Several years ago, we lived in a 100-year-old house located in a Colorado ski-town. Nestled in the corner of our living room sat an old black coal-burning stove. Every night we would fill it with little pieces of kindling, strike a match, and start a small fire. When there was sufficient flame, we added large [...]
I turned in my notice today. I’m retiring! Tonight’s discussion could not have come at a more perfect and necessary time. We gathered around the fireplace in our friends’ cozy living room to lead a Third Calling Conversation.* Nancy introduced herself and shared the news–she was leaving a 40-year career as an Intensive Care nurse. [...]
My Grandma Thomas deeply influenced my life. During my childhood, I was privileged to live next door to her and my Grandpa. They were farmers and were well-known for the fruit of their labor– luscious strawberries, raspberries, corn, and Kentucky Wonder beans. I learned from them to value hard work, family, and faith. Mostly faith. Today [...]
We are a highly sensitive generation. While we have been alive for decades, experienced an enormous amount and gained volumes of wisdom—we don’t like to be called anything that resembles old. Individuals, communities, churches, and marketers are all scrambling to find a moniker to set us apart from other demographics. On one hand, the discussion is [...]
New Wineskins Written by Wes Wick, Co-Founder and Director, YES! Young Enough to Serve So, does the American Church’s approach to 50+ ministry need new wineskins? While open to changing with the times, many of us don’t believe in change just for the sake of change. Reacting to boredom with the status quo may give [...]
Consider Tim's story. Tim enjoyed a fulfilling career in management at the Boeing Company. He later moved into a program management position at Microsoft. In his mid-50s, he began to question whether he had a long-term future there. After all, he was a history major, and the younger recruits to Microsoft came with strong backgrounds [...]
The expression of your calling may change as you face transitions in the third-third of your life. We use the terms First, Second and Third Calling to define our life in stages. Whether you have spent your working years–Second Calling–in the ministry or in the marketplace, there comes a time when the role you play [...]
What event or life circumstance is transitioning you into your Third Calling? For us, it seemed it came all too soon. Our kids left home, married and began living their lives on their own. We downsized our possessions and bought a red Mustang convertible. We became grandparents–six times in six years. And, we began asking [...]
Last night we attended a unique gathering of senior living and urban development innovators. Among them were architects, gerontologists, planners, and, of course, interested citizens. We learned of groundbreaking projects designed to make communities more livable for people of all ages. Since it was sponsored by AARP, the primary focus was on making life better [...]
Richard and Leona Bergstrom recently had the privilege of sharing the mic with ministry peer, Judy Wick from YES! Click here to listen to the 20-minute podcast about Third Calling and the ministry of Re-Ignite.
