Excerpt Book Review: Mentoring Paradigms (Edmund Chan)

I bought this book during the last seminar by Edmund Chan which I attended a few years back. I've taken into reading books with short chapters during the traffic jam while driving to work. This book is called Mentoring Paradigms (by Rev. Edmund Chan)

This book has 30 paradigms on mentoring which is about 4-5 pages long each; it's easy to read but requires personal reflection. I try to read and ponder on each paradigms while I drive to work/stuck in the traffic jam.

Hence, today I shall share with you Paradigm no. 6- Mentoring with The End in Mind:Perspective, Posture, Pragmatics and Power

(Note: It is hard for me to paraphrase the words he used because I find that Edmund Chan's words have expressed the true meaning very effectively. I'll be quoting a lot of his words in italics in this review.)

 A Certain Kind of Perspective
"We need to encounter the truth, experience the truth and embrace the truth."

We are being mentored by the Scriptures. This is the way to renew the mind by our daily devotion. Rev. Edmund continue to stress that there is no short-cut to this. It is a daily investment to allow the Scriptures to tutor our hearts to obey it (in his words).

A Certain Kind of Posture
There is a certain receptivity and meekness that marks true disciples (Isa 66:2)

He continues to explain that meekness is not weakness. I perceive the meekness here as humbleness. I like the way he explains the posture in terms of three aspects: brokenness, meekness and openness.

A certain kind of posture is thus about a brokenness of heart before God, a meekness of heart in God and an openness of heart to God. (by Edmund Chan)

A Certain Kind of Pragmatics
Pragmatics is intentional skill development -a disciplined and growing competence in both life-skills and ministry.

I like that this sentence he used "Life is too short to be lived without thoughtful, skilled competence". He stressed the importance of this skill to have the emotional reservoir and capacity to deal wisely with them-not react to them."

A Certain Kind of Power
God's very presence is His very power!

Rev. Edmund explains that power belongs to God. Power in man is a by-product. Hence, sadly, fallen humanity has tried to grab power through pride or shun God's power through unbelief and sometimes do both.

Conclusion
I must remember to let the Scripture mentor me daily to remember the right perspective so that the Holy Spirit can nurture me to grow in the right posture to learn the right skills needed to be used by our Father God. I pray, I'll remember not to stray from the path.. :)