Sometimes people think that discipleship is mystical or complicated, but to a mom in Melbourne, Florida, it’s not all that complicated. She knows spiritual reproduction is the simple act of extending God’s love to others in the context of daily life—and watching it spread.
As a sophomore at the University of Florida, Lynne Mills was “on the fence” as far as her relationship with God. Then she met The Navigators. “I really grew in my relationship with God,” she says. “People spent one-on-one time with me and invested their lives in me.” The principles she learned became the foundation of a lifelong walk with God.
It was a foundation that Lynne built on right where she was. “I got married and started a family,” Lynne shares. “And it was through my investment in my kids’ lives, and what they were doing that I’ve been able to use the foundational principles I learned from The Navigators.” The things she learned 30 years ago as a college student, Lynne now puts into practice every day.
When one of her daughters wanted to play a sport, Lynne got her involved in soccer. Lynne soon fell in love with the game too, and ended up coaching—even though she’d never played herself!
“More than falling in love with soccer,” says Lynne, “I fell in love with being involved in the lives of youth.” And she added, “You hear about ‘unreached’ or ‘untouched’ people in other countries,” she says, “but there are a lot of ‘untouched’ people—especially youth—right here in America. So many kids in this country never hear about who God is.”
So Lynne began sharing spiritual things with some of the players. “It started simple like saying a prayer before games,” she says. “Then we began inviting the kids to church and to our home. Coaching these kids has opened up so many doors to being involved in peoples’ lives!”
Through Lynne’s influence, a number of these kids attended a youth camp sponsored by Lynne’s church. In fact, of the kids attending the camp who didn’t have a faith background, the vast majority came through Lynne’s children or through her soccer connection.
But was “spiritual reproduction” happening? Lynne’s daughter, Kassidy, related that, “My mom taught me a lot about relationships with people. She taught me the importance of taking the time to get to know them and—when the opportunity comes—to tell them about Jesus.”
“It’s so neat to see my kids picking up the vision of wanting to share what God is doing in their lives,” Lynne says. “It’s a lifestyle The Navigators instilled in me.” And now she gets to see her children living it out as well.
Lynne sees herself as more than a “soccer mom.” As she puts it, “I’m a soccer coach. But at the foundation of my heart, I’m proud to say that I’m a Navigator!”
Check out the generational video.
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