Book Notes

I had the chance to download for free a chapter of Bo Bosher's book, “The Be-With Factor: Mentoring Students in Everyday Life.” Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this 1st chapter...

"Despite all the apparent “failure,” Jesus unblinkingly proclaimed that he’d completed what the Father sent him to do." (John 17:4)

“We need to re-evaluate our definitions of success and instead take a close look at the depth of impact he made on a few key individuals.”

“Jesus was a success despite his dismal numbers, because the measurement that mattered wasn’t just a short-term body count. We believe the standard by which Jesus measured his own success – and how we also ought to measure our success – was deep, lasting change in a few. As Dallas Willard has suggested, Christians must be weighed, not just counted."

"Deep transformation of a few continue to influence others is the measure we invite you to embrace. And the one word that best captures how to accomplish this is mentoring."

"So the heart of any ministry that seeks to emulate Jesus – no matter how expansive or public its outward manifestation may be – there must be a commitment from the leaders to mentor a few in the daily aspects of living."

"You cannot afford to watch lives change from a distance. Mentoring gets you up close. Whatever else you do, “be-with” a few so that lasting life-change happens."

"Mentoring is going through your existing agenda while a student is there with you, sometimes simply shadowing you, watching you in meetings, or listening to you talk."

"While there will be formal meeting times with those you are mentoring, the real defining moments happen in unplanned discussions and spontaneous learning experiences."

"In short, mentoring is where the Christian life is caught, not taught."

"A mentor is someone with a measure of maturity, life experience, and age that exceeds the student’s – maybe by only a few years – willing to build into and model life for a student."

"At a minimum, a mentor must be at least one “life-stage” ahead of the student."

SUMMARY: "The standard by which Jesus measured his own ministry success, and how we ought to measure our success, was deep, lasting change in a few. And one word that captures a great way to accomplish that change is “mentoring.” In its simplest form. Mentoring is being-with a student in daily life. Mentoring is not primarily another “to do” on you weekly agenda, but rather becomes a natural part of your lifestyle.”