I attended my 30th high school reunion this weekend — Go Heralds from Whittier Christian High School! We had a grand time together celebrating what God has done in our lives and reconnecting after many years. What a joy it was to rekindle friendship and go a little deeper than our connections via Facebook and Twitter.
During the weekend we had a nice chapel service focusing on the importance of finishing well. Pastor Benny Perez from The Church at South Las Vegas, one of my classmates, shared a great message about finishing strong from Philippians 3. As we were planning the chapel together, I was reminded of the importance of finishing well and Benny gave us some great pointers on how to keep forward focused and finish the race by not looking back and rather pressing on to finish the race.
It reminded me of the great research done by Dr. J. Robert Clinton from Fuller Seminary, who has had such a profound impact on the development of A3. A good summary of Bobby's research can be found at one of my fellow mission executive's posts on the Acts 29 network blog — Dean Carlson from OC International.
Pastor Benny shared these three simple steps with us this week at our reunion which I think might encourage you in your journey to finish well:
- Stay Christ Centered
- Stay Growth Oriented
- Stay Vision Focused
Benny shared how important it is to keep our eyes looking mostly through the front window of the car rather than the rearview mirror. Later the story of America's first missionary, Adoniram Judson was shared. Judson, after living through many trials taking the Gospel to Burma, was asked "What hope do you have in returning to Burma?" with the assumption that all looked hopeless in his life and ministry. He responded,
"The future is as bright as the promises of God!"
Let's keep forward focused and remember that God has a great plan for our future… We can finish well if we stay focused on Him!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on finishing well… let me know what you think here or via email at
