An older man standing on a rocky shoreline at sunrise, looking across the ocean toward the horizon with a sailboat below, symbolizing God’s calling, courage, and the next faithful step.
Posted inFaith & Spiritual Growth Purpose, Calling & Work

Call to Adventure: Lessons from Moana

Sometimes a story created for families and children asks questions that follow us through every season of life: Who am I? What has God called me to do? And will I have the courage to take the next faithful step? The story of Moana offers a vivid picture of leaving the familiar, accepting responsibility, and discovering that purpose becomes clearer as we move forward.
Posted inFaith & Spiritual Growth, Purpose, Calling & WorkTags: , , , ,
A multicultural, multigenerational group discussing defining moments, faith, and God’s purpose for their lives
Posted inMissions & Ministry Purpose, Calling & Work

Defining Moments: Discovering God’s Purpose in Your Story

What defining moments have shaped your life—and where might God be leading you next? Whether you are a young adult seeking direction or someone who wants to encourage the next generation, discover how your story, daily choices, and relationships can reveal God’s purpose.
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Recreated scene of Naomi and Lucille driving their jeeps through the Appalachian hollers near Buckhorn, Kentucky
Posted inNaomi Dassow

From Buckhorn to the World

A prayer spoken during a bitter Wisconsin winter led Naomi to the Appalachian hollers of Buckhorn, Kentucky. There, God gave her more than a nursing position—He gave her a calling, a wise mentor, and a spirit of compassionate service that shaped the rest of her life. What place, person, or unexpected circumstance has God used to shape yours?
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Investing for Eternity. Missions
Posted inMissions & Ministry

Perspectives: Discovering God’s Purpose for the Nations—and Our Place in It

Perspectives: Discovering God’s Purpose for the Nations—and Our Place in It. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a flexible 15-lesson course that helps Christ followers understand God’s global purpose through biblical, historical, cultural and strategic viewpoints. Participants can audit, earn a certificate or pursue academic credit—and may return in later years to revisit selected lessons and hear new instructors.
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Living Our Faith Where We Are
Posted inFaith & Spiritual Growth Missions & Ministry

Living Our Faith Where We Are

Many people describe themselves as Christians. For some, the word reflects a deeply held faith in Jesus Christ. For others, it may describe their family background, their values, the church they once attended, or the tradition in which they were raised. There is also another expression being used more often today: Christ follower. The phrase is not meant to create a new religious group or suggest that one person is spiritually better than another. It simply places the emphasis on direction. A follower is going somewhere. A follower is listening, learning, changing, and seeking to walk in the footsteps of the one being followed.
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People walking toward a sunrise on a puzzle path, symbolizing God’s purpose and guidance in life.
Posted inMissions & Ministry Purpose, Calling & Work

God Has a Unique Purpose for Your Life

Have you ever stopped to consider that there has never been, and never will be, another person exactly like you? Your fingerprints are unique. Your personality is unique. Your experiences, relationships, struggles, joys, disappointments, gifts, and opportunities are unique. But your uniqueness is about much more than personality or background. It is about God’s design and purpose for your life.
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A flock of sheep standing in a peaceful meadow at sunset with a distant shepherd, symbolizing grief, memory, and the Good Shepherd.
Posted inGrief & Healing

Grief, Truth and the Good Shepherd

Tonight I watched a movie called The Sheep Detectives. What a Sheep Detective Movie Taught Me About Grief, Truth, and the Good Shepherd. On the surface, it is a lighthearted and unusual mystery story about a flock of sheep trying to solve what happened to their shepherd. That sounds almost silly at first. Sheep as detectives? A murder mystery told from the viewpoint of a flock? .
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Two young sisters in the Lord, serving in Appalachia visiting families with their compassion. Nursing visits
Posted inNaomi Dassow Purpose, Calling & Work

Naomi and Lucille: A Shared Life in the Providence of God

Naomi Koerwitz, who later became Naomi Dassow, and Lucille LeBeau were brought together for a season in Buckhorn, Kentucky. They were both nurses. They both had a heart for people. They both found themselves serving in a rural Appalachian community where the needs were many and the work was personal. But their story was more than a story about nursing. It was a story about God’s sovereignty and providence. It was a story about God’s sovereignty and providence. I believe God mysteriously brought two different young Christian women together for that season. They came from different Christian backgrounds and different life experiences, but both had their faith in Jesus renewed early in life. They were Christian sisters in the Lord. Long before either one of them was born, God knew their names. He knew their gifts. He knew the people they would serve. He knew the season when their lives would intersect. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” That verse helps me understand Naomi and Lucille’s shared life. God had prepared good works for both of them. For a time, those good works were done together.
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Diverse students walking toward a Christian school in Milwaukee, representing faith, learning, and school choice
Posted inMissions & Ministry Resources

Private Schools, Charter Schools, and Christian Schools:

Parents and grandparents today face more educational choices than many of us grew up with. Years ago, the usual question was simple: “Which public school district do you live in?” Today the conversation often includes public schools, charter schools, private schools, Christian schools, classical schools, online schools, homeschooling, and school choice programs. How to discern God's calling in the process...read on
Posted inMissions & Ministry, Resources
Open Bible, cross, orchestra, and S.H.A.P.E. pieces showing Christian calling and purpose
Posted inFaith & Spiritual Growth Missions & Ministry

Volunteering: Putting the Pieces in Place

Volunteering is one way we “play our instrument” in the great orchestra of life. It is one way we show up where God has placed us, using our gifts, experiences, relationships, and availability for His purposes. When we serve, we are not just filling a slot on a schedule. We may be stepping into one of the good works God prepared in advance for us to do. Sometimes that good work is visible and public. Sometimes it is quiet and hidden. Sometimes it is a word of encouragement, a visit, a meal, a prayer, a ride, a gift, a phone call, or simply being present. But when we fail to show up, something is missing.
Posted inFaith & Spiritual Growth, Missions & Ministry
“Open Bible beside a sunrise path, symbolizing trusting God’s wisdom, timing, and guidance through life.” Prayer and faith
Posted inMissions & Ministry Purpose, Calling & Work

Trusting God’s Wisdom: A Guiding Light for Life’s Journey

One of the verses that has guided me over these past few years is: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 That verse has become more than just a Bible verse to me. It has become a quiet anchor. A reminder that God is not late. God is not confused. God is not surprised by the turns in our lives. There are seasons when we do not understand what He is doing. There are moments when life changes faster than we expected. Family changes. Health changes. Loved ones move. Grandchildren grow up. Doors close. New doors open. And sometimes we look back and realize that God was arranging things long before we could see it. That is why Proverbs 3:5–6 has meant so much to me:
Posted inMissions & Ministry, Purpose, Calling & Work
Infographic showing how Christians can invest for eternity through wise stewardship, missions, unreached people groups, and Kingdom impact. Investing information for investors
Posted inMissions & Ministry Purpose, Calling & Work

Investing for Eternity: How to Invest for Ultimate Kingdom Impact

Whether a person has $100 million, $10 million, $1 million, $100,000, $10,000, $1,000, or less, the principles remain the same. The only difference is the amount of time, prayer, and due diligence required before making a major investment in a ministry, mission organization, or kingdom opportunity. The question is not only, “How much can I give?” The deeper question is: “How can I invest what God has entrusted to me for the greatest eternal impact?”
Posted inMissions & Ministry, Purpose, Calling & Work
Griefshare
Posted inGrief & Healing

Griefshare: A Journey Through Grief and Hope

“I am not a grief counselor. I am simply a husband who shared 45 years with my wife Naomi, and who has spent the last eighteen months learning what it means to grieve with hope.” Father, thank You for walking beside us through every season of life, including seasons of loss. Comfort those who are grieving today. Strengthen those who feel lonely, weary, or forgotten. Help us to be compassionate friends who listen well and love faithfully. Thank You for the hope we have through Jesus Christ and for the promise that death is not the end for those who belong to Him. Until the day of reunion, help us trust You, serve You, and find our strength in Your presence. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Posted inGrief & Healing
A Story Still Being Written Naomi and Me
Posted inNaomi Dassow Purpose, Calling & Work

A Story Still Being Written Naomi and Me

As I continue adding to this story, my hope is not simply to preserve memories for my children and grandchildren, but also to encourage others who may be walking through grief, loss of a spouse, Care Partnering, loneliness, or questions about God’s purpose in suffering. Looking back over our journey, I can truly say that through every chapter—whether joyful or painful—the Lord has remained faithful. AND the story is still being written!
Posted inNaomi Dassow, Purpose, Calling & Work
Discover Your Destiny: Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life
Posted inMissions & Ministry

Discover Your Destiny: Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life

What gifts, passions, or experiences has God uniquely given me? Am I pursuing my own agenda or God’s kingdom purposes? What doors might God be opening in this season of life? How might God use my past struggles to help others? What step of faith or obedience is God asking me to take right now? Am I willing to trust God even when I cannot see the full picture?
Posted inMissions & Ministry
Purpose: Embracing Your Unique Design in Life
Posted inLife & Relationships Missions & Ministry Purpose, Calling & Work

Purpose: Embracing Your Unique Design in Life

Our lives are not random accidents, but part of God’s greater kingdom plan. We are encouraged as believers to stop defining purpose merely through career success, recognition, or achievement and instead discover purpose through relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the strongest themes in the book is that God often uses even painful seasons—grief, disappointment, waiting, hardship, and uncertainty—to shape spiritual maturity and future ministry. Nothing surrendered to God is wasted.
Posted inLife & Relationships, Missions & Ministry, Purpose, Calling & WorkTags: , ,