I've been thinking lately about formalizing a mentoring relationship with someone. Not that I am teacher. But, rather, the student. It seems to me, at the turn of my fifth decade, growing has never been more important.
This got me thinking about four relationships I have "lucked into" in my life.
#1 David Smith. My first college teacher--English Composition. Funny, deep, poetic, real. Always wore a suit and tie to class. Smart. Demanding. Supportive. I wanted to be David Smith. Later I played shortstop next to his third base in intramural softball. A deeply spiritual man. I have thought of him often over the years and wondered if I am composing my words, and most of all, my life, as he does.
#2 Randal Wisbey. Randy was professor of youth ministry and director of the youth resource center while I was in seminary. He was my faculty mentor, and boss. I don't know if I've ever met someone who loves Jesus as much as this man. And a lover of people. I watched passion personified in Randy. Passion for The Passion. A heart-ful man. Every now and then when I do a heart check, I think about the tears, the pathos, of Professor Wisbey. A man after God's own heart.
#3. Gordon Bietz. Dr. Bietz was my college pastor. Then he was my first official professional mentor. I did a yearlong internship under his leadership. And leadership it was. Lots of words come to mind when I think of this man: humor, family, voice, integrity, strength, tenderness, and confidence ... in God. But I keep coming back to leadership. His ability to cast vision, protect creativity, inspire high-quality effort, and shape a vibrant corporate culture is extraordinary. He remembers the past while imagining the future. He tells stories that avoid nostalgia, but give a sure footing for journey, for movement, for trek, for the road ahead. WWBD? has been a common leadership question in my professional journey.
#4. John McVay. I've worked alongside John McVay for the past year and change. John is whole-brained. His left brain is genius. I love to watch him analyze problems, sort through theological questions, and with the skill of the finest litigator assess the merits of a given problem. He is careful, cautious, curious. He has both gas pedal and brake in his leadership cockpit. And he seems to know which to press, when, and how much. John is also right brain beautiful. Watery eyes. Beauty in expression. A poet. A rich pastoral spirit. He treats PhDs and what the world views as the "least of these" with equal love. I've watched him sit after church with anyone--anyone--listening and conversing with patience, with tenderness. In a world of half-brained heresy, McVay is cranial orthodox.
Four men. Four mentors. And, I realized, Four Presidents. Smith, President of Union College. Wisbey, President of La Sierra University. Bietz, President of Southern Adventist University. McVay, President of Walla Walla University.
Christian Higher Education is in very good hands.
