Losing Mentors

Our personal TIMELINES see transitions that affect us deeply.  I am getting close to 70 years old, so now I experience the loss of mentors.  Most of us have several mentors in life -- leadership mentors, intellectual mentors, relationship  mentors - many other kinds.

I have had several intellectual/spiritual mentors, beginning with my grandmother (Zula Thrississis Wills Coulston - how's that for a name?), a high school English teacher, a University of Oklahoma German teacher, and Dr. Abraham Malherbe, who taught at Abilene Christian University 1963-69 (I really shouldn't leave out how much Tony Ash, Everett Ferguson and Tom Olbricht and others meant to me as well!!).  By God's grace I was there from 1963 to 1968 - how's that for timing?

I took every course that Dr. Malherbe taught, and I may have learned more from him than from anyone but grandmother.  And my reason for mentioning him today is that I just today learned that he died back in September.  I remember how I felt in 1963 when I found out that C. S. Lewis had died.  I felt that same sense of loss starting deep in my body and coming up to my heart, finally making me feel light-headed.  At the same time I felt a great sense of peace and joy.  So much in my life benefited from the teaching of Dr. Malherbe.  Those exegesis courses that we all feared and loved were so great.  In the same semester in 1963 I had New Testament survey under Malherbe, Old Testament survey under Ferguson, Life of Jesus under Tony and Introductory Greek under J. W. Roberts.  The most intellectually stimulating and spiritually moving period of my life, with the exception of that first year doing street ministry in Nairobi.

In Christ we honor only the living, so I honor Dr. Malherbe, and I long for the day when I might listen to him again.  I think I still have things to learn.

Have a stimulating day,

charles