Retirement

Focusing on What Matters

It’s no shock that the culture tries to lure us into believing that the last 30 years of life are about focusing on ourselves. However, the Bible speaks in contrast to this mindset and reminds us that we are to have an eternal focus. Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 3:2 is that we are to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Popular author and speaker, Frances Chan illustrates this as he explains our life and eternity like a rope. As we consider our own lives and as we minister with people in the second-half, I hope this short teaching will cause us to re-think how to approach the retirement years.

Ignite Your Life Talk Show

It was a privilege to be a part of the Ignite Your Life Talk Show event that was filmed live at Valparaiso University on March 12. This one and a half hour show had 6 guests that talked about aging from a variety of perspectives. They were fascinating people for me to meet and interact with. If you would like to watch the show, click on the Ignite Your Life logo below. My specific part is at about 44 minutes, but the entire program has lots of great information so I hope you will take in the entire thing!

Wanted: Retirement Coaches

Several weeks ago I read an article about retirement coaches. These are individuals who have made it their business to help people navigate how to spend their retirement years. Unlike retirement planning that focuses on managing money, these coaches help adults manage their “post-career” life. Wouldn’t it be great if the church began to take on the ministry of equipping people to live out a purposeful retirement? One way to do this is to look at the members of your congregation and consider who is currently retired that would be good mentors for those approaching retirement. Read more

Three Ways to Help Boomers Navigate Work, Retirement and Ministry

Work and Retirement. These words seem like complete opposites, but more and more these two words are showing up in the same sentence as baby boomers re-invent their retirement years. Boomers want to make a difference with their lives, and whether they choose to work for pay or work in a volunteer capacity, we want them to focus their lives towards Kingdom work. How can we help them do this? Read more

A New View of Retirement

With the first baby boomer turning 65 in 2011, there is lots of talk in the media about retirement. In this post, I’ve got three articles on this topic to share with you – all which are worth reading.

1. Bill was 57 when he retired after a career as a salesman and spent his first few years of retirement gardening and fishing. There’s nothing wrong with those two hobbies – but Bill was designed to do more. And there are millions of others who are retired or soon to be retired that need to find a new calling – one where they give a portion of their time to ministry. Check out Bill’s inspiring story of how one man turned his retirement years into a time of productivity for God’s work. It’s my dream that we will see story after story about men and women like Bill. If you have a story like this, please post it in the comments.

2. Did you know there are actually phases of retirement? In Chapter 5 of my book, Baby Boomers and Beyond, I talk about the stages of retirement as Dr. Robert Atchley describes them, but last week I read a study that had a bit of a different take on the stages of retirement. Looking at these phases can be very helpful to us as we seek to minister with people. Can we identify the phase they are in? How can we pray for them during this phase? How can we support them? Here are the phases identified in The New Retirement Mindscape study:
1) Imagination
2) Hesitation
3) Anticipation
4) Realization
5) Reorientation
6) Reconciliation.

3. Finally, the third article I want to draw your attention to is The Retirement of the Future and it is right on in terms of how boomers are viewing the retirement years. Many want to keep working in some fashion, however they also want time for leisure pursuits. And many of them want to do something purposeful with their lives. In the article is a quote from Ken Dychtwald who says, “There’s a dawning realization among boomers that a life of pure leisure, with no challenge or stimulation, is both unaffordable and boring, especially since—with increasing life spans—this phase might last for 30 years or more.”

Let’s not sit by passively as millions are deciding how they are going to spend their retirement years. We need to enter into the journey and point these people to Christ and help them discover how they can use their lives to make a Kingdom impact.

What are you doing in your ministry context to address the issues of retirement?

Abandon Retirement

This powerful video speaks against what our world so often teaches us about retirement. Take a look and then tell me what you think.