Paul G Leavenworth

Finishing Well Paul G Leavenworth

Way too many leaders are not finishing well! The research of J. Robert Clinton and his students at Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA) have discovered that only about one in three Christian leaders finish well in life and leadership. This is a tragic situation that must be addressed. Clinton describes finishing well as: "At the end of a person's life, they have a vibrant, growing relationship with Christ, and they have essentially fulfilled their calling and left behind a legacy of righteousness [for generations to come]." (Clinton, Leaders on Leadership, Barna (editor), p. 152) The Apostle Paul, near the end of his life, said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness..." (II Timothy 4:7-8a, NIV) Clinton's research and this Bible passage (and many others) suggest that finishing well is God's desire for his people and that it is possible! The purpose of this workbook is to help you appropriate this reality - we can finish well, we must finish well! We can finish well because Christ has already "finished" it for us on the cross, in his resurrection, his ascension, and his ongoing intercession on our behalf. Not only this, but he has given us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and we have the Bible and each other. We have all the resources needed to finish well. We just need to figure out how to do it. Finishing Well integrates the research findings of Clinton with biblical concepts that relate to finishing well in one's life, leadership, and legacy. It is a companion to the two other workbooks in The Finishing Well Series (The Extraordinary Power of a Focused Life and Deep Processing). All of these workbooks are formatted using the IDEA approach of discovery learning for life transformation. Each chapter begins with an Introduction (I) followed by Discovery (D), Explanation (E), and Application (A) sections. Each chapter can be worked through as an individual unit or in sequence as a whole with a variety of process options including individual, small group, and various course applications. The goal of the IDEA approach is to facilitate the "gracious work" of God through his Word and Spirit to transform us "into his likeness with ever increasing glory..." (II Corinthians 3:18, NIV)