Laura Flanders and the Mentored Life

Laura Flanders is the Associate Lecturer and Chair of Training and Mentoring Curriculum and one of my personal mentors. Today, we talk about mentoring, what mentoring is, and how to go about it as both a mentor and a mentee. We take questions from my friends on Facebook about mentoring, and Laura reaches to her bookshelf to share the books and resources that have shaped her ministry in mentoring.

Listen to our conversation now!

Stories we talked about:

• Her role as a mentor at Denver Seminary
• How knowing and community relate
• Definition of mentoring that we can share
• Different kinds of mentors
• Being interdependent as a mentee
• How to take ownership of your own learning
• Discovering your bent in mentoring
• The mentors you probably didn’t know you had
• Questions and answers from the audience
• Boundaries in mentoring
• Resources for mentoring

Great quotes from Laura:

The way we learn changes as we age.

It’s not easy to practice being known.

Mentoring is a relational practice in which there is intentional pursuit towards growth and transformation.

Listening is a peacemaking activity.

Resources we mentioned:

• Laura’s original appearance on Halfway There
• The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life, 20th Anniversary Edition by Parker Palmer
• With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani
• The Uncommon Individual Foundation
• Trust in the Slow work of God – Pierre Chardin
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown
• Spiritual Mentoring: A Guide for Seeking and Giving Directionby Keith R. Anderson and Randy D. Reese
• Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Emerging Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith by Sharon Daloz Parks
• The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You by Lois Zachary
• The Critical Journey, Stages in the Life of Faith, Second Edition by Janet O. Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich
• Laura’s website, The Colorado Backyard Gardener