Now that our fundraising days have mostly passed, are Encore staff and missionary retirees “done with money”? Can we breathe a sigh of relief? Only partially! We must be vigilant to avoid financial complacency or follow dangerous cultural trends in finances. Here are five important financial issues for Encore staff and retirees: Overspending on adult children (or grandchildren)! Studies show […]
Watch a devotional from the 2023 Senior Staff Gathering.
I wrote the following poem while in the throes of language study during my first year in our appointed country. My wife, teenage daughter, and I moved overseas in a faith response to our sense of God’s calling. Our vision was to establish a healthy generational ministry there, starting with college students and a few […]
Languishing or lingering? A similar phrase caught my eye recently as I thought about this past year and the effects of the pandemic. Am I languishing in my time with God, or am I lingering and enjoying His presence? I like to start each morning with sitting and staring, with quiet, listening, lingering. It readies me to read; it readies […]
Every January, I ask God to give me a word that describes the focus He has for me that year. This year my word—a phrase, actually—is pull back. I believe He wants me to pull back from things that are not in line with His purpose for me. God continues to clarify for me how He defines […]
Our friendship with Sandy started when she was a student at the University of Illinois in 1972. She has been a gift to us ever since. Her heart for God and her love for others have continued to shine through all the chapters of her life. Jump ahead 27 years to 1999, a busy year […]
Xiao Mei* started following Jesus while attending a university in Australia and was initially discipled by Navigators there. When she returned to her home in a “closed country” in Asia, she met Lou Choat, who began to mentor her spiritually. They would pray together, read through the Bible together, and walk through Life-to-Life® for over 35 years. Then Lou and her […]
A key discipleship question is, “Whom should I invest in?” For those who would like to disciple others, coming alongside to help them take the next step in their spiritual journey, the initial question is not what, but with whom? When my discretionary time is limited, I need discernment to invest wisely. I want to avoid investing in […]
Navigators make disciples. All we do revolves around making disciples—learners. I cannot help another to learn, though, what I have not learned myself. As I pass on what I have learned, life to life, I need to continue to learn as well. “Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights” (Proverbs […]
As we arrived at our cabin last summer, the weather report predicted several rainy days. That was good news for me. I just wanted to sit, to be, to do nothing! Nothing seemed good. The account of creation recorded in Genesis reports, In the beginning God created . . . .The earth was formless and empty . . . .And the Spirit of God was […]
