In 2004 Rick Lentz’s youngest son, Kevin, was killed when hit by an automobile. Rick and his wife, Karen, were devastated. “Yet through all this jumble of emotions, my anchor of faith kept me from crashing upon the rocks of despair,” Rick says. “God provided me with friends who listened repeatedly to my story and allowed me to share my emotions without judgment or needless advice. Slowly, I began to heal and as I healed, I came to the realization that to fully heal, I had to forgive.”
During the trial of the young woman who killed his son, Rick stood up and told her that he forgave her. Shortly thereafter the father of this woman called Rick and asked how he could forgive his daughter. Rick replied, “I explained that through prayer, God gave me the grace and strength to forgive her. Then through our discussions and seeing what God has done in my life, the girl’s father rededicated his life to Christ.” They began meeting together and eventually entered into a mentoring relationship.
After discerning starting a ministry, Rick became a full-time Christian mentor when he co-founded Brother-to-Brother Ministries in the summer of 2007. He has guided others in how to start a ministry of evangelization.
Rick has been active in parish life and in men’s faith sharing groups; he is also a member of the Cursillo Movement. A highly decorated Vietnam Veteran, he retired from the Air Force in 1993. He has a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry from the Aquinas Institute of Theology, and while thankful for that education, says that a degree is not necessary to be a Christian mentor. He and his wife Karen have been married for 35 years. They have four children and two granddaughters.