Did you pick up on what I was saying last week? Here’s an outtake from my last challenge:

            I’ve got two audiences reading this week’s taunt: First Halfers who are still on the hunt for success. If that’s you, here’s my question: who do you have to mentor you toward a life of balance, margin and focus? How are you going to guard against thinking that “success” is the ultimate?

            And, if you’re one of my Second Halfers who – like me – are looking for relevance, but know that it involves something with eternal value: what are you doing to build your downline through identifying and impacting First Halfers who need life-on-life imprint from someone who’s been where they are but has found new answers on the road less traveled?

            The Gospel of the Kingdom downgrades success but elevates significance. Neither happens by chance, but to settle for success and miss significance results in massive eternal consequences.

            You’re successful? Congrats! Are you in halftime? It’s time to ask the next question: who’s in your downline? That question – asked and answered – can set you up for eternal significance and expose a satisfaction that the world’s alternatives cannot replicate.

            That was last week; it sets us up for this follow-up. I’ve spent the last 40+ years of my life working to help people become the maximum version of the person God made them to be. My assessment, for decades: most settle for just-enough while never realizing the full measure of their God-given potential.

            Here are three models; I’m guessing you fit into one of these. First are the folks who are “regular attenders” at a church on weekends. These days, two Sundays per month puts you in that camp. The second group are the one-uppers who hit the worship service, but augment that with some favorite podcasts from hot influencers who have something to say. Good spiritual junk-food treats, but NO ONE was ever discipled by a podcaster. The third category is what I addressed last week: people who have intentionally engaged in a multi-generational transfer of maturation that is life-on-life.

            That third category is the historic, biblical model. One of my mentors – Dr. Howard Hendricks – put it succinctly: “You cannot impart that which you do not possess.” Mentoring goes way-beyond the framework of teaching. Teaching distributes information; mentoring enables transformation.

            In the genealogy of the Kingdom, the people who leave a legacy are part of a succession that crosses generations. There’s a DNA string that links them to forebears and continues beyond them.

            If you’ve been around me for a while, I reference my mentors frequently. I honor them for what they’ve entrusted to me. Without their imprint on my spiritual development, I’d be back in Group #1 or #2, doing an entry-level volunteer stint in some ministry entity.

            If you’re a First-Halfer, it’s time for you to find a mentor. Don’t wait to be asked; find someone whose life is a compelling model of what you’d like to become and pursue a relationship. If you haven’t considered it before, it’s time for you to consider enrolling in The Master’s Program (see the onramps at the bottom of this email). I created TMP 30 years ago as a mentoring platform that would be systematic, over time, in community; that’s how transformation happens. Through TMP, we’ve mentored thousands of high-impact Christian leaders: they are testimony of the model that works.

            If you’re a Second Halfer, you’re positioned to be operating as a high-value mentor. You’re at risk of being attracted into “the American Dream,” and neutered by the promise of self-indulgence that legitimizes under the banner of “retirement.” If you’re not passing your life experience and godly wisdom into the lives of people who would benefit from following your path, you’re at risk of ending your life with minimal consequence.

            If you’re a graduate of The Master’s Program, we’ve created an opportunity for you to sophisticate yourself for your next Kingdom assignment. What you’ve experienced through The Master’s Program is an asset that you’ll bury and minimize, or one that you’ll leverage and maximize.

            My life today is rich with time spent with Christian leaders who openly recognize my part in their life journey as a mentor to them. My fruit grows on their trees; my spiritual downline is growing at a rate of 100x+.

            If you’re in that Second Half fraternity, it’s time to kick your mentoring into gear and accelerate to the finish line. If you’re a graduate of The Master’s Program, I’m going to send you an invitation later this week to join me in Newport Beach in November for a chance to kick your next season into high-gear. What if the rest of your life could be the best of your life?

            Under 50? Find a mentor. Over 50? Find some protégés. “Be fruitful and multiply” was the order in Eden… and, then, it was the parting instruction when Jesus went back to Heaven.

            What are you doing to make that happen?

 — Bob Shank