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Dave Kraft writes about his early mentor Warren Myers, what he learned from this man who had a significant impact on his life, and the value of having strong Christian mentors.

My mentor, Warren Myers, taught me a lot, but most of what I learned was by observing him. Here is what he modeled.

1. Genuine Prayer

I remember first meeting Warren Myers, a storied missionary with the Navigators organization. A few days earlier, I had moved into the Navigators home in Los Angeles to join some other young men receiving training. Warren suggested we take a walk and pray together. We walked. He did most of the praying. I prayed for everybody and everything I could think of in ten minutes and was through. He continued to pray for people he knew all over the world. I never walked that far before (I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get home again) and had never seen anybody pray with that kind of intimate knowledge of so many people in so many places.

I remember coming downstairs very early one morning to grab a bite before heading off to work. The door to his bedroom was slightly ajar and I saw him kneeling deep in prayer with the Bible and prayer pages spread out on the bed.

2. Love for People

Warren invited me to join him for a speaking engagement. Sure, why not? I shared my testimony and he taught. I then jumped quickly into the food line and lost sight of him. Later, I caught him out of the corner of my eye huddled with an old friend he had not expected to see. There they were, Bibles open, nose-to-nose and knee-to-knee fully into it, sharing intently with each other. One evening Warren abruptly left our dinner table before he was finished in order to respond to an urgent need a friend had. On many occasions I saw him put people before comfort, food, his schedule, his own needs. Not to an extreme, but when it was called for. In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-11, the Apostle Paul speaks of his love and care for the Thessalonian believers; he writes of sharing his life, not just the gospel and caring for them like both a mother and a father.

3. Loyalty

It was not unusual (during the 35 years after we had gone our separate ways) for Warren to call me from various places in the country to see how I was doing, pray with me over the phone, inquire about my family or offer to meet with me if he was in the area. He never forgot me!

4. Teachability

I had the privilege of going through the book of Romans with a handful of men Warren was training. He was the teacher and we were the students, yet he often prefaced an opinion with, “This is the light I currently have on it”, opening it up for debate, new thoughts and the possibility that he (the perceived expert in our eyes) could be wrong. Over the years when we met here or there, Warren would ask me what I was learning and then proceeded to take notes on my comments. This blew my mind. What, after all his years of living, could I possibly teach him?

He resembled the Jews in Berea in Acts 17:11, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Warren was always open to a new way of looking at issues, eager to keep learning and growing, willing to see things differently, willing to change a stance or an opinion when it became clear he was wrong or inaccurate.

5. Imitable Faith

He was my friend. I still think of him from time to time, even though he is no longer here. For many years I had Warren’s name on a page in my prayer book. On that page was a verse:

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7

This verse admonishes me to imitate Warren’s faith, not imitate him. Now allow me to make an important point. Warren was not perfect, he was not a man I worshipped or idolized. He had his sin, faults, and shortcomings, and would be the first one to own them, confess and repent.

I appreciated him, learned from him and grew by watching him as he modeled love for Jesus and people. He simply lived his life (warts and all), and I’m thankful to have been around, as were the other men who knew him and were discipled by him.

I am motivated to touch the lives of others as Warren touched mine. I have had, and have, many mentors. Warren was one of the early ones. 

 

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Have Dave Kraft speak at your church about Leaders Who Last.
 

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