Adventure on the Amazon
I expected to serve during my mission trip last summer, and I did! But God also blessed me in more ways than I’d dreamed of, with renewed confidence in how He can use me, a precious new friend to pray for, and a desire to serve the Lord in a new way. As a nurse, […]
As Seen on TV
God is using Hal and Karen Jensen, a veteran staff couple who serve on Nav Encore staff in Honolulu, to make a real difference for Christ through their many spheres of influence. Don’t just take my word for it. Click here to see an inspirational video of this special couple, who were recently interviewed on a local TV […]
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 […]
How God Redirected Our Steps
“Dad, how do you tell your kids that their mommy died?” My son sobbed on the phone. His children were six, four, two, and two months old. I had no answer except, “I will be there tomorrow.” I booked the earliest flight the next day to Salt Lake City. Our daughter-in-law, Maggie, had been having […]
Right Where You Are
Recently, a close Christian friend of ours was taking a walk in the neighborhood she and her husband have lived in these past 15 plus years. This couple has a lifestyle of trusting God to use them to advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom among those without Christ. Both she and her husband have […]
Divine Surprises
As I walked into the classroom for my first of three lessons, the professor was folding up a fish into a paper towel and putting it in his briefcase. Then he walked out and I was on! Though basically a captive audience, these 22 college freshmen gave me their undivided attention as I described the […]
Wiggle Room
Editor’s Note: The following is from Sue Tell’s weekly blog at suetell.com. Rachel celebrated her 30th milestone last July. She connected with several of us (older, ah-hem) friends asking for a gift—our gift of words written on a card and delivered by snail mail. How old-fashion. I loved it. Rachel is a wise woman. She hunts wisdom and […]
Generous Friendship
“Why did you come to Siberia?” asked a scientist named Andre, not long after we first met. Deb and I were “non-resident” missionaries to Siberia at the time—during the mid-90s. We traveled in and out and helped launch an outreach and discipling ministry among former communist atheists. We made multiple trips to the city of […]
The Life He Led, the Wake He Left
My late grandfather Elmer Baumgartner left quite the “wake.” The term “wake” comes from clinical psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Henry Cloud, who compares the idea of leaving a legacy to a concept he calls “the wake.” Just as a boat leaves a wake in its path when it goes through the water, so a […]
Reality Check
A dog food company hit some hard times. Sales were low and the CEO tried everything he could think of to improve the bottom line. He hired a new advertising firm, but that didn’t help. Next, he fired his entire marketing department and hired a new team. After several months, however, nothing changed. Sales numbers […]
