The Power of a Mentor
He couldn't have picked me out of a line-up, nor called me over to share a lunch table. As far as I know, I never stood in the same zip code with Tim Keller. Yet, there are few people who have moved my faith life forward as much as him. Last Friday, Tim passed from this life to the presence of Jesus. After treatments for pancreatic cancer had run their course, he was home in NYC with his family when he died last Friday.
Keller was the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC and relentlessly sought to reach out to that great city with the gospel of Jesus. His tag line for years has been, "The gospel changes everything." He welcomed skeptics and strivers, artists and academics, the average and the exceptional to come with their questions to see how this simple message of grace and truth might be exactly what they sought. He spoke widely and authored 31 books. Coming out of the reformed tradition of covenant theology, Tim saw Jesus and the gospel in every book of the bible and easily traced the same message of the goodness and justice of God pursuing his creation from the beginning all the way to the last chapter of Revelation and beyond.
Although I had heard of him, my introduction to Keller's writing was through his book Prodigal God, where he explained the well-known Prodigal story from Jesus in a way that left me slack-jawed. His insights into the heart and work of the Father on behalf of his sons expanded my understanding of what Jesus was teaching and how most any of us can be seen in the story. From there, my friend Doug shared a fistful of CDs of his sermons from Redeemer. I devoured them and passed them along to a couple of close friends, who binge-listened on road trips back and forth to OSU, who then handed them off to others. Like ripples on water, the impact of one life reached all the way to Bend and beyond.
Tim Keller has been a regular companion on my bike rides, whether I'm running errands or touring across the country, his sermons lift my spirits. Lately, his final book, Forgive, is stunning in its relevance and insight. My understanding of forgiveness will never be the same. A while back, I listened to a sermon series of his on Jonah while working out at the gym. I wonder what the other seniors at Larkspur thought of my zoning out to Keller while rowing on the machine. Even though we never met, Tim marked my life and I am better because of it.
Intermission:
Here is classic Keller telling the Prodigal story, not in a sermon but on a set. Less than 30 minutes and well worth your time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O2dTnEdHfc
And here's Tim with a slice of understanding of what an "idol" is in a person's life. Just part of a talk, short.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3tJjjXq3HMA
Keller's teaching and writing placed him in a position of influence in my life, like an informal mentor. Although we never met, I am better because of his example. A mentor is that person who walks a bit ahead of you on the trail, encouraging and challenging you to stay the course and keep making progress. They cannot and should not carry your load or live your life, but instead take what she or he has learned and openly share it with another Jesus-follower, just like themselves.
Over the years, I have benefited from several men and women who took the time to help me grow up in life and faith. These are the ones who reminded, challenged, comforted, enlightened me and taught me how to live a life of faith in a complex world. Whether we recognize it or not, every one of us has been and is being mentored, either in face-to-face relationships or by the influence they exert that moves a life. The question is, mentored by whom or what? Every once in a while worthwhile questions to ask yourself include:
Who speaks into my life these days as a mentor? (a friend, Fox News or MSNBC, Facebook, some teacher/preacher?)
How is my thinking and acting being influenced by my "mentors"?
If I could step away from my life and examine it, am I heading in a worthy direction of what I say I believe?
What changes in influence streams might be healthy for me to make?
None of us are going it alone. Whether we recognize it or not, we have influencers and mentors who guide our thinking. Out of our school of thought flows our actions and attitudes toward people, society, politics, careers, family, church, and to every corner of our life. Seems to me that choosing intentionally and carefully who mentors us is the determining factor in how we will turn out at the end of the day.
Here's an idea to kick around the yard. After reading this note, take some time to ask questions like those above. As a result of the influence you are under, are you becoming more and more like the person you want to be? If you follow Jesus, do your "mentors" prod you toward him, or just use Jesus to accomplish their agenda? Does their influence encourage you to be better, or might they feed into pools of envy or judgment or any other negative aspect to life? Food for thought, just for you. And if you get the chance, touch base with someone who has made you better through the time spent together. Encouragement never goes out of style.
As for me, thanks, Tim, for how God used you in my life. Gone from us too soon, but home, for sure, because ... the gospel changes everything.
Music for a friend
It is always good to chuckle
In the Phoenix airport, they announced that the flight to Vegas was full.
The airline was looking for volunteers to give up their seats. In exchange, they'd give you a $100 voucher for your next flight and a first class seat in the plane leaving an hour later.
About eight people ran up to the counter to take advantage of the offer.
About 15 seconds later all eight of those people sat down grumpily as the lady behind the ticket counter said, "If there is anyone else OTHER than the flight crew who'd like to volunteer, please step forward."
__________
Due to budget constraints, the Board of the Daily Planet advised Perry White that he had to let one of his star reporters go.
He was really overwhelmed about the magnitude of the decision.
"Who should go, Clark Kent or Lois Lane?" He actually did some praying, which he hadn't done for a long time.
He asked, "Please, show me a sign."
That afternoon he was doing some shopping at Wal-Mart, and when he went to his car he suddenly saw the answer.
The next day he called Clark and Lois into the office and said, "I'm sorry, Lois, but you have to go."
After Lois collected her things and left, Clark took Perry aside and asked, "Chief, how did you know which one of us should go?"
Perry said, "Well, that turned out to be easier than I thought. While I was parking at Wal-Mart, I looked up and there was the sign: FIRE LANE."