Spiderman and Iron Man. Frodo and Gandalf. Harry Potter and Dumbledore. Neo and Morpheus. Rocky and Mickey. Luke and Yoda. For every hero in the movies, there always seems to be a hero-maker. And this isn’t just in the movies. In fact in Joseph Campbell’s famous book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” he shows how our heroic narratives in literature often have 12 common stages. The 4th? Meeting one’s mentor. It’s a stage of character development that sets the course for the hero accepting his adventure and stepping into the unknown. And it’s a stage in the life of this week’s protagonist – Joash. In his account in 2 Chronicles we learn important lessons about having mentors and growing our faith. But we also see that if you get stage 4 wrong your journey can be tragically derailed before it ever gets going.
by City Life