Dewey Bland
Chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution
Three Rivers, Texas
Joshua had Moses (Exodus 32-33) and Elisha had Elijah (1 Kings 19:16, 19-21). I am so thankful for two godly men who have mentored me in the faith and in life. Even after their “responsibilities” toward my ministry ended, they have nurtured a sweet friendship for decades now.
Dr. Mac Wallace was my clinical pastoral education supervisor during my two-year residency in the mid-1990s. From that clinical relationship, a reciprocal fondness developed and continues today. Mac, whom I refer to as my spiritual mentor, has turned 80 now and continues to lead ministers. We have shared in many Biblical and pastoral discussions since I left hospital chaplaincy. Some of our best times together have been while on the water, wetting a hook, or playing nine-ball around a billiards table. I have been so blessed and have benefited from his genuine love for me. About 10 years ago, I gifted Mac a walking stick. To be in his presence and to feel his friendship offered me a glimpse of God’s desire to walk with me and provide for my care.
Chaplain Bill Lang was my third and fifth supervisor in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Our friendship began in early 2001 in West Virginia. We were coworkers, a Southern redneck and a Boston Yankee, what a pair we made! We have laughed, cried, encouraged and challenged each other. We raised our families together and now enjoy long talks over the phone. As I continue my prison ministry and he has long retired, I am fully aware that even today Bill can relate to the struggles I encounter championing the First Amendment rights of the incarcerated. We have often remarked to each other, “We will have a special place, just inside heaven’s gates.”
These two men have allowed me to positively live out a warning by Robert Moore: “If you’re a young man and you’re not being admired by an older man, you’re being hurt.” Because of Mac and Bill, I have not been hurt. I will never hunger from not being fed by these two older men. I thank my God each time I remember them.