Author: dennisconrad

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What Makes a Great Mentor?

What Makes a Great Mentor?

A great mentor will listen, help a person weigh options, help them arrive at practical solutions to difficult problems, and ask probing questions that allow the mentee to make wise choices.

Have you felt like you needed a mentor who could guide you to make wise decisions?

Nearly two decades ago, I found A. Christensen. His background includes having worked for Young Life. He became a Marriage and Family Therapist. Later in his career, he served as a Fire Department Chaplin.

Since he retired, we have been getting together once a week, or every other week, over a cup of coffee.

My mentor listens.
To best use my mentor’s background and expertise, I get prepared in advance. I usually bring two copies of handouts I want to discuss. As we go through them, he is attentive and takes notes.

My mentor helps me weigh options.
When considering my preferences, I can think of more than a few different courses of action. One handout deals with personal matters. For example, given my wife had brain surgery in 2019, we talk about what are the best care options. I also usually prepare a Writing Report that chronicles my writing career. He has helped me make many important decisions. Overall, he has helped me better use my time, talent, treasure, and mental abilities as a writer.

My mentor helps me arrive at practical solutions.
Did I say that my mentor is wise? He is! Last time we met, we were discussing my hopes and dreams for the coming year. After I had shared my plans, he said, “It is great you have all these goals and plans, but the key is implementing them.” Fortunately for me, he helped me narrow the scope of  my plans. Then he helped me look at the challenges and come up with practical solutions.

My mentor asks the right questions.
He will ask questions and guide the discussion, so it will lead to me to the answers. For example, he recently asked, “Do you have too many things on your list?” This question usually makes me stop and ponder if I will be over-committed and unable to realistically accomplish all the tasks on my list. Then I adjust.

I have a great mentor. Mr. Christensen is a huge blessing in my life. He is not only my mentor, he is a great friend. I appreciate our relationship, and am thankful for all the times we have shared.

Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.

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Wisdom Prayer

Judge the Earth?

Judge the Earth?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who know you come to judge the earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Psalm 96:11-13 (ESV) makes reference to the heavens being glad, the earth rejoicing, the sea roaring, the field exulting, and the forest singing for joy.

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

Take in the scope of this portion of Scripture. The Lord will be exulted, creation will cry out, and the Lord will judge the world in righteousness.

Tell me what you think in the comments below.

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Wisdom Prayer

Ascribe to the Lord?

Ascribe to the Lord?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who ascribe to you glory and strength. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Want to stand in awe before the Lord? Consider all that can be ascribed to him including creation, his mighty deeds, and the gift of his son, Jesus.

Psalm 96:6-10 (ESV) starts with the word “splendor,” Synonyms for the word range from magnificence, to grandeur, and to glory.

“Splendor and majesty are before him [the Lord];
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.’”

In light of this section of Scripture, it is right to be humble before God. Yet, it is also important to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. It says, “’The Lord reigns.’”

Tell me what you think in the comments below.

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Wisdom Prayer

Glory Among the Nations?

Glory Among the Nations?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for all those who declare your glory among the nations. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Today, people from around the world can find themselves in close proximity to those who have never ventured far from home. The world has come to our doorsteps. A number of factors account for this, including immigration. Because people from different nations and diverse cultures now live nearby, it is possible to declare his glory among the nations without traveling far and wide.

Psalm 96:1-5 (ESV) is about singing a new song to the lord and declaring his glory.

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.”

Be bold in declaring God’s glory. Think of the marvelous works he has done. Praise him. Do not worship counterfeits. False gods did not make the heavens.

Tell me what you think in the comments below.

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Wisdom Prayer

Come Let Us Worship and Bow Dow?

Come Let Us Worship and Bow Dow?

Dear Lord, I pray for the wisdom for those who take a moment to worship and bow down. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dave Doherty wrote the praise song, “Come Let Us Worship and Bow Dow.” It is based on Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV).

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.”

In Psalm 95:8-9 we are reminded of the hardened hearts of God’s people and even though that generation had been witness to God’s mighty works.

Rejoice as a believer, for you are “the people of his pasture.”

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Wisdom Prayer

Cares of the Heart?

Cares of the Heart?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom those whose cares of the heart are many, but your consolations cheer the soul. In Jesus’ name, amen.

In many of the psalms, the wicked and evildoers seem to be close to victory.

Yet, in Psalm 94:16-19 (ESV), God rescues his own.

“Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.”

How does it feel to have Almighty God help when a foot slips or the cares mount up? Rejoice and worship God for all he has done and continues to do.

Tell me what you think in the comments below.