Mentoring is not complicated, but it is totally biblical and amazingly powerful. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool to help you get hold of some simple ideas and principles for helping others grow deeper in the faith? Wouldn’t’ it be great if those tools did not make you feel like you need a seminary degree to work through? Well, if you are a lady who wants to mentor other ladies, Elisa Pulliam has put together such a tool in her new book, Impact My Life.
I was pointed to Elisa’s new project by Tyanne Perry, a sweet friend of Mitzi’s and of mine who is blogging on godly womanhood herself. Elisa was gracious enough to let me take a peek at her book before it was published if I would write an honest review of her work. I was very happy communicating with Elisa, even offering a suggestion or two that she implemented into the finished product. Now that the book is available, let me tell you a couple of quick things.
The best thing that I learned while reading Impact My Life is that mentoring someone else is not rocket science. To be a mentor means that you are willing to open up your life, and maybe your home, to others in order to help them be what God has called them to be. It does not require mystical insight. It does not require a multi-year training course. It does not require that you have everything together in your own life. No, mentoring someone else involves you being willing to stop keeping the good things that God has done in your life to yourself. Mentoring means that you open your heart to others, and you help them walk the Christian life with you.
Elisa has done a great job in this little work showing women that helping other women to follow Christ is something that is possible for any growing Christian lady. If you love Jesus and are making progress in your life, you can help somebody else make progress too. Elisa offers very simple and practical ways for you to get into the process of mentoring someone, especially if you have always been too frightened to do so in the past.
Elisa’s work is not perfect, no books ever are, but she has proved to me that she is learning, growing, and helping others. When I responded to her with questions, she responded back to me with a gracious spirit and a teachable attitude. One example of this sweet spirit is when I was not fond of some of the resource suggestions that she had placed in her original manuscript. She was willing to understand my objections, changing some of the suggestions and placing a disclaimer before others. Elisa understands that not every resource that is out there will perfectly match who she is or what she wants to teach. Her heart is, however, to do what she can to resource women to help them to impact the lives of others for the glory of God.
If you would like a nice, short, sweet, challenging read on how women can mentor other women, I am happy to recommend Elisa’s book. Let me forewarn you, however, that reading this book will challenge you to step out, stop making excuses, and get into the work of making disciples as our Lord commanded.
Pastor Travis Peterson 