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Thirty Seventh Edition - August 2010 
The Bridge

Finishers Project 
PO Box 12649 Chandler, AZ 85248 

PH. 480.584.5448
Fax 480.584.5336

Contact Our Staff: 

Pesident/CEO
Chief Innovation Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Director of Agency Relations 
Partner Support Coordinator 
Ele Parrott
Partner Meeting
Coordinator
Bookkeeper
Director of Client Services 
Web Site Development 
Research Consultant
Patrick Chiles
Director of Development and Communications
 
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 Coming Events
Click on these links to find more information about each event  
 2010 Retreats 
  
Tulsa, OK
    
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The Bridge is provided to you to keep you abreast of news pertaining to Finishers Project.  We trust that you will find this helpful and informative!
Coping Strategies: Ingest or Invest?  
    Through Finishers we see so many people excited about their future and looking for ways to make a difference that we may perhaps not notice those who are deeply hurting at this significant stage of life.  In his last newsletter, Gary Foster included the following:
  • Among Americans over 50, use of heroine more than doubled (from 7.2% to 16%) since '92.
  • Among Americans over 50, use of cocaine nearly quadrupled (from 2.9% to 11.4%) since '92
  • Among Americans over 50, abuse of prescription drugs quadrupled (from 0.7% to 3.5%) since '92   
    No doubt the economic and political climate has greatly contributed to a sense of hopelessness, causing some people to look for ways to escape. Ingesting a drug will cause physiological changes which bring temporary relief, but it also brings longer term damage and defeat.  The hopelessness it seeks to replace only becomes deeper.
    Investing our lives in the lives of others brings more than relief.  It brings fulfillment, purpose, health and energy!  It is what we have been created to do.  Ephesians 2:10 is a hope-giving verse:  We are people being crafted by God, as his masterpieces, and he has good things for us to do with our lives...things that he has already prepared!  
    "Ingesting into ourselves" and "investing into others" both affect how we touch the lives of those around us.  One takes, the other gives.  Where are you?
    I encourage you to begin your day by saying, "Father, I'm yours today to do the good things you have prepared for this particular day."  Invest yourself.  Make a difference in someone's life now, and reap the rewards for eternity! 
The New Alphabet
    I'm guessing many of you have seen a version of this alphabet for those who are experiencing some of the realities of aging bodies.  It's fun and funny.  Enjoy reading through it...then continue on to another version.  The second version is the Finishers new alphabet!
    A's for arthritis; B's the bad back, C's the chest pains, perhaps car-di-ac? D is for dental decay and decline, E is for eyesight, can't read that top line! F is for fissures and fluid retention, G is for gas which I'd rather not mention. 
    H, high blood pressure--I'd rather it low; I for incisions with scars you can show. J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend, K is for knees that crack when they bend. L's for libido, what happened to sex? M is for memory, I forget what comes next. N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low; O is for osteo, bones that don't grow! 
    P for prescriptions, I have quite a few, just give me a pill and I'll be good as new! Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu? R is for reflux, one meal turns to two.  S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears, T is for Tinnitus; bells in my ears! U is for urinary; troubles with flow; V for vertigo, that's 'dizzy,' you know. 
    W for worry, now what's going 'round? X is for X ray, and what might be found. Y for another year I'm left here behind, Z is for zest I still have-- in my mind! 

So here's another Alphabet...for Boomers...but with a different slant:
    A's for Anticipation of what the future could become, B's for Believing that the Best is yet to come.  C is for Cherish - doing it better with my wife, D's for the Desire to make a Difference with my life.
    E's for Eternity - getting closer every day, F for the Fervor to Finish well, come what may.  G is for Gaining an effect that is Global, H for a Heart that is Happy and noble.
    I's to have an Impact through a life that's worthwhile, and J is for Jesus - I want to make him smile.  K's for more Kisses with the people I love and L's to Listen and Live Life with Love.
    M's to be Meaningful and for Making More "wow!", N is for learning to live life in the Now.  O's for the Opportunities each new day brings, P for the Possibility of Pursuing new things.
    Q is for Quiet - sometimes that's nice, R is for Rest, but not as a vice.  S for Settling into who I can be, and T for the Time to really be me. Understand is for U, and Value's for V, W's for Wisdom, applied carefully.
    X for X-cited, even though its spelled wrong, Y for the Yearning to fill every day with a song. We've come to the last, the letter is Z, it stands for the Zest to be all I can be!
The Journey Deepens... Just for YOU! 
When:   Oct 1-3 Heartland Regional Retreat
Location:   Camp Loughridge near Tulsa, Oklahoma 
   This weekend will deepen your relationship with Jesus and help you explore what it is like to be a missionary.  You can discover whether a missionary or sender role is God's fit for you, and connect with mission agencies.
   The core of the retreat and the key distinctive is the discussion groups, each with six attendees and two missions coaches, which meet four times throughout the weekend.
   The retreat has groups for college students, young adults, mid-lifers, baby boomers - anyone willing to explore becoming a missionary. Meet others like yourself and compare "maps" on the journey. Discuss your compass with missions coaches who have journeyed into missions already.
   Attendance is about 50 people; at this retreat you will not be overwhelmed with overchoice! Here are some of the subjects that will be covered in the general sessions, small groups and one-on-one time with the missionaries:
  • I feel a pull from God to the nations. What should I do next?
  • Which of my gifts and interests could I use in another culture?
  • How can I deal with school loans?
  • What's involved in raising prayer and financial support?
  • How do I discuss missions with my family and my church?
  • If God leads me to stay and send others what would that involve? 
   CLICK HERE to see what others have said about these weekend retreats!
 
   CLICK HERE to register for this retreat!
 
   We look forward to meeting you in Tulsa!
Enjoy This Note From One of Our Board Members: 
    Just wanted to say a much-belated 'THANK YOU!" for all you did to make this last board meeting what it was.  Adding that one extra day made a world of difference! 
    The Laser Tag was such a hit and it was amazing how total strangers could act like a bunch of new kids who just moved into the neighborhood and were so thrilled to discover playmates their own age!!  And, as you said, the group screaming/reading the rules before going in for that last game was too hilarious! 
    Wouldn't it be great if years from now we hear a testimony that goes: "I was on the fence as to whether I should join Finishers Project staff until we played Laser Tag...and that has made all the difference in moving me from "success to significance..."!! 
Thanks for your interest in Finishers Project!
We'd love to hear how God is working in your life
and how we can pray for you! 
                                                                                           Don's pic    
 

   Don Parrott
   CEO, Finishers Project