Mentor & Friend
Recently I saw a tweet from pastor Randy Cochran that asked: “Who is the mentor that has had the most influence on your life?” A name immediately popped up into my head, but I decided to think about it and weigh the first thought against my many memories of people who have mentored me throughout the years. At the end of my pondering, I realized that my first reaction was not only correct, it was immensely justified.
I can’t explain it any other way: The favor of God has been upon me in unique ways, one of which is in the quality of my network of friends, associates and colleagues. I remember being a 23 year-old kid teaching at my first conference. I had no business being there teaching, but I was someone leading in media ministry at the time and that was seemingly enough. I’ve since taught for 16 years straight at various conferences. Along the way I have had the privilege of meeting some incredible people. A few of them have mentored me and I am grateful for those men who have held that position in my life. Yet it’s only been in the last three years that I’ve been mentored in the most influential and profound way by one man: pastor Marcus Brecheen.
I met Marcus because I wanted and needed someone to help me in my marriage. On that first day, along with my bride, I with him at the Gateway church offices, listening as he spoke kindly and accurately over, about and to us. 90 minutes later, I left there determined to get to know this man of God who had so hammered me with a gentle mallet. Oh, I’ve been to some good counselors and have met many a solid pastor throughout the years, but Marcus was different.
Over the next few weeks and months, Marcus came to know everything about me – everything, including my most significant failures, my biases, my issues and, perhaps most importantly, my heart that desired to be free from the yoke of condemnation. But what started out as marriage counseling parlayed into a series of insightful, tough and riveting questions that have altered the path of my life. So that you know I’m not exaggerating, here are just a few “Marcus-isms” that have rocked my world:
“You can be right and still lose your marriage.”
This one set me back and has continually shaped me as a Christ-follower and husband.
“Jesus died first and exampled that we, too, must die to ourselves.”
I almost don’t like this one! But I’ve had to come back to it again and again (and again).
“Ephesians 5 says to wash your bride with the Word, not to beat her over the head with it when she’s wrong.”
When I first met with him, my intellect was in the right place, but my heart was in another. He never cut me any slack and has been a master carpenter shoring up the foundations of my marriage for the building that God has done since that first meeting.
Marcus: “I didn’t have time for ‘social media’.” Me: “But you’re using it now. What changed?” Marcus: “I love people. I want to meet people wherever they’re at.”
Marcus is not only a great teacher, he’s an excellent student. When I presented to the executive staff at Gateway Church about the need to embrace social media fully, he respected my opinion but saw social media as another distraction. Over time, God revealed to him the truth and passion that you see in that above snippet during a recent conversation I had with him.
We’ve transitioned our relationship over the last three years. He’s gone from counselor to pastor to friend, though he’ll always be a mentor. Recently, we were able to talk about multi-site church and the ramifications it has on the culture of each campus. Through our dialogue, we found common ground in the need for the Word to be delivered seamlessly and for each campus to have a duality of being a part of the same church body, but unique to each community.
Not many people have the ability, position or relationship (let alone all three) to shape a person’s life. Yet I’ve been blessed by a man who has done all three and added in a fourth, essential ingredient: time. In the many, many lunches, meetings, coffees and discussions I’ve had with him, I’ve not only learned about me, I’ve learned about him. He’s a flawed guy who’s living in grace and entering the throne room of God’s presence with a lifestyle of worship with consistency, passion and humility.
I have the privilege to ‘do life’ with this mighty man of God, this friend, this mentor named Marcus Brecheen.
Leave a Reply
I'm Anthony Coppedge, a follower of Jesus, a husband to my uber-bride and father to four great kids. I help ministries leverage technology and communicate with a digitally-infused culture. I'm passionate about this, so that makes me a Technology & Communications Evangelist. I attend and volunteer at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX and love it!
Anthony Coppedge Blog 2.0 is using WP-Gravatar