The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall is about a young Mennonite woman (Annie) and a young Amish man (Aden) and their families. To the outsider looking in the Amish and Mennonite communities may look virtually the same, and they often make very good neighbors. However, some lines are drawn deep and are not meant to be crossed. Annie and Aden begin to discover just how hard it can be to navigate the dangerous waters between their faiths when they start to fall in love. Will their faith, love and families be able to weather the storm brought on by this forbidden love?

All I can say is that Cindy Woodsmall has done it again! She takes you into the lives of the Plain people and lets you see God from their perspective. The Scent of Cherry Blossoms is well written and will keep your interest until the very end. I also love that she brings in a couple of her characters from The Christmas Singing novella to make small appearances in the community. It makes life in Apple Ridge more real since Aden and Roman made an appearance in that book as well.

I highly recommend the Scent of Cherry Blossoms to all of Cindy Woodsmall's fans and to anyone else who is intrigued by the Amish and Mennonite faiths and communities. It is a wonderful addition to her other books, and a great short read (just under 200 pages). I am glad to add this book to my collection and I look forward to reading it again sometime.

Read Chapter One

I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing for review purposes.

A Lesson from Lost in Austen

I don't know about you but I really, really love Jane Austin's books! I have a hard time deciding whether Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility is my favorite. I have read them each several times I have watched the movie/mini-series countless times. Still I can't seem to get enough. It doesn't matter to me that I know what will happen in the end or that I can quote almost every single character--they're just great books!

Recently I discovered a movie that follows almost this exact same idea. It's called Lost in Austen. It's about a young woman called Amanda Price who is so consumed with her love with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that she isn't satisfied with her life or relationships in modern day London. To her great astonishment Elizabeth Bennett literally stumbles into her flat one night through a magical doorway that conjoins the Bennett house to Amanda's flat. When Amanda goes through the doorway she is trapped in Elizabeth's world and Elizabeth is trapped in hers. To her delight and disbelief she finds herself smack dab in the middle of Pride and Prejudice.

However, things begin to go awry almost immediately. "Miss Price's" presence has misbalanced the story she knows and loves to well. As Amanda does everything in her power to fix the story and get things back on track she meets one obstacle after another. That's when it hit me…
Her efforts often went VERY wrong BECAUSE she thought she knew how the story was supposed to end up!

It made me think…Maybe that's why God doesn't tell us the ending in advance. We do enough damage trying to take things into our own hands when we aren't sure exactly what God has planned for us. How much more damage would we do if we knew the end that God had planned for us? Would we blunder around trying to make things happen before they were supposed to? Would be hurt and ruin some special moments in the lives of those we love and in ourselves to try to achieve the ultimate end?

I don't know about you but I am pretty sure that I would! Even when Amanda had the best possible intentions her meddling caused serious issues. I am sure that the same is true of me. Of course it's not like not knowing really makes things anything easier, but it does cause us to rely on faith instead of relying on ourselves. That's one HUGE plus to the way that God does things. Besides, He's God and I'm not. Who am I to question His M.O.?

It's funny the places where we can learn life's lessons. I hope this gives you a chance to stop and think as it did for me.

Grace and Peace,

Christiana

We All Need a Little Dirt

This year I feel like Spring Fever has really hit me! Never before in my adult life have I lived in an actual house and had space to do a lot of grown up things such as--mowing the yard OR starting a garden. HOWEVER, this year I DO LIVE IN A HOUSE!!! We are renting here in Saint Joseph but I was SO excited when I talked to the property manager and they said that we could have a small garden as long as we replant the grass again when we move.

Let me tell you...I'm excited! I went out and bought a seed starter just like the one above, and all my seeds and came home feeling like a real gardener. Well as my hubby would tell you my tiny garden starter didn't look like much. Even after I had expanded all the little soil pellets and planted my seeds it still looked pretty brown and dead but to me it was full of POTENTIAL.

Now that it has been a few days, I am beginning to see little baby seedlings sticking their heads out of the dirt. The planter still doesn't look like much but you can now tell that it is full of life. It reminds me about my own life. Sometimes things seem like a brown wasteland without much going on. It's during those times that I need to stop and realize that I am full of potential. I am empty and awaiting God--the gardener--to come and fill me up with life giving seeds of hope and joy and peace and to water it all down with His grace and mercy. Then in HIS time I will see new growth. It will start small but it's there nonetheless.

I look forward to sharing more pictures from my garden with you as it grows and changes. Maybe it will be a blessing to you too.

Here Burns My Candle

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs is the first of two books which retell the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi. Both books are set in Scotland during the 1700s and both are amazing works of literature which will steal your heart.

Here Burns My Candle uses the framework of the Ruth and Naomi story--along with some creative license--to help you understand the back story of these two women who have nothing find everything through God. In addition, you get a glimpse into the struggles that Elizabeth (the Ruth character) has in coming to faith in God and leaving behind the old beliefs she grew up with as a child. Higgs also helps you to see things from Marjory's (Naomi's) perspective too. She was a women who had it all and left her home for the "greener grass" only to end up penniless and alone.

Higgs does a great job of helping you relate to her strong female characters. However, there are a few slow parts in the book that might have been shortened to keep up the overall pace. That being said Here Burns My Candle is still an excellent book with so many life lessons to be learned within its pages.

It is also successful in leaving you wanting more, which is the perfect lead in for its sequel--Here Burns My Candle.

I heartily recommend this book to Higgs fans and to those who love Biblical parallels/allegories. Here Burns My Candle will not disappoint!

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing for review purposes.

Big Time Laughs

We Be Big is the “mostly true” story of radio hosts Rick & Bubba. The book starts in their early childhoods takes you on a laugh out loud journey through their current radio careers. Like their radio show, Rick & Bubba strive to keep the book simple and funny without exaggerating too many of the details.

This book will make you want to listen to Rick and Bubba’s show. They say that if it happens in their lives it makes it on the air in their radio show. You can clearly see this in the way that they tell their stories in their book. My favorite story has to be the one about accidentally rigging the walkie talkie to broadcast on a local radio station. I could picture the dawning expression on his face as he realized that it was his voice that was coming through the radio and then sending his unknowing friend home to “tune in” while he broadcast live from his house and how proud that made him.

However, this book does more than make you laugh. It also teaches you a few lessons of faith. It wasn’t all circuses in the backyard and awesome reviews from radio listeners. Rick and Bubba also had struggles. They had to rely on God when their radio program was cut and they weren’t sure what they were going to do to provide for their families. They share those stories too. In spite of their struggles and tragedies you will be encouraged by the faithfulness of the “two sexiest fat mean alive”.

If you are looking for a funny, quick read that will encourage you even while you laugh then I suggest you pick up We Be Big by Rick Burgess & Bubba Bussey.

This book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing at no cost for review purposes.

More Rick & Bubba Stuff:

The Rick & Bubba Show

Seek Me with all your Heart: A story of healing and finding God even in the hard times

Seek Me with all your Heart by Beth Wiseman is about the love, loss, pain, and healing from an Amish point of view. It is the first book in the Land of Canaan series. The main story centers around a young Amish woman named Emily, a young Amish man named David, and their families. The story is set in a fledgling Amish community in Colorado.

Emily and David’s families left their Amish communities and families in the East to move to Canaan, Colorado, in hopes of a new start. Emily wants to put her past behind her and her mother hopes she will find healing for the tragedies she suffered just before their move. David’s family hopes to find financial freedom in this new frontier where the land is cheaper and their homestead is paid in full. Will they find what they are looking for?

Along the journey we are introduced to many other characters. Each has a unique struggle of their own that they are dealing with. But the resounding theme is that God is telling them all to seek Him with all of their hearts. He is their to help them find what they need, be it strength or peace or healing, if they will only seek Him with all their hearts.

Wiseman does an excellent job of weaving a story that will capture your heart and imagination. Seek Me with all of your Heart was so hard to put down. I just didn’t want to stop reading it! It brings the Amish lifestyle and faith to life for us Englisch outsiders and it deals with real life issues that we all face no matter how we choose to practice our faith in God.

The only difficulties I had in reading this book was getting used to some of the Amish terminology which comes from their Pennsylvania Dutch roots. However, Wiseman has provided a convenient glossary of Amish terms at the front of the book. This made it easy to familiarize myself with the terms and after looking up a few of the words I was able to recognize them when they occurred later in the book.

I highly recommend Seek Me with all your Heart! If you are struggling with forgiveness or dealing with self-worth/self-image issues, this book may hold an especially strong message for you. Once you get started you won’t want to put it down until you have read the very last page!

A free copy of this book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson publishing for review purposes.

Other Books by Beth Wiseman
  



Pre-Order The Wonder of Your Love
Sequel to Seek Me with All Your Heart
Expected Publication Date: October 4, 2011

Refreshing as Springtime

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live in Germany at the very end of World War I then Springtime of the Spirit (The Great War) is for you! Springtime of the Spirit follows the intertwining stories of Annaliese and Christophe. Annaliese (Anya) is a young woman who has left her wealth and her family far behind and has travelled to Munich to be a part of the political change and revolution going on there now that the war has ended. Christophe is a solider in the German army who is returning to his village after serving in the war for the past four years. He was a childhood friend of Anya and her sister so naturally when Anya goes missing her parents can find no one they trust more than Christophe to find her and bring her home. Christophe sets off after Anya and the true story begins.


Springtime of the Spirit is filled with conflict, suspense, love and hate. Will Anya ever learn the truth about her sister’s death? Will Christophe find Anya and be able to protect her in the midst of the political unrest which is tearing Munich apart? Will Christophe ever be able to forgive himself? It’s all in the journey that is Springtime of the Spirit.

I really enjoyed Springtime of the Spirit. If you love historical fiction and historical romances, then I highly recommend that you read this book. There are so many rich details that bring the story of Christophe and Annaliese to life. You never know exactly what is going to happen next. However, there are a few slow parts in the story that could probably have been cut or condensed, but there is much more that is good about this book than bad. I give Springtime of the Spirit four out of five stars and would gladly and willingly read it again and again!
This book was provided to me at no cost by Tyndale House Publishing for review purposes.

Every Season Under the Sun

Grandma Lawrence a few years ago at her 90th birthday party.

I know that I don't usually blog on Sundays so I am not expecting a bunch of readers for this one. Not that this week would necessarily be a normal schedule anyway because of the holiday. But I thought I would blog today.

Right now I am sitting in my Grandmother's hospital room. I have been here since 7:00pm yesterday. Slowly and helplessly I have been holding her hand and watching her slip away. You never feel quite so powerless and useless as when you are watching a loved one suffer. There is nothing I can do and I wonder why I am here. I posted something to this effect in my Facebook status this morning. That's when Lisa reminded me that I am here for a reason. Whether that reason is for my own closure because I haven't seen my Grandmother in 2-3 years or maybe I am here to bring comfort to my mom. Who knows? Only God.

However, as I pondered this and many other questions I thought about Ecclesiastes chapter 3. I am not going to comment on these verses today. I will let them speak for themselves. They are powerful and can speak much clearer than a brain that went to be at 4:30am and got up at 7am. So here they are, Ecclesiastes 3:1-9:

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

 Please pray for my family--especially my mom--as they go through this though time. Thank you and God bless.

You Are Not Forgotten

I have put off writing about this. I feel like this was a very clear message from God when I needed it the most, and it spoke to me immediately and deeply. So deeply in fact that I almost kept this promise to myself, but then I decided that maybe someone else needed to hear this as well. I am going to share the message but if you don’t mind, I am going to keep the details that made it so personally moving to myself. Sorry.

Wednesday I was reading Girl Talk with God (read my review of Girl Talk with God) and one of the “talks” included the passage Habakkuk 2:3. I read the words without much emotion and kind of brushed them off. I didn’t want to read too much into them since I randomly read them in this book although I did remark that it was an obscure verse. I mean who reads from Habakkuk? Who puts it in their book? Evidently Susie Shellenberger does. Anyway…

Thursday morning, I opened my copy of Voices of the Faithful: Book 2 (Read my review of Voices of the Faithful: Book 2) and turned to January 27th… *Pause* If you don’t know the format of the book let me give you the low down. Each page has a scripture passage at the top, then a story or devotional by an IMB missionary, and it closes with a prayer which is relevant to the topic. *Play* Guess what! My eyes immediately filled with tears when I saw the verse was Habakkuk 2:3. This was no coincidence. These words were for me. God knew I was going to read the passage the night before and brush it off so He put it in my path first thing the next morning! I mean what are the odds?! The same obscure scripture in two totally different books that I have been reading for days and I read the verse twice within 10 hours of each other. No way! This was definitely God.

I want to share Habakkuk 2:3 with you because maybe you need to hear it today. God has a promise and a plan for you. Don’t give up hope.

“The message I give you
waits for the time I have appointed.
It speaks about what is going to happen.
And all of it will come true.
It might take a while.
But wait for it.
You can be sure it will come.
It will happen when I want it to.” Habakkuk 2:3 NIrV

God, please use this verse to speak to someone else today. I know there are others out there who have almost given up on their dreams or the things they felt you had promised them because they have been a long time coming. Use your Word to refresh them and to renew their hope. Remind them that they are not forgotten. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

More Resources

The Faith of Ronald Reagan Book Review

Overview:
The Faith of Ronald Reagan is designed to be the untold portion of America’s 40th President’s life. While many authors have written about the man and the politics of Ronald Reagan, they have found him hard to understand and the author argues that is because the secular world hasn’t paused to consider how Reagan’s faith factored into his life and his presidency.

Although this book would appear to new, it is really a re-titled and re-published version of the 2004 book entitled Hand of Providence: The Strong and Quiet Faith of Ronald Reagan.

My Opinion:
Ronald Reagan was President when I was born and I have always grown up hearing about all the great things he did when I was only a small child. I knew that Reagan was supposed to have been a Christian but knew little else about him. Therefore, I chose to read The Faith of Ronald Reagan to find out more about the man, the President, and his faith in God. I was not disappointed with all the details and stories told about his life and faith. However, I found the book hard to get through. I don’t know if it was the way the book was organized or the writing style of the author, Mary Beth Brown. I found it informative but I just didn’t find it enjoyable. I am thankful that this book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson publishing so that I could review it because I would not have purchased it on my own. However, others may have no issue with reading the book. It is only my opinion after all.

If you are fascinated by Presidents or Ronald Reagan and have no problem reading autobiographies then you will probably enjoy this book. However, if you only have a minor curiosity and prefer to read mainly non-fiction, I would not recommend this book for you.

This book was a free copy provided to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing for review purposes.

Voices of the Faithful: Book 2

This week, I am reviewing "Voices of the Faithful Book 2". If you love the first "Voices of the Faithful" book--like I do--you won't be disappointed by the second volume!

Overview:

"Voices of the Faithful Book 2" is a compilation of devotions written by Southern Baptist Missionaries who serve through the International Mission Board (IMB). They have been called by God and assigned by the IMB to reach the unreached people groups of the world. Many IMB missionaries wrote devotions for this book that tell stories of the work God is doing among their people group and in their own lives as well. The "Voices of the Faithful Book 2" is designed to be a read (one devotion at a time) for a whole year.

Review:

"Voices of the Faithful Book 2" is well-written. The stories are moving and very eye-opening. I particularly like that their is a specific prayer at the end of the devotion which relates to what you have just read rather than being something generic. I felt it lived up to my expectations as someone who has already read and loved "Voices of the Faithful". I also appreciate that the identity of individuals working in high risk areas has been concealed but you don't lose the personal connections in their stories. Hearing about the work of these foreign missionaries will make you smile, laugh, and cry! You never truly know what it's like to give up everything and go serve God in a place that is totally foreign to you until you actually do it, but "Voices of the Faithful Book 2" brings the experience and emotions a bit closer to home.

I give "Voices of the Faithful Boook 2" 4.5 out of 5 stars!

This book was a free copy provided to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing for review purposes.

Background by Lecrea & C-Lite

"For however exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:12

This morning I was listening to the song "Background" by Lecrea and C-Lite that my friend Sarah shared on Facebook. I love Lecrea but I wasn't really expecting the song to speak to me today but it did. The whole point of the song is putting Jesus first and letting Him take the lead in your life rather than trying to be the focus yourself. In the second verse Lecrea says,

"So, just let me shadow you. And just let me trace your lines.
Matter fact just take my pen.
Here, you create my rhymes.
Cuz if I do this by myself I'm scared that I'll succeed.
And no longer trust in You, cuz I only trust in me.
And see, that's how you end up headed to destruction."

I feel like that I have been there many times. How many times have things been going good and I have been so eager to take credit for my life? How often do I forget that my blessings are coming from God when things are easy sailing? It's just so easy to get full of yourself!

Then the song get's to the bridge:

"I know I'm safest when I'm in your will and trust your word.
And I know I'm dangerous when I trust myself; my vision blurred.
And I ain't got no time to play life's foolish games.
Got plenty aims but do they really glorify your name.
And its a shame the way I want to do these things for you, yeah.
Don't even cling to you. Take time to sit and glean from you.
And its seems that you are patient in my ignorance.
If ignorance is bliss, its cuz she never heard of this"

 It's powerful and overwhelming to think about giving God the complete control He should have. That's the whole point! We can best glorify God and be like God when we allow Him to fully takeover our lives. I want to be able to voluntarily say that "I could play the background" and some days are better than others. For now I am striving to get to the point that my live shouts that every SINGLE day! Each day I want to be more and more like Christ. I want to give up more control so that I can truly be like Him. You too can play the background if you will follow Christ.

In Need of a Faith Booster

It's that time again! Summer has ended. School has started. Flu season is coming soon, and my faith has run dry.

I don't know about you, but things have been though for me lately. Life has run me through the ringer and sadly I have come out worse for the wear. During the summer things seemed to be going so great! We did vacation Bible school at our church and we had a great turnout. We then took our youth on their hardest mission trip yet and I was do proud to see how they served God in the inner city and how they let God speak to them. Then we started getting ready for school and everything went crazy! I hit a spiritual dry patch. Students stopped coming to church. People I thought were my friends turned around and betrayed me. Jimmy and I found out that even after another abnormally long cycle, we were STILL not pregnant! What else could go wrong?!

All this stuff left me more than a little wanting in my walk with God. Then as I was running around doing errands this week, I saw that Walgreens is already advertising their flu shots. It made me stop and think... "Boy, I wish I could just go in and get a spiritual and emotional booster shot!" Why isn't there a quick and easy fix for the way I am feeling?

The honest answer is...THERE IS! The problem is believing that it is the answer.

Rejoicing in the Lord and believing in His plan for my life are just the booster shots I need. However, rejoicing in the Lord when you don't feel like there is anything to rejoice about is a lot easier said than done. Also, it's easier to believe that God doesn't have a plan or doesn't care than to believe that He planned for me to go through these things and feel this way. But He does and He promises that He will work all these things for the good of those who glorify Him.

Well...I haven't been able to truly take these Spiritual and Emotional boosters yet, but I am working on it. I hope this will help you to take heart if you too are feeling more than a little spiritually dry and emotionally drained. There's hope! You're not dead yet!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Why NOT Me God?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article called "Why Me God?", and in it I discussed reasons people would question God for the things happening in their lives. As I considered this question I also thought, how often do we complain to God about the things that aren't happening in our lives? So this is my response to my own pondering (yes, I do talk to myself frequently).

Why Isn't the World Fair?

"Why not me God?" This is a question I think that I have asked about a million times. I particularly struggle with this question when it comes to having children. I am going to take a moment and share something really personal with you, so if you don't struggle with this please don't judge me but if you do then maybe you will know exactly where I am coming from.

These are my Struggles:

• I am a good person, living a good life, and doing God's work, why can't I get pregnant?
• Why do people who don't want kids have kids, and I desperately want kids but can't seem to have them?
• Why do teenagers who aren't responsible enough and people who abuse children have kids, and we would love and care for our kids but we haven't been able to have any?

In short, why isn't life fair? Why do good things happen to bad people? Why aren't they happening for me?

Because God Loves

The reason life isn't fair and the only answer to my question is that God loves us--all of us--good, bad, and ugly. He shows His love by giving us grace and mercy and forgiveness. Although it's hard to hear, God has His reasons for doing things and not doing things and they will always work out according to His perfect plan and purpose.  Matthew 5:45b says, "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." He often gives us things that we don't deserve--grace-- and He doesn't give us things we do deserve--mercy--because honestly we deserve punishment. Remember Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Take Heart

Although we don't understand God, His plan, or what He is doing or not doing in our lives, TAKE HEART! Read the promises He has given us through His word and remember...

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

To all of you who are struggling with these questions, know that you are not alone.

Mentioning Mentoring

A few days ago, I was working in our home office when I heard my husband talking on the phone. It turns out that Jimmy was talking to one of “his boys”, the term he uses to affectionately refer to the group of young men he has invested the most in over the years. These are the students who have benefited most from the type of mentoring we discussed in “TIME and LOVE the Languages of Discipleship”. They spent well over an hour on the phone talking about life, what God is doing in their lives, the struggles he was having, and other things. I frequently hear these kinds of conversations in our home and I did not pay too much attention to what was being said, but my ears did perk up at one key statement that made me stop and think…

“I’m 34 years old and have been in the ministry for more than 10 years, but I still have older men in my life who mentor me and aren’t afraid to tell me if I am making wrong decisions in life or in ministry…” Jimmy openly shared.

The Apostle Paul on Mentoring
This simple statement made me take pause. It also brought to mind something the apostle Paul once said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12-14). Even Paul, who did SO many great things for Christ, did not consider himself to be perfect. He had men in his life that taught him what it meant to be a Christian and to serve Christ. Why do you think he partnered with Barnabas on his first two mission trips? He needed someone to work with him who had been a Christian for a while and “knew the ropes” so to speak. Paul also goes on to encourage the believers to “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Phil. 3:17).

Thoughts to Ponder
* Do you have someone in your life that is mentoring you?
* Do you consider yourself to be at a point that you no longer need someone to “tell you how to do things” and don’t feel you need a mentor?
* What does your attitude toward mentoring say about you and your ministry?
* How does your attitude toward being mentored affect how you mentor others?

Closing Remarks
Mentors may come and go in your life, but I personally believe you always need to have people in your life who are older, wiser, more experienced, and who aren’t afraid to get in your face about the important issues (if needed). The best mentoring relationships often grow naturally. Instead of spending all of your time seeking out the perfect mentor, spend time in prayer asking God to send this person into your life, develop relationships with people who are mentor material, and be willing to accept the leadership and challenges they will bring when your mentor comes on the scene. They may have been there all along and you just didn’t know it or just didn’t care.