Shane Sullivan is a man whom I respect not out of his well-put philosophy on things, or some sort of Plato-esque sit-ya-down-and-learn-ya kind of attitude. No, I love that Shane never did anything like that.
Instead, he is simply the most blunt and frank man I know. He never pulls any punches, never puts your feelings over what you need to be told, and says what is right rather than what is accepted. I realize that I have embraced this kind of habit, but I have yet to learn the kind of tact that Shane has, and hopefully will be able to see the subtle things like he does.
When I wasa a baby Christian, having just been baptized at 17 in New Song Community Church, he was the first to show me that it was okay to talk about our sins in church – and that, in discussing our struggles, we ought not feel judged. He did so by giving a message to the high schoolers about sexual sin – and centered on his testimony, which involved a long, long period of pornography addiction. When I saw that he was fine talking about it, I knew I could go to him and talk about my own struggle with pornography.
See, that’s when I began really fighting my addiction, and Shane gave me the tools to start doing so – accountability partners, X3 Watch, Covenant Eyes, and confession, which ended up being the most effective.
I learned from him that it was okay to get help, rather than torture oneself trying to get rid of it by myself. I couldn’t! And all my prayers that my sinful habit were answered by that kind of humility; confessing, as James 5; 16 says to do.
Shane never pretended to know all of the answers. In fact, he didn’t take offense to anybody challenging him, for he is always open to new points, and even admits that, on some things, God will probably open his eyes to the truth pretty darn soon. I admire that! I want that kind of humble spirit in my life, and I think that, before Will chiseled the concept into my behavior, Shane brought it to the plate. Without humility, I will never improve. Without a self-judging life, I will trust myself too much, and end up being just another self-righteous sinner – and that will bring me to unworthiness in God’s eyes, as 1 Corinthians 11; 30-31 teaches.
Another thing that he taught me, and quite recently, is that one should never expect anything good to come from the world. By that, I mean that he taught me to exercise discretion when people let me down, and not let myself get consumed by anger or bitterness. “People suck,” he said, “but you gotta get used to it. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time. But now you know who your real friends are.”
I also like to see Shane as a role model when it comes to interaction with people; he doesn’t think in terms of what the conversation with someone is about, but rather how they are reacting, and what they are feeling. He points out to people where their thoughts are unscriptural, and will tell it like he sees it when someone is acting in a stupid way – even if it’s not the subject. He has the gift of wisdom, and I see it most from the way he communicate with people.
I could go on! See, I respect and admire Shane for being a man of his word, but not treating his word as though it were the end-all-be-all of the conversation. He also teaches us a lot about seeing through what someone is saying, and going straight to their heart.
His experience with things leads him to understand what it means to endure suffering, knowing that God has a reason for it. Also, he will tolerate discomfort and irritation, if it means fruit for the kingdom of God. “Necessary evils” are often “Necessary Goods” in his eyes, and I have gleaned this as something worth putting into my own mindset- that it’s all somehow worth it.
Oh, and he inspired me a lot with regard to literature – especially horror, since the man is an avid Zombie-fan, and has many of his stories published. Good stuff, if you ever wanna see true situational creativity (and a lot of humor in it, too).
