Who Influences You Part 2: #10 – #6

Last Month I posted part 1 of this series about circles of influence. Here is part two…enjoy   – Nate

Who influences you? Who shapes your life? We don’t live in a bubble. We don’t live alone. Even hermits have influencers…why do you think they cloistered themselves away???

Every day we rub shoulders with people who push and prod us in different directions. People speak into our lives, and leave indelible marks.  No matter what age we are.  As of this writing, I am 36 years old.  I’m not too young, and I’m not too old. I am right where I am supposed to be. Messiah Village is 115 years old. In the span of its lifetime, the Village has had lots of influencers.  The most recent issue of Echoes celebrated that.

It got me thinking, “who are my influencers?” I am not going to make a list of 36 people, but I am going to share with you #10 -#6.

10. Scott Stimely – A good friend and former supervisor of mine here at the Village. He created the first AV job at the Village.

I am truly indebted to him for that (otherwise I might not be writing this now). He recognized my talents and created space for me to use them for the Village.

9. Dennis Weller – When it comes to having fun on the job, Dennis taught me how to do it.  And by fun, I mean he had fun watching me work (I am kidding). For 2 summers during my college years, Dennis and I worked together in Climenhaga Fine Arts Center at Messiah College.  He taught me how to clean floors and carpets and maintain a building (this would be invaluable to me when I first started working at the Village…I cleaned lots of carpets and floors).

His actions showed me that you can work at a job and do a good job, but creating and growing relationships is the hard and very fulfilling work, no matter what you are doing.  Also it’s ok to creek someone if the boss gives you the ok and tells you to do it…

8. Al Sones – Pastor, mentor, and friend. Gentle and firm. Truthful and loving.  Al was my pastor for 5-6 years when I attended Good News Free Methodist Church.  In that short time he encouraged me to step up and into the hands of God and trust Him.

I am amazed as I look back on conversations we had, that he often coached me to look at people the way God would, when I was running into conflicts in my life. I don’t know that I recognized it then, but I do now and try to add that filter to my life.  Even though I don’t worship at Good News  currently, our paths continue to converge at points and I am so glad to have him as a friend.

7. Brian McLaren – Everybody that has made the list so far, I have known personally (though I’d like to meet Mr. McLaren). Brian McLaren is the author of A Generous Orthodoxy, A New Kind of Christianity, Everything Must Change, and A Search for What is Real: Finding Faith. Many of his writings have been transformative in my own faith journey.

I have been challenged to look at what I believe about the Bible, who Jesus is, how to look into the eyes of another person and know that they aren’t the stranger, I am.  McLaren’s writings have inspired me to have a more gracious and open heart to the world around me, and to try to embrace and welcome in and dialogue about the things I don’t understand rather than take a position and close my mind.

6. Damien Morris – It was about the 3^rd hour of college back in the Fall of 1993 when we met. He lived 2 doors down from me, we didn’t know each other from Adam (I think there were Adam’s on 1^st 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th floors of Witmer Residence).

We have been friends ever since. It’s tough to think of my circle of friends and not have him there.  But Damien’s greatest influence on me has been that he does not make judgment calls about people.

I have always known my friend to be accepting to everyone he has met. I have not always done that. I wish I could do that more. Thanks, D for accepting me as a friend and as a brother.

So who influences you???