As I look back on my life, God has been very generous to me. He has placed multiple people in my life who have invested in me and that investment has shaped who I am. One thing that I believe to be true about the Christian life is that you should always have a mentor and you should always try to be a mentor to someone. There are obvious seasons when you are able to lean into one or both of these more than others, but when you allow something to become a priority then you will make time for it. It would be impossible for me to name everyone who has been a mentor to me. I have had people invest in one-off conversations where they have been a mentor to me. I have had people mentor me without them even knowing it, especially today with podcasts. There have been several people who have poured years into my life and dozens who are continuing to walk with me today. I would like to say thank you. Some people I will call by name and others will remain anonymous, but you all have played a part in shaping me into the husband, dad, and pastor that I am today. For someone who lost his earthly father almost 10 years ago, I have had the blessing of having dozens of men who have helped me navigate life. That has been a huge blessing.
I didn't become a follower of Jesus until I was in junior high. I was not against Him, but He was not the king of my life until then. I remember those first few years having an intense hunger for God. By God's grace, he placed various people in my life through the student ministry of First Baptist Church in Pearland. One of the most significant mentors that I had there was my student pastor. His name is Macil Duncan. He loved the Tennesee Volunteers and he loved Jesus. He taught me to pray. He showed me how to study the Bible. He challenged me to share my story and God's story with people who needed to hear the love of Jesus. Those formative years set me on a course that has shaped the trajectory of my life. Thank you!
The summer after I graduated high school I had the opportunity to intern for him at a church in North Carolina. It was there that I met another significant mentor. His name is Anthony Locklear. He was one of the youth workers at the church and boy did we hit it off. Even though we only hung out for a few short months, he has remained in my life. We have only seen each other a couple of times since that summer in 2002, but we have logged many hours of conversations on the phone. He is one of those people that you can call when you are struggling and by the time you are done with the conversation you feel like a million bucks. He taught me how to love. I have learned how to be a better husband and dad because of our friendship. You have helped me to love deeply and I am forever grateful for that!
In college, I met some really great friends who helped challenge me. The first day of welcome week I met this super loud, fun-loving, center-of-attention guy named Justin Hart. There is no way that we were mature enough to understand the significance of our friendship way back then, but we have been through a lot. We have made pancakes at 2:00 in the morning. We have been to each other's weddings. We have been there for each other when the bottom has fallen out of our lives and we didn't know what was going to happen to our kids. And we now hang out weekly and take vacations together. You and Tammy have always been there for me and my family and I could never express how much that means to us. Justin has taught me what it looks like to fully trust the Lord. He has modeled the life of Jesus in how he welcomes everyone and makes the people around him better. This dude is the real deal and I am thankful for God bringing him into my life almost 20 years ago.
I had a few other people in college who have invested in me then and over the years. Phil Walleck was my RA my freshman year. He invested in me as a freshman and continues to invest in me all these years later. We have walked through fostering and adoption together. We have learned what it means to be a pastor together. Even though we are rarely in the same city as one another, we have always been connected. I call him for advice regularly and our conversations are always both encouraging and exhorting. I also had many great roommates. Brandon McLean and Noe Garcia both helped me to keep my head on straight in the midst of some crazy times in college. We learned to cook together and these two men helped shape the way I look at the world around me. Thank you!
When I started full-time ministry in 2006 I had many people put their arm around me and show me how to be a pastor. Jason Hess was one who early on gave me unlimited access to his brain and gave up so many hours to invest in a young student pastor who had no idea what he was doing. He challenged me to know the Word. I am a better pastor because of those meetings. Tom Allen was my pastor in high school and I had the opportunity to work for him one summer when I was in college. Even though I was not on his staff, he would meet with me and share with me wisdom. He is the kind of person that walks into the room and everyone knows he is there. He modeled to me what it looked like to lead well while also pastoring with a tender heart. Thank you all!
I know that this may be a shock, but not all pastors invest in the next generation like Trent Henderson has. He has been more than a mentor. Over these past 13 years, we have seen God do a lot. The list of ways he has shaped me is pretty long, so here are some of the highlights. He has modeled what it looks like to be a husband and dad first and then a pastor. Never have I once doubted how important family was to him and that has shaped the husband and dad that I am today. He has called things out of me that I did not see and has challenged me in ways that have allowed me to be ready to plant a church. We talk almost every day. Sometimes it is about ministry, sometimes it is about life, but always I am grateful for his investment. Thank you!
As I enter a new season of life I know that God is going to bring new and different mentors. I can't wait! There have been a few people who have been mentoring me over these past few months. Some of them realize what they are doing, and others have just said yes to coffee or lunch or even sometimes accidentally answer the phone. Russell Cravens has been one of these men. He has been a cheerleader at times and others he has talked me off of the ledge. He planted Neartown church and one of my longest and best friends Jesse Outlaw is an elder there. Both of these men have been encouragers and modeled to me what it looks like to live on mission. They both have a passion to build relationships with people and point them to Jesus. Thank you both. Another church planting mentor has been Heath Haynes. He has been really good for me. He doesn't shy away from telling me where my thinking is more about me than the Kingdom. He has always said yes to meeting up with me and I always leave with more clarity on what God is calling me to do. He planted The Bridge Montrose and God is doing some very cool things there. There are also dozens of pastors that are associated with Houston Church Planting Network that are continuing to invest in me. Thank you to Chad Clarkson for leading such a significant work!
I have only mentioned a few names, but there are so many more. I know that their investment in me is not because there is anything special about me, but more about their love for Jesus and obedience to his command to make disciples. He is the best mentor and he still gives the best advice. You could combine all of the impacts that these people have had on me and it would not be anything more than helping me to become a nice guy without Jesus. He is the one who rescued me. He is the one who gave up His life for me. And He is the one who defeated my two greatest adversaries: sin and death. So most of all, thank you Jesus. Without you first loving me, I would not know how to love.
I didn't become a follower of Jesus until I was in junior high. I was not against Him, but He was not the king of my life until then. I remember those first few years having an intense hunger for God. By God's grace, he placed various people in my life through the student ministry of First Baptist Church in Pearland. One of the most significant mentors that I had there was my student pastor. His name is Macil Duncan. He loved the Tennesee Volunteers and he loved Jesus. He taught me to pray. He showed me how to study the Bible. He challenged me to share my story and God's story with people who needed to hear the love of Jesus. Those formative years set me on a course that has shaped the trajectory of my life. Thank you!
The summer after I graduated high school I had the opportunity to intern for him at a church in North Carolina. It was there that I met another significant mentor. His name is Anthony Locklear. He was one of the youth workers at the church and boy did we hit it off. Even though we only hung out for a few short months, he has remained in my life. We have only seen each other a couple of times since that summer in 2002, but we have logged many hours of conversations on the phone. He is one of those people that you can call when you are struggling and by the time you are done with the conversation you feel like a million bucks. He taught me how to love. I have learned how to be a better husband and dad because of our friendship. You have helped me to love deeply and I am forever grateful for that!
In college, I met some really great friends who helped challenge me. The first day of welcome week I met this super loud, fun-loving, center-of-attention guy named Justin Hart. There is no way that we were mature enough to understand the significance of our friendship way back then, but we have been through a lot. We have made pancakes at 2:00 in the morning. We have been to each other's weddings. We have been there for each other when the bottom has fallen out of our lives and we didn't know what was going to happen to our kids. And we now hang out weekly and take vacations together. You and Tammy have always been there for me and my family and I could never express how much that means to us. Justin has taught me what it looks like to fully trust the Lord. He has modeled the life of Jesus in how he welcomes everyone and makes the people around him better. This dude is the real deal and I am thankful for God bringing him into my life almost 20 years ago.I had a few other people in college who have invested in me then and over the years. Phil Walleck was my RA my freshman year. He invested in me as a freshman and continues to invest in me all these years later. We have walked through fostering and adoption together. We have learned what it means to be a pastor together. Even though we are rarely in the same city as one another, we have always been connected. I call him for advice regularly and our conversations are always both encouraging and exhorting. I also had many great roommates. Brandon McLean and Noe Garcia both helped me to keep my head on straight in the midst of some crazy times in college. We learned to cook together and these two men helped shape the way I look at the world around me. Thank you!
When I started full-time ministry in 2006 I had many people put their arm around me and show me how to be a pastor. Jason Hess was one who early on gave me unlimited access to his brain and gave up so many hours to invest in a young student pastor who had no idea what he was doing. He challenged me to know the Word. I am a better pastor because of those meetings. Tom Allen was my pastor in high school and I had the opportunity to work for him one summer when I was in college. Even though I was not on his staff, he would meet with me and share with me wisdom. He is the kind of person that walks into the room and everyone knows he is there. He modeled to me what it looked like to lead well while also pastoring with a tender heart. Thank you all!
I know that this may be a shock, but not all pastors invest in the next generation like Trent Henderson has. He has been more than a mentor. Over these past 13 years, we have seen God do a lot. The list of ways he has shaped me is pretty long, so here are some of the highlights. He has modeled what it looks like to be a husband and dad first and then a pastor. Never have I once doubted how important family was to him and that has shaped the husband and dad that I am today. He has called things out of me that I did not see and has challenged me in ways that have allowed me to be ready to plant a church. We talk almost every day. Sometimes it is about ministry, sometimes it is about life, but always I am grateful for his investment. Thank you!
As I enter a new season of life I know that God is going to bring new and different mentors. I can't wait! There have been a few people who have been mentoring me over these past few months. Some of them realize what they are doing, and others have just said yes to coffee or lunch or even sometimes accidentally answer the phone. Russell Cravens has been one of these men. He has been a cheerleader at times and others he has talked me off of the ledge. He planted Neartown church and one of my longest and best friends Jesse Outlaw is an elder there. Both of these men have been encouragers and modeled to me what it looks like to live on mission. They both have a passion to build relationships with people and point them to Jesus. Thank you both. Another church planting mentor has been Heath Haynes. He has been really good for me. He doesn't shy away from telling me where my thinking is more about me than the Kingdom. He has always said yes to meeting up with me and I always leave with more clarity on what God is calling me to do. He planted The Bridge Montrose and God is doing some very cool things there. There are also dozens of pastors that are associated with Houston Church Planting Network that are continuing to invest in me. Thank you to Chad Clarkson for leading such a significant work!
I have only mentioned a few names, but there are so many more. I know that their investment in me is not because there is anything special about me, but more about their love for Jesus and obedience to his command to make disciples. He is the best mentor and he still gives the best advice. You could combine all of the impacts that these people have had on me and it would not be anything more than helping me to become a nice guy without Jesus. He is the one who rescued me. He is the one who gave up His life for me. And He is the one who defeated my two greatest adversaries: sin and death. So most of all, thank you Jesus. Without you first loving me, I would not know how to love.
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