Episode S4E9: Catch the Vision

Is the 7 Essentials Curriculum Making a Difference?"

Join Hal as he interviews David Windley about the impact the 7 Essentials is
making in David's life and ministry  as he leads a 4th Quarter ministry with
EastWest Ministries in Dallas.

I believe God wants to make an impact through the 7 Essentials in every
place. David illustrates this in his life.

Transcript

Dr Hal Habecker: 0:00

Music. Welcome to the finish and well podcast where we encourage seasoned believers to find meaningful ways to impact their world for the kingdom of God, whether you're 65 and up or not quite there. Yet, our mission is to prepare and encourage every person to finish well. Our prayer is that this podcast will encourage and strengthen you to glorify Christ as we intentionally engage our aging fears. Good morning, finishing well. Podcast land, this is how habecker With finish and well ministries and we have this podcast series to encourage you, strengthen you, give you insights in all kinds of ways. I hope you listened to the interview with my wife last week on Valentine's Day, and I'm sure she'll be back. And we have different guests with us this morning. I'm delighted to have David Windley with us this morning. Morning. David, good morning. How great to be here. It's great to be with you. Let me tell you a little bit about David. We've known each other for about 20 years thereabouts. He's a graduate of Dallas Seminary, like I am, and we met first they came. He and his family came to our church, and we've had a friendship ever since. And bring us up to today, two things have happened. First of all, after we knew them, my wife got to know Sharon, his wife, and she was very active in helping to care for Vicky's parents, first her dad and then her mother, a long series of all along, years of Alzheimer's. So and now we're working in the same building. You work for East West ministries. David, tell us what you do with East West well,

David Windley: 1:49

for for many years, I was mainly focused in the fields, working, traveling a lot to our various fields, on India, just many, many countries. Um, now in this season of life, I'm 67 it's time for me to pull back from all the international travel and God's really burdened me, um, to mentor men for the Great Commission. So I'm putting most of my focus and energy, whether it's young men or peers or but just men, to help them grow toward and embrace and get involved in the Great Commission. It's a great mission. David, I love it. You know, I think it was the last two or three years. You know, we see each other here in the building at the Hope Center all the time, and we talked about what I'm doing with finishing well ministries and this curriculum we have called the Seven essentials for finishing well, yes, and you got interested in this. Tell me more about that. Well, I will how. But let I want to correct one thing you said, Okay, I wish I had, years ago, gone to Dallas Seminary, but I am not a DTS.

Dr Hal Habecker: 3:08

Keep learning new things about each other. So

David Windley: 3:10

for those that might be listening that might know me, I don't want them to for me to take credit for that when I haven't attended DTS, but

Dr Hal Habecker: 3:22

thanks for clarifying. Yes.

David Windley: 3:23

So how about I would say about two and a half years ago, as I was moving into my mid 60s, and I was making some transitions with East West and where my ministry focus would be most of my adult life, wherever I am serving or so forth, um, discipling and building into men has always just been a part of what God's birthed me to do. But about two and a half to three years ago, God began to burden my heart with what I have called fourth quarter men. And I define fourth quarter men as men in their 60s and and I kind of focus men in their 60s, maybe till about mid 70s. And the idea is, in my observation, there are a lot of Christian men who are moving into fourth quarter. They're either retired or they're moving towards retirement. And it's almost like they, they kind of just stop. As far as you know, they're no longer working, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying life, traveling, golfing, and all of those things, but I just found that I felt like many of these men didn't understand the race God had for them, and so as I. In to develop fourth quarter men. I realized what I think this is a similar to what HAL is doing with finishing well. And that brought me to you more specifically. And the first thing that really helped you gave me the book I think you, you wrote it. It's titled what the Bible says about growing older, yes, and that was really helpful to me. The one thing I walked away from that book was, and the big one is that the fourth quarter, or this quarter of our lives, for those of us that are more in this season of life, that this season of life is just as important and just as valuable to God as all the other seasons we've lived in. And so that really spurred me on. As a matter of fact, I bought about 60 of those from you, and I mailed them to about 60 men just in my life who are 60 or above, and God just really used it in their lives. So that's how we kind of got connected, more from a ministry focus, kind of as some of the things that we have on our hearts are similar.

Dr Hal Habecker: 6:22

It's great, Dave. We're doing the same thing, and we're encouraging each other, both in the building personally. And that's the way you build the kingdom you want to impact men, wherever you go, and families and marriages, etc, etc. Yeah. So you've used the seven essentials in a couple of different ways. I want you to tell us about that, because my mission would be to see every church, every group of men, every group of marriages or whatever home Bible study people ought to recognize what it is that God wants them to do and experience in their latter years. So you have a background in Campus Crusade. I mean, you served and crusade and discipled people all your life as not, not as a clergyman, right me, but just as a committed Christian who wants to impact the world for Christ. Yes. So tell us what you did in that first essentials Pro, that seven essentials project that you did with a group of old staff members that you've kept up with down through the years.

David Windley: 7:19

Okay, well, and again, just to clarify by my first study or going through the seven essentials, it included one or two staff members from crusade that I had known years ago, but it was really a group of about eight men or nine men my season of life, not here in Dallas, but just men that I had over the years. Connected with some I had been in discipleship relationships with some just brothers in Christ, but these are just men that I knew were in this season of fourth quarter, finishing well. And as I read what God tells us about in the Bible, about growing older, then is when you introduced me to the seven essentials, okay? And that's when I thought, this is just, this is just hitting exactly where I'm wanting to take these men. So I used it with this virtual study group of about eight men, and I'm just telling you, it was impactful. I felt like what you put together in seven essentials, was really scratching the itch that these men had, but they didn't have resources. I kind of linked it to when you're married and you're going to have your first child and but you have nine months to prepare. And I just, I just find a lot of men out there, and it could be true for women. I just focus with men, I think, hit their season of life and on there. There's not a whole lot out there of you know how to finish well in life? What do you do after retirement? You know, those type of things. So I just found that the seven essentials was just great in kind of providing a pathway to begin entering into this season and to finish well. Well,

Dr Hal Habecker: 9:33

I love that. David, two points. First of all, for anybody listening, I would encourage all of you to go through the seven essentials. It is a life changing opens your eyes to all that God wants to do through your life, and you caught that vision. And the second thing that was impressive to me about that this was a virtual deal with guys all over the country, yes, so I mean, I'm sitting here thinking, and. Everybody who listens to this, if you if you have a network of people, old college place, you know law, you know people who have experienced life with you. You could do this right out of your home, virtually with a group of guys. And you know, I just want to plant that seed in your mind as you people listen to this, you know, God can use this in your own church, in your own community, your own Bible study, a couple's Bible study, a life group, whatever it is, a Sunday school class, but you did it virtually, yes,

David Windley: 10:29

yes. And one of the things that I did that it's not that you, it's not part of seven essentials, but with, with my background, I just kind of added to it was we'd go through the material, but, but part of fourth quarter, man, we're really committed to identifying what is the race God has for you to run in this fourth yes quarter, and then with love, we are holding each other. I'm going to say soft accountability, not just like, hey, it one of the things in finishing well is continuing to connect with people. And so there would be accountability of where are you and what steps do you need to take in moving forward? And then we would check in, how are we doing in that?

Dr Hal Habecker: 11:29

And the other thing you guys did, which really impressed me, you had a retreat in which you all met together physically, did you, I mean, yes, following that, just to kind of wrap it all up and say, Hey, we're committed to this for the rest of our lives.

David Windley: 11:42

We did so it happened to be Asheville, North Carolina, seemed to be a more central place. And so we got together for a weekend, had a wrap up. It was really good. And just so you know, we're still meeting. And so seven essentials was critical in launching us, but we still meet every other Monday night, virtually. We were just to go the Monday night, wow. And continuing with this mindset that seven essentials help us to kind of build the foundation for,

Dr Hal Habecker: 12:19

I was not aware of that. That's fascinating here. Because, you know, I think the work of God rolls on through the rest of your life. So this is just a foundational framework how to think, and then you implement it in your life, and you keep doing it, and you're continuing to do it with these guys who have been a part of your life for decades, right?

David Windley: 12:37

And just, just so, you know, about that same time, I began a fourth quarter group here in Dallas. So we are able to meet every Thursday morning. We meet in the board room here at East West ministries, and we're averaging, well, we actually met this morning, and there were 13 of us. Two were out sick, and so we also went through seven essentials. And just like the virtual group, it was just incredible again, I think for men, and I'm sure it's true for women as well, but I'm just finding for men in their 60s and 70s that the seven Essentials is really answering questions they have, or answering questions they don't know they have until they get into it, and helping provide a pathway into this season, last season, and how to finish. Well,

Dr Hal Habecker: 13:47

I love it, David. And you know, my my commitment as a friend and a fellow worker in the labor of the harvest. I mean, we need to keep encouraging each other, and I look forward to how God's going to use you and my life and my ministry and virtue, I mean, vice versa, that's what I'm trying to say, and continue to encourage each other. So let me ask you a question, is there any particular impact that you find other than general, you know, the seven essentials. I don't know if there's one or two or three that stand out. But you know what kind of as you watch men and listen to them, what's the impact in their lives? Other than it gives you a whole fresh vision for your years, any specificity in terms of how you see it grabbing men,

David Windley: 14:39

I need to think on that with just a second. But the answer is yes, and what I what I've discovered, of course, is that the different lessons hit different men at in different ways, and so it's not necessary. Clearly that I have seen just one lesson that just stands out above the others, one that that I think has been really impactful for all of these men, is your seven essential. I can't quote it, forgive me, but basically, with heaven it's

Dr Hal Habecker: 15:21

the seventh essential, anticipating eternity with Christ in heaven,

David Windley: 15:25

and as a personal testimony, just in the last three or four years of my spiritual journey, I've always been prepared and ready if the if the Lord would take me home. But through seven essentials and some other things God's doing, I really began to realize heaven should be my motivation for everything I do now and before. But I didn't have that mindset. And that seventh one really spoke to me in that and as we discussed it in both groups. I think it really helped all of us, men. We understand we're closer to Heaven now than we are, yeah, and we're getting closer day by day. We know we're not promised tomorrow, and at our age, you know, in the past two and a half years, I've had six men, buddies, friends, dear brothers in Christ, who are my age, who have passed away. So that mortality, I think, for most of us now, is right, right in our faces and and so the that seventh essential of our anticipate in heaven was really impactful in, okay, that again, that's where I need to be setting my focus. Um, we use the term living with a eternal perspective, and I think that lesson really has helped myself and the other men to really kind of focus in on, am I living this fourth quarter with a eternal perspective?

Dr Hal Habecker: 17:08

It makes a difference. Set your affection on things above. Yes, you know, not on things of earth. I mean, you're to give with that in mind, Jesus said, Don't lay up treasures for yourself here, but lay it up in heaven. You have this eternal perspective. And of course, I was at a luncheon, yes, just yesterday, and sitting next to a gentleman who had never met me, never knew what I did or whatever, but we ended up talking about the sixth essential that is anticipating when we won't be here. Yes, and you're talking about, you're thinking about, what are all the things that need to be done, or least, you hope so that'll be wrapped up by the time you die. I mean, if you translate it into heaven, but you know, conversations you need to have, writing things down, dispensing things. You know, simplifying your life. You know, all the legal things you ought to be doing, wills, trust, all those kinds of things. And he was really blown away by the importance of doing that,

David Windley: 18:04

yes, and you know, with the men I'm working with. So we actually took a couple sessions to cover that. It was too much for one, and we focused one session on more the legal things, and what an incredible list you put together to just to work by but we, but where most of us guys just really were, were maybe challenged was, Are there relationships? Are there things I want to say, whether it's family members or someone who's impacted my life that I need to take care of business. I don't need to just Yeah, I want to say this to my my daughter or my brother, whoever it might be, but I need to do it now. I need to get to get on top of

Dr Hal Habecker: 18:58

this, yeah, and even offering forgiveness. Yes, I went to a I had a good friend. He went to be with the Lord a couple years ago. And when I was teaching this at another church, he was there in the evening, and when we got to this session, he stood up and gave a short testimony that went like this. He said, How I can't tell you the importance of wrapping things up for the end of your life like forgiveness. He said, I'm a I'm a physician. And years ago, like 2030, years ago, he had crossed ways with a physician friend, and they had never reconnected their relationship. And he said the longer I live through the decades, the spirit kept reminding me, I need to go back to this guy and make this right. And he said he finally did it, and this wasn't long before, when we were meeting in that series. And he said I finally reached out and contacted him, only to find that he had died, like two months earlier, and I went to this gentleman's memorial service, and His Son spoke. I mean, this was recently within the. Last year. And you know what his Son spoke about in honor of his dad, he said, My dad taught me the importance of building bridges with people who when your relationship was broken. And he said, I would wish for any of you here in this audience today make sure you connect all the relationships and forgive people that need to be forgiven before you die. My dad taught me that. I mean, I I was blown away, because that's the sixth essential, yes. And I remember seeing an interview with one of the guys in your group. You were involved in an interview project, a video project, and he talked about the impact of paying attention to his grown kids and grandkids. I mean, that's the fourth essential. Any thoughts about that?

David Windley: 20:46

Yes, and actually, that's been true of many of the men, just in the groups I'm working with that I call fourth quarter. We're really working off the mindset of determining the race God has before you, and part of that race is for all of us, is our family, and how do we need to be more intentional in ministering to our family, whether it's our wife, our children, grandchildren, still age and parent and so forth and so Absolutely, yeah. So Hal, you'll have to forgive me. I was sharing that I just lost the question just about

Dr Hal Habecker: 21:28

the impact in your family. I mean, he just yeah, the person he was being interviewed on the video project just shared how impactful the fourth essential was for him, thinking about his kids, his grandkids, and just continue to pour into his family. And

David Windley: 21:45

so what I was trying to get to with that, I think through that lesson, we have realized all of us, you have to be intentional. And I think a lot of men, anyway, can kind of get where, where they're just responding to life as things come, but maybe not being intentional. And what do I need to do? What are steps I need to take, to be proactive?

Dr Hal Habecker: 22:15

It's so important the intentionality of how we're living at this season and leading out on that. And

David Windley: 22:23

one of the men, you may not remember, but I think he shared this, but he shared about how a business partner had really done him wrong, and the whole area of forgiveness and that you were talking about, and how he had lost a lot of money as a result of that. And the guy was actually sent to prison, ultimately. And the man in our in our group, the Lord told him you have to, you need to forgive him, and you need to go to prison and tell him you Wow. God used that. How remarkable. Yeah, one

Dr Hal Habecker: 23:00

of the things we talk about, and this is you, and I'll address you in this, in the first essential we talk about why you're here and what God has for you, and we encourage people to be more intentional about isolating on their own mission. I mean, what is it that God wants to do through your life? And do you have a mission statement? You know, I went through halftime years ago, and that's a big part of their deal. Focus in on what your mission is. Now you're kind of doing that with your life mission. You know, you've been with crusade and east west, and now you have a sense of God focusing your life on fourth quarter issues. Yes, talk about how God has kind of helped you zero in on a new sense of mission and being very intentional about building in the fourth quarter of people.

David Windley: 23:51

You know, it's one of those things as you understand, it's kind of developed over a few years. And again, as I shared earlier. Disciplin building into men has always been a I'm going to use the word passion of mine. Um, I'm also venturing a good number of young men in their 20s and 30s. But I believe as as God began to put this burden on my heart. Was just through relationships, I had observations our I was making about or seeing of men in their 60s and early 70s who just seem to have lost maybe focus. I'm not saying there. They weren't committed Christians. They weren't walking with the Lord, but it just didn't seem that they were focused as far as their spiritual journey and the idea of what is the the ministry, the purpose God has for. Me in this fourth quarter so and quite honestly, one thing I love about what you're doing in the churches, and I want to say this carefully, but I'm talking about the church in general, in America, I don't see a lot of focus to really walk alongside of people in this last season of life and purpose and focus and really valuing, Hey, God still has incredible things for us to do in this season of life, and so I really see finishing well as really helping to provide that. And then, as a result of that, the Lord just says, I'm in my fourth quarter is just kind of grown. And it's been, it's really been exciting to see these men pick up the challenge, step out and impress on if I can give one quick example, please. We talk a lot about living with an eternal perspective, and again, what is the race God has for you? So I've really challenged myself and the men with the idea of less trust God for divine appointments every day, just because a lot, a lot of the men are are retired, and so they're not going to an office or so forth. But just as we're living life, do we have our antennas up for those divine appointments, whether it's a waitress or just someone that God brings in our pathway. And it's just incredible to to hear these men begin to share that. I had one man who was sharing with us that he and his wife had traveled overseas on vacation. They were flying back, and There ended up being a gentleman sitting beside him, I think, from England. And he said, before I took this course, I would have just said hello to him, but, you know, then I would have watched the movie or something, and I realized this is an opportunity. Wow. And so they he interacted. They were able, he was able to move things to spiritual conversation. And now, once or twice a year, when this man comes back to Dallas for business, these two guys go out and golf together and spend time together because he was he had a spiritual antennas up for that eternal perspective, that divine appointment. So those are the kind of things that seven essentials just really helped us to begin to grab hold on. Yeah, it's

Dr Hal Habecker: 28:00

just so encouraging to me, David, to see God work in your life, my life, how we work together. You know my vision is, you know that God would use me, that he would use you, and through these seven essentials as people own them. I mean, for all you who are listening to me, I mean, if each one of you had a vision in your church or in your network of men, or how God could use you to impact others, to go through the seven essentials and share that in some way, and you multiply your life and your ministry for the kingdom of God. It helps you focus. It helps others focus. And the mission rolls on, and that's what finish well, ministries, and what you're doing in fourth quarter is really all about, how do you grab men and help them to intentionally focus in a fresh way of what God wants to do in your life? And they are changed, and they spread it, and others lives are changed, yes,

David Windley: 29:02

and how what? I haven't done this yet, but I have a new strategy. I'm going to use seven essentials for I have thought, Okay, it's great for fourth quarter men. But what about men that are mainly in their 50s, and they may be 1015, years from retiring, most of them are provide. You know, they're taking the steps for retirement as far as putting money away and those type of things. But I've thought even to do seven essentials with that group of men and helping them just as they're preparing financially. Hey guys, here's some things you need to be preparing for spiritually as you move that way. So kind of a preparatory so that's something you need to do. You need to develop seven essentials in. The end of the third quarter. Yes,

Dr Hal Habecker: 30:02

I love it. David, you know, everywhere I go and talk about the seven essentials, people come up to me afterwards and they say, people in their 40s and 50s need here about this. Absolutely they do. And we haven't implemented a curriculum like that, or at least with that perspective overall, but God willing, we'll do that. You can help us. I might pilot one and let you know how it goes. David, this is refreshing again. My, my purpose is for people to hear God's work in your life, your story and how God has used the seven essentials in your life, and for every person out there in our listening waves. You know, many of you have maybe done this, but if you have it, you know, implement the seven essentials. Go to our website. Everything is downloadable here, and you can buy it through Amazon and trust God. And my challenge is for you to pick it up and use it your network. Use it your men's Bible study, use it your church and develop a finishing well kind of curriculum that focuses and focuses on aging people finishing well and living well every day. Yes,

David Windley: 31:02

I challenge the men I'm working with. Are there two or three other men in your life that now you need to pull them together and sit down well and take them through finishing? Well, David, take them through seven essentials. Well,

Dr Hal Habecker: 31:18

yeah. I mean, whatever it is. I mean, Mike deal is take the seven essentials and use it however God wants you to implement it yourself and encourage others, because that's why we're here. Yes. What does the Scripture say? As long as day we can work? Yes. And there's coming a time when the night comes and we won't be here. And so let's take advantage of the days God has given us for everything. David, you're an encouragement to me.

David Windley: 31:42

Well, thank you. Same, same here. So I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today,

Dr Hal Habecker: 31:48

maybe the Lord bless you. And I invite all of you to think about finishing well ministries, not only the seven essentials, but pass on this podcast. Use the resources we have on our website and trust God to use you in a great way in this season. I believe these years are as critical as any season of our life. You know, I like I quote Robert Browning's poem, 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 plan you shows but half, trust God see it all nor be afraid. So let's intentionally move into these years for the glory of God and the greatest joy of our lives. So God bless you, David and God bless you, continue to pray for us and support us absolutely. God bless you. Bye, bye. Thank you for listening to this finishing well podcast. We hope you were encouraged by today's conversation and living out your God given purpose. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcast, or you can find us at finishing well ministries.org, forward slash podcast, if you have a question, a comment or a suggestion or an idea, send a note to me how finishingwellministries.org check out our website and our vision to change the way we think about our aging season of life. Go to finishingwellministries.org and visit our website. We'll see you next time, and may the Lord be blessed and encourage you.