors all over the world, and to encourage potential mentors to take […]