It has been nearly two weeks since the greatest political upset in my lifetime took place.  If you have read my previous articles or are “friends” with me on Facebook, you know that I was not thrilled about either one of the major candidates that were on the ticket running for President of the United States.  However, I did vote for the now, President-Elect Donald J. Trump.  Realistically though, since I live in New York State, which is a state that heavily favors the democratic party, my vote had very little impact on the actual election.

Still, we do have a new President elected and he will soon be taking the oath and assuming the duties of the Office of the President of the United States.  Since the election, I have been encouraged to see Mrs. Clinton and President Obama encourage everyone to get behind the new President-Elect and unite as Americans.  Of course, not everyone has heeded that advice.  The protestors and rioters are out in force.  What they are protesting and rioting about is a bit of a mystery to me.  Are they protesting the democratic process?  Are they just simply looting and rioting in the streets because they did not get their way?  Is there an actual right being violated here?  Do they not understand how the democratic process works?  Do they not realize that every election and every contest has a winner and a loser?

“One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Those words have ended the Pledge of Allegiance since 1954.  That was the day that the United States Congress amended the Flag Code that was enacted in 1942 to include the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Words that define America.  Words to live by.  Words we have, sadly, forgotten.

Since that day in 1954, the United States of America has been through fifteen Presidential Elections.  A quick study of the men who have held that office since that day, shows us that we have elected eight republican candidates and seven candidates from the democratic party.  I am sure you have varying opinions about the men who held that position over the course of those years.

I have often wondered what it must be like to sit in that Oval Office and to face that multitude of decisions every day.  I have read books on several of our former Presidents including; George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.  While these books gave some amazing insights into the pressures of the Office and what it is like to be President of the United States, I believe you cannot truly understand it unless you have been there.  Only 44 men can lay claim to that knowledge.  Soon, a forty-fifth name will be added to that list.

Each year, usually in the fall, I try to get away for a few days to a place where I can be completely alone.  I am fortunate to have a friend who built and owns a cabin in the woods and he lets me borrow it from time to time.  I have been spending time at this cabin for about a dozen years and it has almost become like an old friend.  Many life decisions have been made in this cabin and numerous intimate conversations with God have taken place.  The cabin is situated in the rolling hills of northern Pennsylvania.  It is a beautiful setting with a babbling creek just outside the front door that has been known to give up a decent sized fish from time to time. It is surrounded by woods and many differing kinds of wildlife roam unconcerned nearby.  I was there very recently when the colors of fall were on full display.  The reds, the yellows, the oranges, the browns and all of the other colors of nature were proclaiming the handiwork of God and were there for the onlooker’s enjoyment.

Now this cabin is very basic!  To begin with you have a hike of a little over three miles to get to the cabin.  It is a beautiful walk through the woods and you learn to pack light as you must carry all of your supplies for your stay to the cabin with you on this hike.  The cabin is heated by a large fireplace in the living area and small wood stoves in the bedrooms.  Cooking is done on a wood stove in the kitchen or on one of the few modern conveniences, a charcoal grill.  There is a generator which supplies enough electricity to power some lights inside the cabin and, most importantly, a coffee maker!  Cellular phone service and internet service are nowhere in sight!

While this might seem boring to some of you, I look forward to visiting this cabin at each and every opportunity I have.  One of the reasons I love to visit here is to spend some time alone with God away from all of the distractions of the world.  The Bible encourages the Christian to ponder and think about the things of God.  Philippians 4:8 tells us “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Have you ever had a mentor?  You may ask; what is a mentor? Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, who has been defining words since 1828, defines mentor this way; “to teach or give advice or guidance to someone.”

Throughout my life I have enjoyed the mentoring of many people.  As I was building my career in business I looked to many trusted people who “took me under their wing” and showed me the ropes of the business world.  They were mentors for sure.  After I gained some experience of my own, I became to mentor to young men and women just beginning their careers in business.

However, today I am talking about spiritual mentors.  These are some of the most important people you will find on this earth!  They are Christians who take an interest in your spiritual well-being.  They invest their time, impart their knowledge and wisdom and encourage you to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.  While I have had a number of mentors come into and out of my life over the years, I have been extremely fortunate to have three key spiritual mentors that impacted my life tremendously.  The first was when I was a child.  My Sunday School teacher was an incredibly wise and understanding older lady who loved kids and taught me all of those wonderful Bible Stories.  She made them come alive and kept me interested in learning more about those great stories and the people who were the central characters of them.  The second mentor in my life was an older gentleman, who was a deacon in my church, that I got to know when I was a senior in high school.  Again, he took an interest in me and in my spiritual growth.  The most influential spiritual mentor that I had was a man that attended my church when I lived in Pennsylvania.  He was also an older man who had been a missionary to Africa and truly loved the Lord and the Bible.  He and his wife were retired and lived only a short distance from me.  We spent hours talking over coffee, eating lunches, going on walks, participating in Bible Studies, etc.  We shared a loved of Christ and Southern Gospel Music.  He truly impacted my life in ways that he will never know.