wow.....I never thought about it like that. Yes I believe that I have one of these. Brother Curtis at church would be my Paul. (he's not the youth pastor).  And as for my Timothy well..........I guess you could say that my peers at school would be "Timothy's" because of the example I try to set for them. wow, thank's for posting this! At age 15 I think that sometimes I have alot of things that try to get in the way of me reading Gods word, ya know.

Hi Jason,
Great points! I haven't really thought of the folks in my life in those ways but let me see.
Do I have a Paul (a mentor)? hmmm, not really. a problem. I've never had a Paul, not even my dad was a Paul (sorry if you read this dad).
A Timothy? yep, got him. that's one out of two.
A Barnabus? I think so. yes, to a certain degree. so that isn't too bad, and I am enjoying more growth than I ever have before in my life, but I accept your point that it could be even greater if I had a Paul.  ~mike

Douglas, it's not just at 15 that things try and get in the way of us reading God's Word...I'm 27 (as of yesterday -- cupcakes and giftcards are still being accepted lol) and still things try and get in the way...my dad's 54 and he still experiences the same thing.  Yeah, the "things" vary from age to age, but the fact that things will always vie for our attention over the Word is simply a constant that we must discipling outrselves to resist.

Mike, I didn't come to Christ until I was out of my "most formative years" (He saved me in 2000), and my dad only came to Christ (or I should say came back to Christ after a long time away) a year or two earlier than I did, so He was a Paul to me in that early season.  However, the Lord had placed in me such a thirst for Him and His Word that I exhausted a lot of the Biblical knowledge he had accumulated in his still-young walk.  I've had a couple Paul's since -- a youth pastor and a children's ministry pastor I served with both also filled that role -- and during my recent internship at a CC I was blessed to have both a senior pastor and an associate pastor as Pauls.  Granted, Timothys are often more exciting than learning under a Paul, but Pauls are still essential -- if you're not actively learning, you'll soon starve, and you won't be able to feed anyone else.

I'm currently lacking a Paul as well, just like you, so we're in the same boat there.  

Does no one else have Paul/Timothy/Barnabas relationships or experiences to share?  I find that strange...certainly many people in the world of MyChurch interacts with other people!  And if you don't have a Paul, a Timothy, or a Barnabas, please don't be afraid to speak up!  Often times "you have not because you ask not", and being upfront with a lack can be the very door through which the Lord provides for it.