FINISHING WELL

Send us Fan Mail Seven weeks ago Hal had a serious bike wreck and needed surgery. In this new podcast listen to Hal share the story of his bike wreck and recovery. He is back on his feet now and pressing on again in serving God and Finishing Well Ministries. Life can bring many kinds of unanticipated events that will sideline us, but God is good, and He is always working out His purposes in our li...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s podcast, Hal’s wife, Vicki, shares her story about having to “change lanes” in life. Using the metaphor of a freeway, she shares her story about changes God has for her, changing to a different lane, and even getting off the freeway and onto a service road. Changes in life are not easy at times, but God uses them for His purposes. You will enjoy her story. Support the s...

Send us Fan Mail Randy interviews guest Brian Davis, a technology expert and church ministry leader, discussing several key aspects of finishing well, such as how the podcast world is changing, and how we at FWM are responding. Our new arrangements that Brian helped us set up are able to vastly expand our impact and reach as we try to make the FWM message more meaningful to all Getting started wit...

Send us Fan Mail Randy interviews guest Brian Davis, a technology expert and church ministry leader, discussing several key aspects of finishing well, such as how the podcast world is changing, and how we at FWM are responding. Our new arrangements that Brian helped us set up are able to vastly expand our impact and reach as we try to make the FWM message more meaningful to all Getting started wit...

Send us Fan Mail “While the 4th Essential deals with investing in generations that follow us, we discover that there are choices  younger people may make that are contrary to their parents’ values. While independence from parents is expected and planned (we raise our kids for independence), sometimes younger people outwardly reject the values of church and family. What then does God expect us to d...

Send us Fan Mail Randy is a founding board member of Finishing Well Ministries and cohost of this podcast. After nine years with us, he shares his perspective on the ministry in his own words and where he sees it going. Join us for an exciting and candid conversation with Randy Hess.  Support the show "Finishing Well Ministries aims to encourage and inspire aging Christians to understand and...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast Hal & his wife, Vicki, team up to share insights and encouragement concerning the importance of happiness and laughter in the continued journey of aging and finishing well. There may be reasons to be discouraged - health problems, family problems, world problems, emotional challenges, spiritual challenges, disappointments, trial of all sorts – economic, politic...

Send us Fan Mail Whether it is preparing and thinking ahead for retirement or when we retire, what does it take to develop a “Finishing Well mindset? What happens when we “retire?” How do we explore the challenges and advantages of discovering how to live with a “Finishing Well” mindset? Support the show "Finishing Well Ministries aims to encourage and inspire aging Christians to understand a...

Send us Fan Mail In this new podcast Hal and Randy suggest some attitude and behavior tools to build your own resource toolbox in Finishing Well. It all starts with our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grows out of life in and through Him.  Support the show "Finishing Well Ministries aims to encourage and inspire aging Christians to understand and embrace God’s calling in their...

Send us Fan Mail In the first part of our two-segment series, we dive deep into the evolving role of parenting as our children reach adulthood. We explore questions like "Are we still parents, and if so, how?" and consider the importance of understanding who our adult children have become, beyond who they were in their teenage years. Join us as we discuss the delicate balance between bei...

Send us Fan Mail Part two of our series focuses on the nuances of offering advice to adult children and the potential pitfalls that can drive a wedge in these relationships. We examine the importance of leading with love, finding a balance between truth-telling and graciousness, and the crucial role of listening and supporting rather than assuming the role of the all-knowing advisor. Tune in to ga...

Send us Fan Mail Hal Habecker, together with his wife, Vicki, share their insights on pain and living with pain. Someone has said that pain is the gift no one wants. But God has His purposes in our pain. Vicki and Hal share a bit of their own journey through the ups and downs of pain in their lives along with things God is teaching them. Support the show "Finishing Well Ministries aims to enc...

Send us Fan Mail There are any number of spheres through which God can use us to make a difference in His kingdom. We can envision this truth through a series of concentric circles – begin with knowing yourself and discover anew how God is calling and leading you to serve and encourage other in the following areas of life -  spouse, family, friends and neighbors, and church. Then there may be vari...

Send us Fan Mail There are so many things to think about in the topic of “Aging.” We want to address one of those aspects today – the aspect of “Letting go.” Aging teaches us know what it means to let go – “letting go” is a new season of learning – aging teaches us about limits – life changes - churches ought to have active plans to be with and encourage those who are learning to let go as life ch...

Send us Fan Mail The 2nd Essential is “Being Connected.” We will CONNECT – we will not live alone – we will continue to build strong friendships – we will stay connected and encourage each other. Friendships make all the difference. While the aging process often leads to isolation and greater loneliness, staying connect with growing friendships makes a tremendous difference in life. That is God’s...

Send us Fan Mail Our 1st of the 7 Essentials is GROWTH. We Will GROW – we will not stay the same. Growth is the underpinning of nearly everything in life. Growth is always life-giving. If we are not growing we are not life-giving. Hal and Randy explore the value of Growth in all of life. “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.” Gail Sheehy Support the show &q...

Send us Fan Mail Grief may often be a part of the Christmas season. The loss of a spouse, a family member, the disappointments and loss of friends and relationships, illnesses, hospitalizations, and other various life changes will detract from the joy of the season. Grief is real and is a part of life (Ecclesiastes 3.4). Even if the grief is not your grief personally, you will probably be with oth...

Send us Fan Mail Finishing Well during the Christmas season may not be “picture perfect.” While we will send and receive countless Christmas cards with pictures of our families that are “picture perfect,” real life is often somewhat chaotic. The 3 or 4 generations in our families will have differing agendas. How do we as the patriarchs and matriarchs listen to and enjoy those who may be totally di...

Send us Fan Mail In general, the Bible speaks of generations as 3 generations at a time – Abrahm, Isaac, and Jacob Deuteronomy 6.2-9 – fathers, sons, and grandsons – and then perhaps great and great, great grandchildren as God allows. God has us here for those purposes – to teach, lead, mentor future generations. God calls us to the same multi-generational tasks wherever He takes us – church, scho...

Send us Fan Mail Christ went above and beyond in His great love for us and therefore calls us to give away our lives for others around us. This could be our families, people in our communities, even the most unexpected people He may bring into our lives that aren't like us. This is the distinguishing mark of the Church in the world and God is calling us to be those kinds of people. We are to...

Send us Fan Mail This is the introduction to a 7 Part Series on the Seven Essentials for Finishing Well.  You know, our desire as older people is to change the narrative of our lives. Our culture says we're finished, we're retired, we're over the hill. But I don't believe that we're here as Christians to make a greater difference for Christ. Throughout our remaining years....

Send us Fan Mail In this 6th Essential we think towards what wisdom would teach us as we anticipate nearing the final season of our life. Wisdom would tell us that we should plan ahead for when we will not be here. In practical terms, what does that mean for us personally, for our families, together with all that God has entrusted to us through the years He has entrusted to us? Support the show &q...

Send us Fan Mail One of the joys of aging is that God has new purposes and experiences for us every day that we live. Whether it is new people or friends we already know, each day brings new opportunities to get “out of ourselves and love others.” Perhaps its and encouraging word, taking time to listen, a simple act of service, or a new project never before considered, God leads us and He calls us...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast it is my joy to introduce Larry Fowler, President of Legacy Coalition, to our network. Legacy Coalition is a ministry focused on grandparenting – grandparents and grandkids (Legacy Coalition - Christian Grandparenting Ministry. Don’t miss this podcast. Furthermore, don’t miss the national summit of Legacy Coalition which will be in Dallas October 19 and 20. Legacy...

Send us Fan Mail In our 7 Essentials series, we complete the series with heaven. But shouldn’t we consider our starting point with the end in view? There is a sense in which the 7th Essential informs each of the previous 6 Essentials. So, let’s begin our review of the 7 Essentials with trying to imagine what heaven might be like and trying to image our new relationship with our heavenly Father. We...