Dave Plaster talking with students.
Contributed by an anonymous writer in response the tragic death of Dave Plaster the Mentor.
A word that you have been reading a lot recently is that Dave was a Mentor. Just take some time to look at the family blog that traced his last weeks here on earth. Dozens of times, maybe hundreds of times, that word is used in tribute to his far reaching influence.
One day I was sitting with a student and we got to talking about I don’t remember what. He mentioned that Dave was his mentor while he was at Grace College. “Oh”, I said, “you mean you had him as a teacher in one of his many classes.” “No”, he replied, “one time a week I went into his office and we sat and shared and prayed together.” What blew me away was that this student would confess his sins to Dave, and Dave would confess his sins to the student. He told me that Dave was totally transparent with him. Well…that blew me away. Think about this. Dr. David Plaster, Academic Dean and Vice President of Grace Schools, sitting in his office confessing his sins to a student.
Time after time the word mentor comes up in reference to Dave Plaster as someone shares with me the thing (or person) that had the greatest influence in their lives during their time on campus at Grace. A lot of these students are now leaders and put them all together and you have a tremendous mosaic of men who are now the legacy of a good man.
This morning, after receiving the call of his passing, I was sitting and reflecting on my potential legacy. I like to strategize. I like to teach. I really love church-planting. But, strategies are forgotten, class notes get lost in files, and churches are not eternal. But the men, and I am writing this to men, that we mentor are eternal. We have the privilege of marking the lives of many men. Dave Plaster will be remembered above all else for being a 2 Timothy 2:2 man. That is what I want my legacy to be as well.
Tags: Dave Plaster, leader, mentor, tribute
