Collecting mentoring stories

Can you help me?

I'm looking for stories about how young people are being/have been mentored by older adults. At a workshop at National Older Adult Conference in September, I'll be leading a discussion around how one generation lives their legacy by helping emerging generations shape their legacy. A particular interest is how these relationships shape faith.

Ideal stories describe how you've been mentored, or how you have been mentoring young people (kids, youth, young adults, even young families qualify as "young people"), and would include both the mentor and the mentee reflecting on the relationship, describing how it works, how it came about, what the commitment is to each other, what each has learned from the relationship, and what the relationship means to those involved. If both can't contribute to the reflection, the story told from either point of view is welcome.

I'd prefer to have 3-5 minute video clips that you could send to me digitally, or audio/podcast files of the same length. But I'd also take stories told in written form as long as they're 1-3 pages in length. These clips don't have to be professional quality, but they do need to be something that you're willing for me to show/share with workshop participants.

Your material needs to be in my inbox by August 31.

Email me if you have questions or are able to contribute.

No Fear

On August 2, 2009 I had the privilege of preaching at the Northern Plains District Church of the Brethren conference. The Sunday morning sermon was based on 1 John 4:16b-21 and was entitled "No Fear."

In the sermon I reflected on how fear has become a commodity in culture, and also in the church. For the Christians especially, fear is a false commodity. The real economies of Gospel living are based on love, a radical, other-wordly love as expressed by God through Jesus.

Because a number of persons who heard this sermon asked for a copy, I am posting the link here.

Click here for a copy of No Fear - Northern Plains District Conference