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Post from Luke Harrison Peters

I have had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Bacote, a highly esteemed faculty member here at Wheaton college, for the past year and a half or so. I first met Dr. Bacote at my brother's wedding, in which he was the officiant. My brother too had a mentor relationship with Dr. Bacote, and found that meeting with him was very beneficial. My brother told me when I first came to Wheaton to take advantage of the faculty and staff, like Dr. Bacote, that are willing to reach out to students and care for them.

My talks with Dr. Bacote have rarely been fun, they have rarely been something I look forward to. The reason I do not necessarily "enjoy" these talks is because Dr. Bacote has a knack for exposing my deepest and darkest feelings. They way he lovingly pokes at me to be vulnerable is not always a pleasant experience. Sometimes we start off a meeting with small talk: sports, movies, what the week will look like for me academically, etc, but usually we dive right in to the heart of Luke Harrison Peters; a frightening, yet liberating experience.

Dr. Bacote has taught me many things through my relationship with him. He has taught me that true friendship and love requires trust and vulnerability, things that do not come easily, but things that are incredibly important to any relationship. Our talks have helped me to deal with the sin, the muck, and the problems of my life while leading me to lean upon Jesus through it all. I know that when I meet with Dr. Bacote, the absolute hardest questions I have ever encountered will be thrown at me without hesitation - AND that I will be expected to answer them right then and there (Dr. Bacote does not accept BS answers (pardon the use of BS)).

Dr. Bacote genuinely cares about me. He loves me and that is why our talks are so challenging. He cares about me enough to not let me off the hook, to not let me go into my shell and deal with things my way. I am very thankful for my times with him.

Post from Grant Costakis

As I walked in to Qdoba, a restaurant that frequent regardless of the city that I am in, I can see him sitting there chatting up a group of employees in the small establishment – that’s him, a fun loving, comedic, high-energy, dedicated servant of God; who after spending over a decade, spent another decade as a grade school chaplain, before moving to his newest role as a grandpa who has two grandkids that visit every Wednesday, in addition to meeting with individuals such as myself, and writing his new series of ministry books whenever he has time apart from his hectic daily schedule. Because of his tremendous character and desire to make himself available to provide encouragement to his brothers and sisters in Christ, he values being purposeful and respectful with the time that Lord has given and will give him in this world. Out of all the lessons I have learned from my mentor, this by far the one that has impacted me the most. While every Christian wants to believe that he or she makes the most of every moment for God’s glory, it is very easy to get lost in the wash of the everyday life. With the backstory/tangent blend out of the way, I can finally get back to the story of the actual meeting itself. As I got closer to the table, I was shaking my head at the fact that I was two minutes late – as I had left my doctor’s appointment to go to Qdoba, I realized that slow services of a nurse who was not excited to be at work had me running a little late, I sent a quick text informing my mentor of the situation. As I was sitting down, my mentor said in sync with me taking a seat: “Grant, I understand you being late, but I cannot believe that you made up a garbage excuse to justify it.” As we spent the next few seconds doing our best Clint Eastwood impersonation, I realized that I could no longer hold the patented look of ‘the man with no name’, as I broke out into a hearty laugh with the crazy Canadian that shares my whimsical sense of humor. As we talked, I shared about my classes, plans for the semester, and interests for the summer. I explained my initial plans from first semester to intern at a small business in downtown Indianapolis, but then continued to share an opportunity to intern at the financial department of my home church’s leadership board. As I discussed the uncertainty of jumping at this opportunity, and the concern of its value to my resume. My mentor then asked one simple question: is working at the church something you want to do, you feel obligated to do, something you want to do, or a combination of these? As we talked further, and he encouraged me to continue to passionately live out a life for Christ that is not handicapped by fear of the standards set by society, I truly appreciated the moments that I get to share with my brother in Christ!