March 6, Fourth Sunday in Lent: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

All through my twenties, I was fortunate enough to have a mentor. From college to seminary to ordination and beyond, she was always there, carefully balancing gentle encouragement with the not-so-gentle directness of someone who can see through excuses with X-ray vision. In other words, she was excellent at her job.

I bumbled academically through my first few years of college. My mentor helped me focus enough to graduate and get into seminary. Once I was in seminary she encouraged me to ignore the real possibility that my college grades could doom my graduate school applications and to apply anyway.

It was a gamble that paid off. When I packed my car and headed off to get my Ph.D., in the exact same field as hers, she told me how proud she was of me.