The Influence of a Godly Mentor

In the fall of 2007, I walked into Dr. Robert Smith, Jr.'s preaching class at Beeson Divinity School full of fear and trepidation. As an introvert who would much rather write words for people to read than stand in front of a crowd and share those words out loud, I was terrified, but the class was required for my degree, so I dragged myself up to the preaching lab on the third floor and prepared for two semesters of pure misery.

Over time, Dr. Smith would identify, call out, and nurture gifts in me that I preferred to ignore. He pastored me, mentored me, prayed over me, and taught me how to rightly handle God's word. Now, nearly 20 years later, every single time I open my Bible and prepare to teach, I lean on the training I received at his hand.