I met Will, a sergeant in the Marine Corps, about six to seven months after I met Jim – and when I was starting my senior year. See, Jim suggested that I start going to the youth small group that New Song was running, and I think that he was right – after all, why would getting involved in the Bible and with the expereinced tutelage of adult leaders ever be a bad thing?
But, out of all the people I know, Will ended up being my most important mentor. He started out as the guy that gave me a ride, and I didn’t know much about him since he didn’t talk much. But when we found common interests (ie., roleplaying, Magic games, books, etc.). he began to open up and show just how much he had to offer as a teacher to me.
He began by simply teaching me what was on the roster and directions for the small group; good lessons, and he made sure that the lesson (taught along with Heath Reinke and Kevin Fontenot – all three were military) was discussed in such a blatant way that none of us students could not misunderstand or convince ourselves of what we wanted to hear. Thus, the first behavior that I learned from the man was straightforward, no bs, actual communication with people; if you can’t say it in an effective way or an honest way, you probably shouldn’t say it.
Later, when he was serving in Iraq and the months just before it, he began to see in me something worth sticking to, a reason to defend and help me out while I was in my fledgling stages of Christianity. From his acceptance of his duty and the humility with which he did his work (no complaints from the man), I learned to stick to a down-to-earth mentality, understanding that we are all under the wing of God, and that no struggle or work ought to intimidate us out of it – without this attitude, I would not have even made it through Navy boot camp!
Speaking of that humility…. Will is the most brutally honest of my five mentors – even more so than Shane, my third mentor. Will never acts like he thinks he is a good person, does not fake me out; he keeps it real, telling me about his struggles and the sins that he is trying to deal with. He takes James 5; 16 very seriously: “Confess your tresspasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” So I know, more than any other human being, that in contacting Will I would never hear a holier-than-thou kind of attitude, and this is one of the most important traits I have ever learned to have. I am proud to do the same and say that I learned it from him.
At the moment, as I go through my struggles, Will is always open to listen and give me advice. his suggestions are practical and based on Scripture first, and then his own convictions (which he admits are, as a Marine, very hardline at times, so he makes the distinction). I can always get a practical answer from the man, no matter how cerebral or frustrating my situation is. It is straight-shooting, and pulls no punches in either rebuking me in a healthy and loving way, or supporting my actions in a solid manner.
See, where I learned theology from Jim Britts, making hard decisions from Shane Sullivan, focusing on wisdom from Bruce Hoskins, and absolute faith from Roy Vallez, I learned behavioral application from Will. I learned to apply what I learned to my situation, to react to disappointment in the right way, and saw a dedicated role model in this one man.
If anything, he is the first among my living role models; gives the example, tries to be good, stays practical, and is open about his own problems – and that is why, in my current situation, he is the most important of my five mentors.
-Blake
