The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro: Chapter 2: “You don’t have what it takes”

Hi Grace Church! I hope you are enjoying the start of our summer reading program, and I hope you’re okay with the title and premise of chapter two. The chapter is titled: “You don’t have what it takes,” and in it Pastor Wayne underscores our need for life wisdom and coaching beyond our own ability. He writes, “We do not have the wisdom necessary to be the pastor, mother, father, wife, husband, teacher, or leader this generation so urgently needs.” And he says of himself, “I knew that if I didn’t get help soon I’d self-destruct…I needed help from the outside.”

He suggests that there are two types of teachers and two types of pains that will mentor us. The teachers are wisdom and consequence, and the pains are discipline and regret. Wisdom and discipline are the friends of those who pay the price to learn from the experiences of others, while consequence and regret are the plagues of people who insist on trying to figure everything out on their own.

The overriding plea of this book is that each of us would take advantage of the multitude of divine mentors in the pages of  Scripture that await our time and attention. They are available for every area of our lives.

• When we want to know how the world began, we go to Genesis.
• When we want to learn about holiness, we go to Leviticus.
• When we want to study a heart of worship, we examine David.
• When we need to access courage, we spend time with Joshua.
• When we’re struggling with family dynamics, we meet with Paul in Ephesians.
• When we need to kick-start the romance in our marriage, we go to the Song of Solomon.

Take your pick, and draw on the mentors—men and women from history—that can enrich your life and ministry.

I love how Pastor Wayne referenced sitting at “Starbucks where Pastor Titus and I had long conversations over lattes.”

I’ve done that too—and those conversations have saved my life. 🙂

Know you are loved!

Chris Jackson