I love to learn. I like learning in a wide variety of ways…classroom, experience, example, etc. But, I don’t want to talk to myself; I want to talk about teachers. To be specific, I want to talk about great spiritual teachers.
When I think about the people who have been great spiritual teachers in my life, many come to mind. Some of these folks I know very well, some I don’t know at all, and some are barely acquaintances. My list is too lengthy for a blog entry, but I want to share a few with you (not in any specific order).
Willie and Judy H.- friends from Memphis, former elder, great examples and mentors.
Mike and Deanie R.- friends, fellow praise team and small group members, current elder, wonderful examples of grace, patience, living a prayerful life and great mentors.
Mike Cope- preacher, author, teacher- great example of God’s acceptance, mercy and grace.
Simon Birch- lead character of the movie “Simon Birch” who convinces the whole world that we all have a purpose.
Anonymous Commenter “G” (who is NOT anonymous to me)- friend, advocate, church member who will always, always, always, share thoughts of a heart that wants nothing more than to serve Jesus Christ.
I am blessed to have LOTS of great spiritual teachers in my life, and I am thankful for all of them. Those listed above just stand out in my mind today. How about you? Who are the great spiritual teachers in your life?
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6 comments:
Thank You so much for saying that. You too have inspired me to be open, honest and vulnerable as I work toward Godliness in my life. Thank you for being who you are and not compromising that for the sake of others. You are a dear friend G
Not to slight anyone on this observation, but I want to commend some good friends. Everlie, Lana and Jenna (the last 2 are from CO).
I am amazed at mothers of young kids that have a packed schedule of responsibilities, but a seemingly endless supply of energy for others outside their own families. They usually are too busy to notice that their works teach others how to live.
This is teaching in my book!
Robert Bly--His groudbreaking work in redefining what it means to be a Man has helped me IMMENSLY to understand myself and my role in the world a little better.
Desmond Tutu-- The man who seemingly single handedly turned the world's attention to the atrocities in South Africa, but more than that, who spearheaded a movement to help the citizens of that country, both Black and White, to learn to forgive and seek reconciliation. This movement sets an example for ALL of us as to how we learn to love our neighbor and forgive those who trespass against us.
Neal Peart--Drummer and Lyricist for the band "Rush", whose insightful lyrics are far overshadowed by his book "The Ghost Rider" which is his memoir of his greiving and recovery from the deaths of his daughter and his wife. The journey, of this noted agnostic, caused him to ask the question "IS there something there that makes such beauty come out of such tragedy?"
Bill R.--Friend, Musician, Father, whose relentless pursuit of honesty has reinforced to me the joy that can come from uncertainty and having faith that "WHATEVER" is out there, it is going to be ok.
Bill B.--Former professor of Bible. . .the first to show me that traditionalism is a bad thing and that there is NO sin in continuing to question, seek, and to develop ideas that one holds true, even if they are NOT orthodox.
Many many more. . .too many to list, and FAR to many to list and remain, simply. . .
3q
The teachers that I admire the most are James and Janice Parsons, my mom, my wife, Mike R and Steve H. There are more but these are the ones that automaticly popped into my head.
Father Jim Guttendorf (deceased)
Father Tim Drake
Monsignor Richard Allen (deceased)
I have to say that this made me think about my former Priests who so touched my life. I wanted to see where they were now, so I did web searches. I was aware that Fr. Jim had passed away a few years back, but I did not know about Msgr. Allen.
Msgr. Allen was the parish priest in Charlotte, NC, at the Church I attended. I was curious if he was still there, so I went to the Church website and found that he was not. So, I searched the net and found he died last June. If I was not at work now, I would probably be crying my eyes out. He was a wonderful, gentle man, whom I cared about greatly. He is missed.
I LOVE All of those people! Especially g!
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