Generations of Disciples Across Decades and Miles
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 […]
Finding Your Zaccheus
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 […]
What Every Navigator Should Know About Learning
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 […]
SPOTLIGHT: The Delight of Discipling Younger Women
Barb VanZante is thrilled with the ministry God has given her: investing in the lives of young women. “It’s in my DNA,” she says. “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.” Barb meets with women who are being trained to do campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They study the Bible, […]
A Disciplemaking Testimony
Jack Blanch gave this testimony at the Senior Staff Gathering in October, 2018, about his recent experiences with mentoring. After my wife, Joann, died last December, I was feeling very lost. Around that time Jay Pritchard sent me an email of condolence with the brief words of encouragement, “You still have the gifts.” I was so […]
“We Do Life Together”
On social media, LOL means “laugh out loud.” But for Alice Byram, LOL is short for “life on life.” In a recent interview, Alice talked about how she enjoys “doing life” with Hispanic women in San Antonio. Alice served at Navigator headquarters in Colorado Springs for a dozen years and as director of women’s ministries in […]
The Discipleship Diamond
Success in baseball is simple to explain but much harder to achieve. The number of hits, errors, base runners, or any other of the myriad statistics that go into making baseball interesting do not count in the end. All that really matters is the number of players who touch all four bases in a counterclockwise sequence […]
A Plan to Disciple the Nations
Jesus’ strategy to disciple the nations was simple—as it had to be. The Kingdom expanded person to person, through family and relational networks. In 250 years, the gospel spread throughout the Roman world and beyond without the aid of political power, military force, financial aid, or educational clout. This was not a new strategy—it was […]
God’s Divine Appointment
We entered the church and walked down the hall almost at the same time. I said “Hi” and told her I hadn’t been here very long and didn’t know many people. She said, “I am new, too.” So began another relationship in my new city. I was so happy to get to know Lucy and hear […]
Reducing Tension in Discipleship
There are aspects of the Christian life that are paradoxical, causing tension when we can’t resolve them. As a rule we tend to polarize what we cannot harmonize, emphasizing one over the other or promoting one and minimizing the other. Whole denominations have been built around this type of tension. Although some tension is unavoidable, […]
