Howard, my spiritual mentor

We all need them, especially in this crazy world where Satan works around the clock to destroy the testimony of every Christian and to take as many people with him as possible into eternal separation from God.

For me, one such mentor is Howard.

At college, I originally knew him as a food service supervisor. He seemed quiet and serious, and the way he walked around you could tell he was a very busy man. You know the type: 40 hours worth of things to do in the confines of a 24-hour day.

Summer 1992, I worked with him closely when we had to paint much of the Varsity Commons at Pensacola Christian College. Howard (then known as Mr. Howlett) had painted professionally, so he worked with me and a few other students.

And as we worked, we spoke. You name the subject and we talked about it. Sign language. The Bible. Ancient history. Martial arts. Serial killers. Funny but harmless anecdotes about food service supervisors. Stories from when he went to college. As someone who loves hanging around people with vast amounts of knowledge and experiences, conversing with Howard was like dying and going to heaven.

The funny thing is, Howard takes a humble approach to himself and even refers to me as “Dr. Zowie”. Maybe someday I’ll give him a good reason for calling me that.