Mentors from my Past

In a college Leadership Class I recently took, I was given an assignment to write out a Personal Leadership Plan. 

There are 6 parts to this Personal Leadership Plan. 

1. Knowing Myself
2. Knowing my Past
3. Vision & Mission
4. SMART Goals
5. Mentors from my Past
6. Skills (Competencies) I Need

This assignment was: Mentors from my Past:

• People who have mentored me intensely, occasionally, or passively
• Lessons I have learned from them
• These Mentors can be authors, people who I have had personal contact with, family members, etc.

• Byron Miller has mentored me extensively for the past two-three years of my life. Byron is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, and works for the Local County with teenagers from Foster Homers doing counseling work. I have learned much from him in the area of listening, counseling, & finally coaching. I have spent many hours with Byron sharing with him struggles, challenges, obstacles, strengths, weaknesses, gifts, talents, abilities, progress in school, etc. He will always sit there and listen attentively, then ask me questions like, “How did this “struggle, challenge, etc.” affect your overall goal? What do you plan to do differently? How do you plan to do differently? What did you do that worked great in the past in this area? How can you use that strength to overcome this weakness? How do you think that this failure could be used as a catalyst to push you on to achieve God’s Plan for your life? And many, many, many more questions such as these. Then he will spend some time coaching me from his life experiences. He will use stories from the teens that he has worked with in other counseling situations. He will tell me of his time as a teenager growing up and how he might have had the same obstacles, and how he overcame those obstacles. These are all competencies that I know I will need to have to be able to accomplish the vision and mission that God has given to me while I am here on earth. I will actively pursue these competencies, and learn from Byron how I might be able to put these competencies into practice as well.
• Chris Bauman has spent a lot of time with me in the past year especially in my spiritual walk with Christ. Chris is a farmer who farms Almonds & Walnuts for a living. Chris has showed me by his example what it means to have a passion for living for Christ especially in the area of Missions & Outreach. Chris has worked with me in helping me to overcome my fear of man & to be Bold for Christ. We have spent many hours discussing the Biblical command to, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” and how that applies to us here in America where we live. Chris has mentored me in the area of Boldness both by talking with me, and by witnessing together to the lost. I have greatly appreciated the passion that Chris has poured into my life in the area of Boldness & having a pure and clean relationship with Jesus Christ. I will continue to pursue these competencies, and learn from Chris how I can continue to put these competencies into practice.
• Mark Grover has been in my Bible Study group for the past year. Mark is the owner of a large landscape maintenance company. He is also the head elder of our church. Mark has shown me by his example the power of Humility, and how it is put into practice. He has demonstrated the power of Humility in the life of a Leader. This has shown me how important it is that as leaders we must have the quality of Humility in our lives.
• Jim Sammons created a Seminar on Financial Freedom that has forever changed my life. Jim transparently shares the insights he learned through his tragedies and triumphs. Today, as a result of applying these lessons to his own life, Jim is one of the most successful and trusted real estate developers in the Dallas—Fort Worth area. A lot of the material that I have gathered and applied to my life and in the course of action that I plan to use to share with others a Biblical Worldview in the area of Stewardship & Finances has come from Jim Sammons. He has mentored me through his videos and through his life testimony.
• For over a decade, Chuck Bentley has traveled the world teaching biblical financial principles to the affluent, middle class, poor and ultra poor. As host of the daily national radio broadcast of My MoneyLife, Chuck connects with all generations and inspires his audience with a strong scriptural emphasis. I have learned much from Chuck as it pertains to managing our finances God’s Way. Chuck has mentored me through his podcasts, and through his books, and videos on pursuing a Christ-like Vision in our life in the area of Finances & Stewardship.
• In 1996, Steve Dulin founded MasterPlan Business Ministries, a Christian organization dedicated to assisting Christian businessmen in fulfilling their God-given purpose in every area of life. Through events like The MasterPlan Business Seminar, discipleship groups and training programs, MasterPlan is equipping Christians to follow God’s way, strengthen their families and relationships, and build successful, principled businesses that testify to the world that God’s Ways Work. I have benefited much from Steve in learning how that God’s Ways work when we surrender our lives, our businesses, our families, everything we have and are to God. He will bless us in many ways when we do surrender everything we have to God, and allow him to run our lives, our businesses, our families, etc. He can run them much better than we ever dreamed of doing. Steve has mentored me through his videos and taught me the principle of living for God and surrendering everything we are and have to God’s Control.