Thanks to our
Sponsor for this Fourth Edition of The
Bridge!
Please visit their website to
become acquainted with this unique
ministry.
www.eastwest.org |
Sponsoring Info
"We
believe the local church is the primary vehicle through which
God will establish His Kingdom (Matthew 16:18).
Therefore our ultimate purpose in evangelizing and equipping
nationals in limited access countries is to help facilitate
national-led church planting movements which will impact
millions with the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Read more at www.eastwest.org
. |
Meet the
Staff
Paul and
Colleen
Erdmann
Paul and Colleen joined the Finishers staff in the
Arizona office in April of this year. They came to us after
spending almost 6 years with an inner city ministry in New
Orleans where their roles were very similar to what they are
with Finishers.
Paul is our Chief Operating Officer and
Colleen is in charge of
bookkeeping.
Originally from NW Iowa, the Erdmanns owned their own
business in a small rural town for 18 years before God called
them into ministry. They were "finishers" but didn't
know it!
Paul and Colleen have four children
- Chris and Drew in Paullina, IA, Nick
(Becky) in Crystal Lake, IL and Jenn (Kyle) in
Danville,
VA. | |
The Bridge serves to keep you connected with the
amazing ministry and impact of Finishers Project.
We welcome your feedback, so please call or
write.
| |
Getting Old for the Glory
of
God
Psalm
71:18
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do
not forsake me, until I proclaim your might
to another generation, your power to all
those to come.
Getting
old to the glory of God means getting old in a way that
makes God look glorious. It means living and dying in a
way that shows God to be the all-satisfying Treasure
that he is. So it would include, for example, not living
in ways that makes this world look like your treasure.
Which means that most of the suggestions that this world
offers us for our retirement years are bad ideas. They
call us to live in a way that would make this world look
like our treasure. And when that happens, God is
belittled.
What
will it mean to get old to the glory of God as a baby
boomer in America? It will mean a radical break with the
mindset of our unbelieving peers. Especially a break
with the typical dream of retirement.
Millions of Christian men and women are
finishing their formal careers in their fifties and
sixties, and for most of them there will be a good
twenty years before their physical and mental powers
fail. What will it mean to live those final years for
the glory of God? How will we live them in such a way as
to show that Christ is our highest Treasure?
The
promise: Isaiah 46:3-4,
"[You] have been borne by me from before
your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old
age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I
have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will
save."
Don't be afraid, Christian. You will persevere.
You will make it home. Sooner than you think. Live
dangerously for the one who loved you and died for you
at age 33. Don't throw your life away on the American
dream of retirement. You are as secure as Christ is
righteous and God is just. Don't settle for anything
less than the joyful sorrows of magnifying Christ in the
sacrifices of love. And then in the Last Day, you will
stand and hear, "Well done good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your master."
By John Piper.
© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
For the full
version of this message by John Piper you can click on
this link: Getting Old for the
Glory of God
|
Yea
God Story
-
Finishers in Kazakhstan
Tim and I
first heard of Finishers through a Perspectives on the
World Christian Movement class that we attended in Davis
CA in 2004. At the end of the course they told
those of us in class who were in the 40's to
50's age range to register on your website.
We registered, filling in a very easy to use
questionnaire. Within a week or two we started
receiving emails from several sending organizations that
liked our background experiences.
Tim has a
background in business administration/inventory
management and I have an education background. We
had many offers of jobs and service opportunities around
the world to pray about and choose from. One of
the offers came from Operation Mobilization who, after
receiving a return email from us asking for more
information, called us personally to answer any
questions we had.
Tim had
visited Kazakhstan with a short term team in support of
YWAM workers in the summer of 2002, so he and I
were interested in any work in the Central Asian
area. We were told there were openings in
Kazakhstan and the OM representative sent us an
application package and started the ball rolling for our
adventure in Kazakhstan.
LaJauna is now teaching at the Tien Shan
Educational Center in Almaty and Tim is the literature
manager for Operaton Mercy/OM. We are also working
toward opening a member care guest house for crisis
interventions for all the "companies" in central
Asia.
Finishers was the doorway to finding OM and we
are eternally grateful for their ministry and
help. We plan to serve in Central Asia until Jesus
comes back or God tells us to do something
else!
Tim and
LaJauna Fickess
Servants of
the Most High God in
Kazakhstan |
| Ft Wayne Forum a Huge
Success
Blackhawk Ministries in Ft Wayne, IN
did an outstanding job of hosting our recent Finishers
Forum. Attended by 184 conference delegates, 61
agency representatives and 23 speakers, workshop
presenters and local staff this event will stand
out as a highlight for our year!
The mission agencies with display tables at the
forum enthusiastically shared that the attendees were
high-quality people who were serious about finding a
role in a missions ministry. 
Dave Estill with
Victim Relief explains their ministry to one of the
Forum
delegates. |
|
Questions that need to be
asked!
Q.
"What do I do when I need to update my
profile?"
A. I'm glad you
asked! It is important to update your profile at
least annually; more often, if necessary. To
update your profile, log in at www.finishers.org and then from
the list on your Account Options page, select
each of the various "Change" options, make the
necessary changes, then scroll to the bottom of the page
and select SAVE. Once you have updated each of the
areas of your profile, you can select "View Your Profile
Information" to see how it appears when mission agencies
look at it. If you cannot remember your login
information, please contact
headquarters@finishers.org. | |
|
Don
Parrott
CEO,The Finishers Project
| | |
