How can a mentor or coach catapult you forward?
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"Dad, the fire is going out!" This familiar statement from my kids while camping at Dillon Beach always sparks a sense of urgency. The wind blows cold air from the ocean, smothering our campfire. Without fire, the chill is unbearable. It seems like a crisis until we turn the logs, and suddenly, the once smoldering campfire bursts back into flames, casting a shower of sparks into the air. Brilliant! What was dying out comes alive.
A mentor or coach offers a similar gift by "turning the logs" of our lives. When the fire of a dream is dying, meeting with a mentor can reignite the vision, sparking new enthusiasm and possibilities. You might feel stuck in what feels like a no-win situation until a coach illuminates an alternate path out of the crisis. It's simply "turning the logs." A coach merely draws out of you what is already there, because as my friend and colleague, Zach Prosser, says, "The client is capable."
There are three direct benefits you can expect from the presence of a mentor or coach:
1. New perspectives:A mentor or coach enables you to see the problem from different angles. Just like "turning the log," there are many sides to every situation. A coach will not lead you out of a dark room but provide a flashlight to illuminate the various paths of escape. This broadened perspective can unlock solutions you hadn't considered.
2. Increased confidence:A mentor or coach instills confidence, reinforcing that survival and success are possible. For 28 years, I have met with a business executive who is 20 years my senior. His wisdom provides excellent insight into what the future may hold and the possibilities to consider. This long-term mentorship has been invaluable in navigating complex decisions with confidence.
3. Identifying compromises: A mentor or coach helps you recognize and address areas of compromise. While cutting corners might be acceptable in trivial matters, it can have disastrous consequences in church leadership or personal decision-making. Sometimes the compromise involves external factors, like financial management. Other times, it stems from unhealthy internal beliefs, such as thinking, "I am not good enough" or, "I only have value when solving a problem."
Jesus Christ was an extraordinary mentor to Peter. It's likely there were more moments of correction than Scripture records. We catch glimpses of these precious moments, such as when Jesus rebukes Peter for opposing the way of the Cross and when He forgives and reinstates Peter after his denial. These were pivotal, log-turning moments for Peter.
Don't settle for a smoldering campfire, waning vision, or bottled-up passion. Seek out a mentor or coach to help stir up the logs, ideas, dreams, and possibilities in your life. Through mentorship and coaching, the embers of your aspirations can be reignited into a blazing fire of purpose and action.
 | Eric Daniel is passionate about empowering others to grow in their Spiritual Leadership. He founded Global Ministry Advance in 2023, a coaching organization, for the purpose of assisting ministers, missionaries and Christian organizations in the development of goals and strategies for greater health. Eric became Senior Pastor of Hillside Church in Napa, CA in 2002, and also serves as an Executive Presbyter for the Northern California and Nevada District Council of the Assemblies of God. Learn More » |
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