Episode S7E01: Pressing on in 2026!

Our founder gives a brief 20-minute encouragement and a challenge for the new year before us. Our mission? We exist to call a generation of aging believers to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus and the glory of God. Let’s embrace 2026 for this purpose.

Hal Habecker, host of the Finishing Well podcast, reflects on the mission of aging Christians to lead, influence, and encourage others. He emphasizes the importance of discipleship, regardless of age, and encourages listeners to press on in their faith. Habecker shares personal anecdotes, including his 50-year marriage and the impact of his spiritual gifts. He highlights the need for older believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to continue making an impact in their communities. The podcast aims to inspire and equip believers to live and finish well, emphasizing that retirement should not be seen as an ending but as a time to serve and leave a legacy for God's glory.

Transcript

Unknown: 0:02

Ian today on the finishing well podcast,

Dr Hal Habecker: 0:06

we're aging Christians called to lead our family, set an example, influence others. Use the resources all that God has given us, all the years, all the hardships, all the joys, and God gives them to us to encourage others coming behind us.

Unknown: 0:25

Welcome to the finishing well podcast where we encourage believers of every age to find meaningful ways to impact their world for the kingdom of God. Our mission is to prepare and encourage every person to live well and to finish well. We pray this podcast will be a source of strength and encouragement as we seek to glorify Christ as we engage him in our aging years. Now here's your host for finishing well, Hal habecker,

Dr Hal Habecker: 0:51

a good morning podcast. Finishing Well, ministry land. My name is Hal habecker, and I'm glad to be here with you. I want to do something different this morning. This is the first podcast of 2026 and I want to say Happy New Year to all of you. Thanks for being with us. Look forward to the podcast that will come, and everything else you'll receive from finishing well, ministries. I'm thinking of this. I think I wasn't here. Franklin Deller and Roosevelt, the president, used to have what is called those fireside chats. I think of this as a fireside chat of sorts. If you were sitting across from me, or I was sitting at your desk or in your home, sharing a New Year's message and some thoughts about finishing well, this is what I'd share. So I just want to put it out there for you as a note of encouragement. I have a passion for this ministry I could talk forever about that. It's from my heart. God has laid hold of me. Philippians three, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me. That's what I'm about. And just some basics of my life and how they relate to finishing well, ministry. I'm 76 as you know, but the call to discipleship in Luke nine is still critical. If any man wishes to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. That's my mission as a 76 year old, husband, man, father, grandfather, friend, pastor of sorts, that's your mission this year, that we would deny ourselves whatever it is we think is most important to us, and really take up our cross and give our lives back to Jesus. I think that's the cry of a senior generation that follows Christ. This is God's desire to be faithful to Him. I want that for my life in 2026 and you want it too. I think least I would urge you to want it and we could do it together. Ephesians, 210, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ, Jesus for good works, which he ordained beforehand that we should walk in them. That's our mission at our age. In these aging years doesn't matter to me. If you're 70 680-696-6656, or a high school student. Our mission is to do the works which God ordained, Romans, 829, for whom He foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. God wants me to be conformed fully to the image of His Son, Jesus. You know that? I know that, so let's encourage each other to pursue Christ's likeness in all of our lives. I quote in Philippians three that I may lay hold of that for which Christ, Jesus laid hold of me. And I want to press on at my age. Paul was in prison when he wrote those words, as you know. So here he is sitting in a prison cell saying, God, I know what you have for me ahead. And I want to press on mentally, spiritually, physically, in every way, to take hold of that and make it my own. He says in verse 14, for I press on for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ, Jesus, consider acts one eight, but wait and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the world. You know, it's interesting. There are people in Warsaw and the Ukraine that want to translate our seven essentials into those languages, because they say that in Russian and Eastern. Europe and those languages, the churches are filled with older people who are who are unsure of what God wants for them. That's our message, you know, to herald it to the world, to our homes, our community, to be filled with the Spirit. An 86 year old person should be filled with the Spirit just as much as a 10 year old or a 16 year old. God wants us as aging people to be filled with His Spirit in every way to address the issues of our homes, our marriages, our kids, our grandkids, fellow church members all around us, aging people in our church, let's be filled with the spirit for his purposes, I want that for our marriage, my marriage begin. I just celebrated 50 years just a few days ago, 50 Year Anniversary. God is good and kind for extending our years, however long he extends them. I want us to be an impact. I want to make an impact. So do you I want to do it for generations around me, my kids, our adult kids are grandkids, like the psalmist says in Psalm 71 oh Lord, You have taught me from my youth, and I still at my age. Now declare your wondrous deeds. I want to do that to people around me, my adult kids, my grandkids around me at church, I want to talk about God's power in my life, helping me grow through trials and tribulations. I want to keep using my spiritual gift in this what are your spiritual gifts? Let me ask you a question, do they slack off with age? One of my gifts is the gift of encouragement and teaching. I just shared lunch with a friend three days ago. Who knows of a 94 year old professor that I had in seminary and he is still well in teaching? I think of j i packer, who died at 93 still teaching when he died with macular degeneration and the afflictions of our aging years. You know, I'm reminded of this every time I read the Scripture. Let me share a short devotional with you. I have a habit of reading the Psalms, and yesterday's Psalm that I read was Psalm 98 and I want to paraphrase it out of the abide Bible and share it with you and see how it fits you. Here it goes, Sing to the Lord a new song for he performs amazing deeds. So what are the songs I'm singing at my age? What are the songs you're singing at your age? What are the songs you're singing with your spouse, with your kids, your grandkids, with those around you, singing songs of God's amazing deeds, his right hand and his mighty arm accomplish deliverance? Yeah, I'm struggling with some issues right now. In my own personal life, I'm asking God to work through them and work out of them and get me beyond them. Verse two, the Lord demonstrates his power to deliver in the sight of the nations, He reveals His justice. God help me, vindicate me, meet my needs, take me through the storms of this life. Verse three, he remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel and all the ends of the earth see our God delivers us. I mean, he's faithful to Vicki and me. He's faithful to our family. He's faithful to our friendships. I see it for 50 years. I've seen it. And all the ends of the earth shall see our God deliver us. I want to proclaim that in in Ukraine, in Russia. I mean, so do you what's our worldwide network? Verse four, shout out praises to the Lord all the earth. Break out in joyful shout and sing. Break out in a joyful shout and sing. You know, do we do that, or we too busy? We run through life. Verse five, Sing to the Lord, accompanied by a harp accompanied by a harp and the sound of music. Vicki, I just watched The Sound of Music The other week. You know, it's just a thrilling, thrilling movie, but that's what we ought to be in with our lives. We ought to be the sound of music of God's faithfulness. Verse six, not only just singing and the sound of music with trumpets and blaring of the ram's horn shout out praises before the king the Lord. I mean, what a positive Psalm. And it's not only us. Verse seven, let the sea and everything in it shout along with the world and those who live in it, let the rivers climb. Clap their hands, let the mountains sing in unison. Before the Lord, He comes to judge the earth. He judges the world fairly and the nations in a just manner. You know we live in a chaotic world, but like Psalm 46 Be still and know that I am God in the stillness of our lives. He works and creates confidence in him. You know, that's the heartbeat of finishing. Well, ministries, by the way, we're it's called finishing. Well, we're finishing. We're not finished. We're finishing day by day. We're on a road. We're finishing. We're moving forwards. You know, our ministry is called finishing well ministries. You know, I want to rename it for a second. It's really finishing well. Movement, a finishing well. Movement, it's it's not a ministry as much as it is a movement fueled by the Holy Spirit. It's not an organization, but it's a spirit led movement for the glory of God. Though we are registered as a 501, c3, organization, this is not our identity. We are not a business, although it's a business aspect of the work of God to do things decently and in order, we have a board. They oversee what we do, but our mission really is this, listen, I'm going to say it twice. We exist to call a generation of aging believers to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus and the glory of God. That's what Psalms 98 was all about, let me say it again, we exist to call a generation of aging believers to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus and the glory of God. I think that's why God has finishing well as a movement here today quotes that really mean a lot to me. I'm going to give you three of them, number one, life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty well and preserved body, but rather to skid broadside in a cloud of Smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, what a ride I love that don't you, by the way, you can download a transcript of this podcast and have these quotes for yourself. J I packer, dr, J Packer was a hero of mine. I took a class from him in 2013 up in Regent college, and he has this in his little book, finishing our course with joy. By the way, I would, if I could, I'd make it a required reading for every aging person. Here's what he says. Quote, runners in a distance race always try to keep something in reserve for a final sprint. And my contention is that, so far as our bodily health allows, we should aim to be found running the last lap of the race of our Christian life, as we would say, flat out the final sprint. So I urge should be a sprint indeed. That's finishing well, finishing strong for the glory of God. And one more, this is by one of my mentors, Dr Howard Hendricks. He says this old age is as important and meaningful a part of God's perfect will as youth. Think about that God designed these aging years for us. He God is interested in both the waxing and waning of life. Just as potential is locked up in young people and often never developed, so the full possibilities of old age often remain dormant and die with the person. God forbid I could add the work of God. Listen, the work of God will be greatly enriched when more attention is given to releasing and utilizing this hidden resource. Older people represent the greatest potential resource and labor pool within our churches, though consistently ignored, those words by these authors and by these scriptures and by the basic call of Jesus, which is where we started, are the words that mark my life and words that should Mark our generation as believers, heralding the hope of Christ to the next generations that follow us. Let me conclude my thoughts a little bit. It's not a long podcast. If I were sitting by you or across from you or have a cup of coffee, we could go on rambling about these ideas. Is but you know, yesterday, I just had a conversation with a friend, a new friend in Georgia, who is wanting to see this movement of finishing well, become part of his local church. We had a fascinating conversation. Here were some of his words to me, and I hear these again and again wherever I go, older people are often forgotten, but we are not a forgotten people. We are a sideline people by our culture, but we are not sidelined. God has a purpose for us. We may be retired, but we're not retired. We're as vibrant for Jesus in our Asian years as ever, our time has not passed. I think Solomon said that Ecclesiastes don't long for the good old days. This is our time. We are on this stage now, at this season of our life, running the race that is set before us. Our purposes are not gone. We may have changed purposes. We had a purpose when we were 50 and 60, when we were still working, raising our kids and sending them to college and doing those kinds of things. We may have to invent a new purpose. We need to continue to grow. We do have an identity. We do have a purpose, and we do have a mission for God in these years, it is a legacy to complete. We are not finished. I would say, for too long, retirement has been framed as an ending, a slow fade into quieter days and smaller ambitions. No way, no way. God has purposes for us. We are a critically important segment of the church's multi generational mission in making the name of Jesus known. That's that Psalm 71 passage. We have time to think and pray at this season of our life more than we had earlier in our life. It's busy. Some ways, life is the same, and sometimes we have more time at our leisure. We have time to sense and to know God's purposes for us in these aging years. If that's not clear, take time to pray. Listen to God, ask his spirit, ask and you'll receive knock. It'll be open to you. You know God ask us to draw on him for his direction in our lives. Remember that we are a movement of God. I'm thinking of the whole finishing well movement. We're aging Christians called to lead our family, set an example, influence others, use the resources all that God has given us, all the years, all the hardships, all the joys, and God gives them to us to encourage others coming behind us, to set an example. So let's excel in knowing why we're here. We are a movement of God. We are a movement for God. We are a movement for His glory, and we are a movement for his mission to make the name of Jesus known. Thanks for listening these few minutes. If my thoughts generate questions and you want to interact with me, please write me Hall at finishing well ministries, dot O, R, G, pray for our movement. Pray for our work. Be a part of it. Do your best to make seniors in your sphere of influence, in your church andor everywhere you go, be a part of making an impact and leaving a legacy for the glory of God as well. I want to bring it to a close, and I close it with the little poem by Robert Browning. He wrote this first lines to Rabbi Ben Ezra. He says this, and it's my invitation for me, for the spirit, for you, grow old along with me. The best is yet to be the last of life for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand, who saith a whole I planned youth shows but half. Trust God, see all nor be afraid. I mean, that really is our mission. The best is yet to be I want to pray God's blessing on you and me, and the work he has entrusted to us, the life he has given us to give back and live for him. Would you join? Join me, and then we'll close, father. I thank you for your mission for us. I thank you for why your son laid hold of us through His Spirit. I pray that we would lay hold of that for which you laid hold of us and our lives in these aging years. That's why we're here. We love you, and we pledge to take this year that you've extended to us, and all the days, weeks, months in it and for as long as we're here breathing, we want to use our lives for you, or we want to be used up for you. Our time will come, but until then, let's be vibrant and brave and confident and filled with the spirit for his purposes in our life. In the name of Christ, we pray and praise all these things and all of God's people said, Amen, I can hear the chorus out there. So let's press on. Write me and let me know how we can encourage you topics you want to address. And this is just the first of many podcasts we'll send your way as a way of encouraging each other to be all that you want us to be. God bless

Unknown: 21:15

you've been listening to the finishing well podcast, let's keep pursuing Jesus together and encourage each other to follow him in our aging years. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, or you can find us at finishing well ministries.org/podcast, our vision is to change the way we think about our aging Season of Life, equipping you to actively pursue God's calling in your life. May the Lord bless and encourage you, and we'll see you next time on the finishing well podcast. You.