Discipleship mentoring of middle class, educated women who are religious, but who are genuinely seeking a deeper spiritual journey with Christ is wonderfully stimulating and humbling at the same time. The privilege of being invited into their lives, hearing their stories, and listening for the Spirit’s guidance with them as we talk and pray together brings joy and personal satisfaction. It’s like savoring a wonderful dessert and a good cup of coffee with a friend…..there’s just not much that is better. Most relationships of this type are fairly short in duration, directed toward some specific resolution of a life change transition or temporary circumstance. We come together for a brief time by invitation of Christ to learn from one another lessons that prepare us for the next part of the journey. When it blossoms into a mutual friendship with spiritual and emotional intimacy, care for one another’s families, and sharing in one another’s heartaches and joys, it is a gift from God.
(That is what I have had for the last 12 years with Pammi Nevins. Her expected move to her family home in New Mexico is challenging me on how to sustain that closeness from such a long distance. 12/10/2015)
Christmas gathering in Leesburg, GA 12/10/2015
with Pammi Nevins
Then there are the other kind of discipleship mentoring experiences in which I feel like I’ve been midwiving in a basement during a hurricane with no power for three days straight…….no dessert and coffee there….However, there is still joy when one sees the pangs of birth give way to the new life. And there is a deep gratitude to God for the privilege of being present to witness His work and offer the smallest little effort of assistance.