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Prayer

Prayer Hand Many believers find that prayer, especially spending long amounts of time in prayer, can be one of the hardest parts of spiritual discipline. The Prayer Hand is an easy way to remember five essential aspects of prayer: confession, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. Pray ...

Worldwide Partnership Day of Prayer

Every year, the Navigators set aside one day for prayer as a worldwide partnership. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to work together and fellowship with colleagues across our international partnership.  This year, our Worldwide Partnership Day of Prayer will be on Saturday, March 18. ...

Prayer

Doug Sparks

Prayer

Jim Downing

An Easter Reflection

By Grant Dibden "To me it makes as much sense as bunny rabbits handing out chocolate eggs ..." Easter in Australian society is thought of as a holiday time.  And many – most? – people don’t understand the significance of Easter, and often they don’t want to. A local Eastern Sydney ...

Community-based Evangelism

By Fran Johnson, Melbourne Labouring Community, first published in Compass, Summer 2021 What if we prayed for 21 days for our city? What if twenty or so Navigators focused prayer for 21 days on their city? Do you think it would have an impact for theadvance of the Gospel? Wanting to seek the ...

Lest We Forget - Anzac Day 2022

By Grant Dibden You can learn a lot about a country from the people or events they celebrate in their monuments. In the USA there’s a great bronzed statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in his mighty marble temple in Washington. Down the street is a thirty foot statue of Thomas Jefferson. In ...

What Do You Do In Daily Devotions?

Our daily devotions should always begin with the Gospel. We must remember that the Gospel speaks to the entire Christian life. It is not solely for the non-believer, but has much to say to the mature believer. We should remind ourselves of the Gospel as we confess that although we have been ...

Toss Your Do-List

By David Lyons Now, I begin each month with a day set aside for fellowship with God during which I pray for the month ahead. As I pray, the Lord shows me that He never intended for me to do some things on my list. True confession: I used to write things on my do-list that I had already done ...

God is Enough for Me

By Kendrea Dibden, Sydney Labouring Community As a teacher, I know the importance of intentional reflection and analysis to be aware of strengths and shortcomings. Reflexive practice in order to be constantly improving. As a believer this has been a vital part of my walk with the Lord as well. ...

SOAP Method

SOAP Method S.O.A.P. is a method of Bible reading and journaling. It can be used with any daily Bible reading plan. First of all, Pray for God to help you concentrate and learn what he has to say to you. S for Scripture Open your Bible to today’s reading. Take time reading and ...

Latest news ...

Worldwide Partnership Day of Prayer “Each year, we Navigators from every corner of the globe have the privilege of joining together during our Worldwide Day of Prayer to spend time with the Lord. We may be physically separated by thousands of miles, but we could never be closer than we are on ...

John Ridgway - The Influence of One Man

A Tribute by Robin Dennis “The least one shall become a thousand and the smallest one a mighty nation” ~ Isaiah 60:22 I was working in Canberra at Parliament House and living in one of the many public servant hostels, Lawley House, which had two sections – the old and the new. Newcomers ...

Resilience in the Gospel

By Ian McIntosh, first published in Compass Winter issue 2022 What do you think about when you hear the word resilience? TV interviews with disaster victims or soldiers fighting a David and Goliath battle? Relational conflict? People battling their personal demons relating to themselves, others ...

Next Door to Everywhere ... in Brisbane!

By Luke Midena, National Leadership Team The National Leadership Team met with the National Council on the first weekend of April to hear from God's Word, pray, study Job, and plan and discuss this year's priorities. Luke gives us a glimpse into what's happening in one of our communities – ...

The Wheel

This simple but effective illustration has been used by Navigators for more than fifty years. It helps Christians understand what they are called to do as disciples of Christ. Each part of this illustration represents a crucially important component of a vital Christian life. Use this ...

Meditation: Western Culture 10

Some of my strongest childhood memories come from the times I spent on my uncle’s dairy farm. The heat of summer, the cooling of the milk refrigeration room, the sound and smell of the cows.  I would seeing them constantly chewing and later learnt they had 4 stomachs and were often ...

Come Boldly - Devotional Reader

Timeless Daily Encouragements on Prayer Have you ever struggled with how to pray, what to pray for, or simply needed encouragement to keep praying? This collection of 312 daily readings on prayer will challenge and inspire you to make your communication with God more intimate and your ...

Jesus

Jesus the Man Jesus is the central figure in Christianity. He was and is the most effective and compelling leader in all of recorded history. He was born into a lower class family to a teenage mum and worked as a carpenter until aged 30. But then He took 12 ordinary blokes – fishermen and tax ...

Mid-Year National Training 2023

Scroll down to register, or jump to the form now. We will give more practical consideration to what was covered in the January Training about the Gospel and discipleship. We’ll develop your discipleship model and consider how the gospel elements are included in it. The Mahons will also be ...

A Trip to Marysville

By Paul Bailey, Monash Uni Student Ministry On Thursday June 23, the Monash Navigators organised our first ever road trip to Marysville with students: ten pre-believers and nine believers. We never thought we would get a place where we would be able to take students out for a trip. As we ...

Our Staff Job Studies

From Grant Dibden We had a wonderful time considering several of our staff Job studies during the year. It is such a packed book and we were challenged as we reflected back over the whole book, its themes and big lessons as part of our final study time. The book of Job explores why God ...

Easter Thought

By Grant Dibden The year has been a bit of a blur. I got started in earnest after Australia Day, had trips to Brisbane, Sydney and Tasmania, and an early Easter. But what really makes it a blur is my father-in-law’s death twelve days after diagnosis. Arthur’s death puts things into ...

The Bridge

Step 1 – God’s Love and His plan God created us in His own image to be His friend and to experience a full life assured of his love, abundant and eternal. Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b) “…we have peace with God through ...

Going Deeper in the Essentials

God must be the focus of all that we do. We want to deepen our relationship with Him by growing our understanding of the Scriptures and through prayer. We want to encounter God; to know Him, not only to know about Him. "Going Deeper in the Essentials" is a series of seven comprehensive Bible ...

A Curious Journey

By Cynthia Hagen, first published in Compass, Spring 2015 Cynthia Hagen works in The Navigators People Resources Team with Ian and Helen McIntosh, and is based in Colorado Spring, USA. I hoped it was true, but was guarded. People were talking about listening to God's voice. As a first year ...

G'day from Melbourne - an update

By Mike Johnson, Melbourne Labouring Community  Intercession for the people of our city has been a primary goal for us this year. Beginning with God, we then attempt to pray for the people and great needs of our city based on our meditation on the character and attributes of God. Using ...

Going Deeper in the Essentials Studies

Study 1 – God: Who Is He? God is the ultimate reality! Building His Kingdom is entirely His idea, for His purpose, using His power and for His glory! Therefore, we MUST be aligned with His heart, His mind and His Spirit. That means having a God-focused culture is essential. In this study we ...

A Double Miracle

The story of Jack and May Griffin as told to Margaret Mulholland Cooper, first printed in Decision Magazine, January, 1979 and reprinted in The Compass, Volume 2 No. 2, March, 1979.   ... we share a common birthday—April 12, 1959—when on a fine Sunday afternoon, we walked ...

How to break the binding cable of habit

By Robert Boardman, first published in The Compass, Volume 2 No. 2, March, 1979 The cold in Japan anywhere in December penetrates your bones, but this was northern Japan and I could feel it even through my long underwear. The Japaneses with the ancient wisdom of Northeast Asia build with a ...

Sharing ANZAC Day with you

During this unexpected time of isolation and distancing for health purposes, we long to still share in commemorating a day that is important and special to us all. And so, despite not being able to march or meet together, we could perhaps at least listen to one common message and prayer. Please ...

Stories of "New" Life in 2020

The Lord continues to do great things in people's lives. Neither a pandemic, strict lockdowns, fires or other catastrophes have stopped our labourers from labouring in various circumstances despite the variables that were thrown at us this year. Precious young students in Melbourne and Sydney ...

Get to Know Dustyn and Hannah McLaren

Dustyn and Hannah are from our South East Queensland Labouring Community. Dustyn joined our Staff last year. We interviewed him for our Compass Newsletter Autumn 2023 issue. How did you come into relationship with Jesus? At the ripe age of five in October of 1987 I remember contemplating a ...

Appointment with God

Appointment With God Developing a lifelong consistent relationship with God is an intentional activity that requires; Strategy: A consistent realistic plan. Time: One must find a consistent time that works with busy schedules. Start small and allow the habit to strengthen as consistency ...

Julie Leads Generations

Dave and Julie McIntosh lead our Navigator work at Macquarie University. This is one story of what God has been doing through Navigators to grow generations of disciples. Julie shares: During my first two years serving at Macquarie University, it felt as though almost all of our female students ...

How do we care for international student graduates?

Caring for our co-labourers is a vital ingredient in keeping our communities strong. Kanini Mapperson and her husband, Tim, are community leaders in our International Student Ministry in Melbourne. June Sparks took the opportunity to sit with Kanini to get some tips on how to continue caring for ...

Special Feature: God Bless You, Karen!

Our Time With Karen ... “Good morning, The Australian Navigators. Karen speaking!” For the last 35 years, Karen Woolley has been the face and the voice of The Australian Navigators. Like the Queen of England who has seen her nation through many Prime Ministers, Karen has worked with ...

Conformity and Challenge: Western Culture 2

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; ...

Spiritual Decline: Western Culture 3

As the deer pants for streams of water,     so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.     When can I go and meet with God? Ps 42:1,2 The prophet Isaiah had a vision of heavenly creatures declaring: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the ...

Ordinary People, Lifelong Labourers

By Bruce Clarke, first published in Compass, Summer 2020 There are only two examples in the New Testament when Jesus specifically told his disciples what to pray. The best known of these is often called the Lord’s Prayer, which includes God’s holiness, His kingdom, daily needs, forgiveness, ...

Giving thanks even during lockdown

By Levi Swartzentruber 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Let me share two reasons I have for giving thanks, even during COVID lockdowns. The first is the opportunity I have had to build into Aiden’s life. Aiden ...

Q & A with Katherine Halliday

Let's get to know Katherine Halliday, Ministry Apprentice at Macquarie University, Sydney. What is your role with the Navigators? I’m serving as a Ministry Apprentice with the Navigators at Macquarie University. I have committed at least 2022 and 2023 as an apprentice, and I am excited ...

Another Student Receives Christ

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community Your prayer has been answered! Yesterday the Burmese student I asked you to pray for in August received Christ. I love how God brought this about. As I sat down with this student yesterday, the pressing question on his mind wasn’t, ‘How can I be ...

Resilience to Labour for a Lifetime

By Robert Bolton, Brisbane Labouring Community Resilience is the ability or capacity to recover quickly – to bounce back from difficulties and setbacks. Sometimes, everything in us wants to quit or at least slow down, it’s in these times that our need for a resilience outside ourselves is ...

Military

Navigators have been involved with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) since 1971. We have networks comprised of people whose love for God overflows in a passion to take the Gospel to the lost and lead disciples who make other disciples. Our communities are composed of people from all ranks and an ...

Local Community

The goal of Community ministries is to form spiritual generations through our expanding relational networks. Graduates, singles, couples, families and grandparents, from all different ethnic backgrounds are involved in our local community ministries and most of our members are active in their local ...

International Students

Our International Student communities aim to see international students led to know and follow Jesus, bringing Him into their everyday world. Life-on-life discipleship is Navigators’ hallmark. We focus on the Bible as the foundation for all we do and are strong on prayer – following the ...

Our Calling, Values and Beliefs

Calling The Calling of the Navigators is: To advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Values Our Calling is rooted in the soil of the core values of Navigators: 1. The passion to know, ...

History

Just an Ordinary Guy The Navigators ministry began in the 1930s, when a young California lumberyard worker caught a vision. After seeing the benefits of basic discipleship principles in his own life, Dawson Trotman wanted to teach them to others, echoing the call of 2 Timothy 2:2: "And the things ...

Topical Memory System

If you want to memorise Scripture, but aren't sure what to memorise or how, this system is exactly what you need to begin hiding God's word in your heart. The Topical Memory System is the clear, simple, proven way to meditate on key Bible verses. As a result, you can: Experience freedom ...

A Guide to Daily Devotions

Daily devotions are uninterrupted, unhurried time in the Word of God (Bible), prayer and scriptural meditation. “In our time alone with God we encounter God’s heart for us through His Word.”  The Bible is penetrating (Hebrews 4:12) and as we read it, reflect on it and meditate on it, ...

Why Do We Have Daily Devotions?

Christians are people who are in a relationship with God. He is the Creator, the sovereign Lord of the universe, all knowing, all powerful, gracious, good, loving, kind, compassionate, all wise, faithful, trustworthy, pure, holy, merciful, majestic, self-sufficient, always was and always will be, ...

Money & Giving

Money is always a bit touchy. Yet Jesus talked about it a lot. Did you know: Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible ...

Community

It is interesting that the word “community” does not appear in the Scriptures. However, the concept of community permeates the Scriptures. Community describes how the people of God are towards each other. It is how we relate to each other, how we live as brothers and sisters in Christ who are ...

ACTS Model

The ACTS model will be helpful to you as you learn how to pray. ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Adoration means worship. We encourage you to begin your time of prayer by adoring and praising God. Praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done for ...

Update June 2016

Last year, as the National Leadership Team and the Board prayed and planned, God reaffirmed for us the calling He has given to us. Indeed, current events make clear that now more than ever this world needs Jesus. God wants to see the gospel advance; to see His kingdom spread into all ...

Keep the Labourers Labouring

Dear Friends God wants to see His kingdom grow and this happens when, through His Spirit, he uses the changed life of an ordinary person, just like you and me, to change another.  We see it in the example of Jesus who chose a few disciples and invested deeply in them, so that the helpless ...

A Life Transformed by the Gospel

By Phil McMaster I first met 'Derek', a trainee Army cadet, in January at a voluntary church service during Year One Familiarisation Training (YOFT) at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). He came from a small regional town in Victoria. It wasn't clear whether he had any sort of faith ...

One-to-one: Matters of love and encouragement

By James Broad, first printed in Compass January 1986, Vol 9 No 1 The first seminar I ever attended on the subject of one-to-one ministry was in a car, in Derbyshire, on a rainy March day in 1967. There was only two of us in the car and the subjects covered were the importance of the individual ...

"You Teach Him!" — The Beginning of The Navigators

First published in The Compass, Volume 3 No. 4, July, 1980 Some years ago, there was a sailor on the U.S.S. West Virginia who had joined the navy with the idea of saving up enough money in order to enter Bible seminary after his period of service was ended. In the navy he lost track of his ...

The Words of Eternal Life

By Phil McMaster (Military Community Leader) on behalf of the team, Thomas and Raylee Bielenberg (ADFA and RMC) and Julianne McMaster (Solid Rock) I don’t know about you but I love reading the Bible with children. It is a special moment as the words bring excitement, joy and amazement from ...

Go And Make Disciples

By Grant Dibden Looking at the spiritual condition of our nation it’s easy to see a picture similar to that described in Matthew 9: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The ...

She said "Amen"

Phillip met Christ many years ago, and through his journey also met and became firm friends with some of our Navigator staff such as Rob Bolton and Ram Marrero. This week, he shared a heart-warming story of how the Lord can change hearts! Phillip’s aunt is 93 years old and lives in a nursing ...

An Everyday Labourer For God's Kingdom

Kristin Coulson, from Compass, Spring 2018 When you think of a labourer, do the words “manual work, dirty, and hard” come to mind? What is Jesus talking about when he calls us “labourers for the harvest fields” in Matthew 9? Belinda Krause and her husband, Nathan, live in Canberra and ...

Nurturing Those In Our Community

A story from one of our Melbourne Communities, first published in Compass, Autumn 2019 Cheny* (not her real name) first joined our group two and a half years ago. Reading Scripture was a first for her. She said, “If God exists, I’m afraid of Him and so I’ll ignore Him.” But Cheny loved ...

A Heart for the Nations

By Julie, Short-Term Missions Team, first published in Compass, Spring 2019 My husband and I have always had a deep burden for the nations and a longing to see labourers for the Kingdom next door to everywhere. One thing this burden has prompted us to do is to lead a number of short-term ...

Your Questions Answered! - by Theresa

The abridged version of this interview was first published in Compass, Spring 2019. Being on mission looks different for each of us. Some are compelled to go to far-flung nations while others are called to stay right where they are. What does being a local missionary look like? Theresa Suan ...

How Do You... ?

With Dan Pass, first published in Compass, Autumn 2020 Q&A with Dan & Beth Pass From Gingerbread House-making to Ping-Pong-athon ... we get the insight on howDan and Beth Pass "do" their engaging and interacting with both Christians and pre-believers, living out their Christian identity ...

Remembering Harvey Soderholm

Compiled by June Sparks, first published in Compass, Winter 2020 edition. Remembering Harvey Soderholm: A link in the Chain Harvey Soderholm was a lifelong labourer who served the Lord with The Navigators from the 1950s. He passed away on 11 June 2019, after suffering a cardiac arrest the ...

The Need of the Hour

By Frank and Tim Mapperson, first published in Compass, Summer 2020 As Navigators, we stand for life-on-life discipleship, living among the lost, leading all closer to Jesus and a Jesus-centred lifestyle. COVID-19 has made this both harder and more fruitful. Light shines brightest in ...

Enriching Your Marriage

A course developed by Doug and Geneve Utley This is a five-part plan to help you and your partner enrich your marriage. Remaining married is hard enough; statistics show about 50% of marriages end in divorce. When there are additional stressors, such as COVID-19 restrictions, vulnerabilities ...

Get To Know - Paul Bailey

Paul Bailey is an Apprentice, serving with the Melbourne Labouring Community. He answered some questions for Compass so that we can get to know him better. What is your role with the Navigators? Currently I am a Ministry Apprentice at Monash University (Clayton Campus). This role is two-fold. ...

The Harvest is Plenty

By Paul Bailey, Ministry Apprentice, Monash University, Melbourne. “Paul!” my new friend "C" called to me. “I can't believe it! For three days, this kid has just been hanging around us. He has played some basketball and table tennis, but he is very cheeky. He won’t give his name or age, ...

Perseverance That Overcomes

By Lindsey Swartzentruber, first published in Compass Autumn edition 2021 Living as a labourer, bringing others along as we pursue knowing Christ, takes perseverance that stems from convictions on God’s character. When I first met Skye in 2011, she was a hard-working, soccer-playing, leopard ...

Who is God and what is He like?

Is God the centre of your life? Would you like to know Him better? Love Him deeper? Grow to be more like His son, Jesus? We have many resources available to you here one our website. But if you're looking specifically for studies to help you not only to know about Him but to dive deeper in your ...

Connected and Valued

by Rod Jolly, Melbourne Labouring Community, first published in Compass Winter 2021 edition. God made us to live in community. Hebrews 10:25 says it so clearly, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return ...

Sharing Hope in Community

By Julie McIntosh, first printed in Compass, Summer 2021 Cancelled. Postponed. Online. In contrast to the event-oriented lifestyle many of us were previously accustomed to, these words seem to characterise our current schedules. Today, perhaps more than ever, we are faced with the truth that we ...

God Behind the Scenes

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community Connecting with people during COVID-19 restrictions can be a challenge, but I wanted to share with you a story about Ethan, who I meet with online. Ethan and I started meeting a few years ago, about the time he finished high school. Although he ...

Pointing People to the "Christ" in Christmas

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community. I met Jay on campus in first semester whilst playing basketball, before the lockdown. Since then, I have been meeting one-to-one with Jay, getting our weekly exercise by walking and talking about all aspects of life. In one of our earlier chats ...

To Know Christ - And Make Him Known

By Judy Leow, Melbourne Labouring Community "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 NIV   It is good to remember during the Christmas season that Love ...

Foundations of Resilience

By Bruce Clarke. First published in Compass, Autumn 2022. The global pandemic has significantly changed our lives through lockdowns and restrictions affecting employment, relationships, travel, gatherings, sport, etc. We are cut off from so much of what is important to us as creative, social ...

Campus Life: small windows, deep engagement

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community Something I love about campus ministries is the intensity and depth of engagement we have with people for a short window of time. As hard as it is when students move on, there is an endless influx of opportunity. I recently farewelled Isaak, who ...

Q & A with Jane Sheppard

Let's get to know another one of our new Ministry Apprentices. This time from our Melbourne Labouring Community. How did you come to be with Navigators? As a young adult I had asked God to provide me with a godly woman who could be a spiritual mentor to me. After persevering 20 years in ...

How Do You Begin a Grassroots Ministry?

Grassroots ministry is the starting point of advancing the gospel and building the next generation, beginning with people around you who haven’t heard the good news of Jesus. As a labourer living and discipling among the lost, how do you begin a grassroots ministry? 1. Pray for: • ...

Topical Memory System

The Navigators’ Scripture Memory Course HIDE GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEART — WHERE IT WILL SHAPE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. Wherever life takes you, the Topical Memory System (TMS) provides a portable, effective way to memorize Scripture. Developed by The Navigators, the Topical Memory ...

The J. I. Packer Classic Collection - Limited Stock!

Daily Readings for Your Spiritual Journey Named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America, Oxford-trained theologian and author J. I. Packer has helped Christians around the world discover the wonder, glory, and joy of knowing God personally. Now you can have the ...

SCL3: Talking With Christ

STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN LIVING SERIES BOOK 3 In Studies in Christian Living, you'll find help for establishing a program of personal study in God's Word, learning and practising the essentials of a well-rounded Christian life, and growing into a plan of Bible study you can continue on your ...

SCL6: Serving Others

STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN LIVING SERIES BOOK 6 In Studies in Christian Living, you'll find help for establishing a program of personal study in God's Word, learning and practising the essentials of a well-rounded Christian life, and growing into a plan of Bible study you can continue on your ...