We Have to Go After Them
Sep 19, 2024By Nancy Lindgren
It's rare for me to go to movies these days, so when I saw “The Forge” with my husband and then went to see it again three days later with friends in tow, you better believe it had a great impact on me.
The movie was written and produced by Stephen and Alex Kendrick who also wrote and produced “The War Room,” which is still one of my all-time favorite influential movies. In “The Forge,” the plot unfolds as a successful businessman and mentor, Joshua Moore, decides to invest in the life of a mentee, Isaiah Wright, who is struggling to find his way as a 19-year-old. We watch the transformation take place in Isaiah before our eyes as we see the great impact a mentor can have in someone’s life.
When Joshua first saw the angry, directionless young man, he made a choice. He would take the time to meet regularly with Isaiah. Over the next few months, Joshua poured wisdom and affirmation into Isaiah’s life. He called out the good in him. He said the words “come sit with me” as Isaiah processed anger and hurt over the abandonment of his father. He was available. He included Isaiah in a community of other men who encouraged and supported him.
These lines from the movie really resonated in my heart:
The longer we try to go alone, the harder it gets.
God gives us strength when we stand together.
Whoever wants the next generation, gets them.
We have to go after them.
What are we waiting for?
Let’s take them Jesus.
Who’s with me?
Be one of a million.
We have to go after the next generation. We have to see them and get to know them and care about what they care about. We can’t sit back and wait for them to come to us. It’s time to mobilize the mentors! There is an urgency, because lives are at stake.
What holds us back? For most of us it’s one of three things: busyness, feeling unqualified, or not knowing how to start or what to say. For some of us it’s all three.
The ministry of MORE Mentoring is here to equip and empower you as a mentor. We offer mentoring guides that provide direction, including prompts and questions to talk and pray through together. We keep it so simple and yet so powerful and effective. We also provide training and an online community, so you can learn more and glean from others.
You may be feeling that you could never be a “Joshua Moore.” I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to be him. You just have to be YOU. God can use your story, your giftings, your personality, your mistakes, and your authenticity. What they really want is the Jesus in you!
We are calling ONE MILLION mentors to stand and say
“Here I am, Lord. Send me. Use me. I’m available.”
I’d like to share an excerpt from my journal nearly two years ago: “This could be the greatest move of God unfolding in my lifetime. May it spread like wildfire.”
I don’t remember if someone else said this or if it came from my heart, but either way I believe it with everything in me. God is on the move. The harvest is ripe. We must take action. Men and women of God, it’s time to go after them.
You were made for MORE!
When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
– Matthew 9:36-38
Nancy Lindgren is a national speaker, author, and a natural encourager. She is the Founder and CEO of MORE Mentoring whose mission is mobilizing mentors to impact lives through prayer-focused mentoring. Nancy has over 35 years of experience in mentoring and loves championing mentors and mobilizers worldwide. Her ultimate vision is for Jesus to be fully experienced in mentoring relationships. Nancy and her husband, Mark, have midwestern roots, but now call Castle Rock, Colorado home. They love hiking in the beautiful outdoors unless, of course, rattle snakes are involved. You will always find a well-worn welcome mat at their front door.
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