Thursday, November 11, 2004

 

Apprentices of "The Carpenter"

Call it apprenticeship; call it discipleship; call it mentoring! It amounts to the same thing. In a nut shell its helping other believers in Christ become more like Him as we strive to do the same. It's teaching and learning from one another so we both become more like our Lord. It's a work in progress. Who is the work? The disciple and the mentor! Who is the worker? The mentor and the disciple. How does it work? It takes time. It takes commitment. It rakes being vulnerable.

Above all discipleship is about being vulnerable. The mentor must himself or herself be willing to admit his weaknesses, his failures, yes his sins. In the process both mentor and disciple are challenged to move forward in a Christ-like direction.

What am I talking about? The emphasis upon discipleship we see in the relationships between Christ and his disciples in the Gospels. The emphasis upon discipleship I also see in the relationships between faculty, staff, and students here at the college where I work.

And me? Sometimes I mentor a couple of pastoral students in a formal setting. Sometimes I encourage a student or staff member as they encourage and/or share their situations with me. And sometimes I do "wall discipleship!"

What's "wall discipleship?" Discipleship is about accountability. So when a student (or two or three) make a hole in the wall, they come to me and I hold them accountable by having them patch and paint it. I invariably have to coach them. (It usually takes longer than if I did the fix myself, but that is NOT the point of discipleship, is it?) The results: they learn a skill, I learn more patience, and everyone learns accountability at a very practical level. This year, oddly enough, the "wall disciples" have predominantly been girls! Some have earned their P.H.D. (Patching Holes Degree)!

For me, the best part of discipleship is interacting with students on a casual basis. I wind up praying for them. They wind up praying for me. We wind up encouraging one another. This evening I had a couple of guys over to watch "Garfield" over a bowl of chips. One of them, a farm kid from Wisconsin, surprised me by recognizing most of the toy tractors on my shelf. (more about my collection later) He had operated older machines than I had! A fun evening doesn't sound real spiritual, but it's all about relationships. The best part is linking us back to a growing relationship with God. To me that's being apprentices of "The Carpenter."

Comments:
Good reminders--thanks, Mister Ed!
 
PHD's!! Ha Ha Ha! Why am I NOT surprised at it being predominantly a ladies' trade!
 
Why not? It's a lot like icing a cake, isn't it?
 
I am enjoying reading your posts Elmer Fudd.I haven't don't much commenting but that doesn't mean I'm not reading them and appreciating them.Love ya,ya know.Keep up the posting ok?
 
Thanks Di! There's much more to come. I'll try NOT to sound like Metheusila!
 
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