Point of View September 30, 2026 – Hour 2 : Reagan Movie Re-released, Finishing Wells Ministries Leadership Conference

[00:00:04] Across America, Live, this is Point of View, Kirby Anderson. Second hour today we're going to spend some time first of all talking about a leadership conference that you will want to know about and even if you cannot attend we're going to be talking about some of these very important principles.

[00:00:28] We bring back to the microphone somebody you've had on the program before Hal Hallbecker is the founder and president of Finishing Wells Ministries. I've known him since the days in which he was working with the Christian Medical and Dental Society, also the senior pastor of Dallas Bible Church. And Hal, we were saying some very nice things about you the other day when we had Darren Kinder in studio reflecting on 25 years since he was able to survive 9-11 and save so many people's lives.

[00:00:56] But he had so many nice things to say about you in terms of the mentoring and discipleship that you have provided. And that's something we're in life for, right? Kirby, just to mentor people, encourage her, encouraging them. I remember first visiting with Derek, listening to his story on 9-11 and wondering what God wanted to do with that. Yeah, now he's talking about men and everything and the men's ministries that he's developed.

[00:01:22] And he had just come back from California speaking to all these guys and then coming face-to-face with them. And in some respects, I thought that's a perfect entree into what you do at Finishing Wells. First of all, if you go to the website, you're going to see some great links that we have provided for you there. Because if you now go to Hal's website, since the last time he was there, he has developed a number of videos that you can watch. Just scroll down.

[00:01:46] There's a place where you can find out about taking a Bible course, leading a group study, a number of videos and podcasts. There's a whole study series. And which I've seen since its inception is really now just growing and making such a significant impact. But it goes back to the heart that you have of that. As a matter of fact, some of the people on your videos say, I see people that retire, and they sort of retired from life.

[00:02:14] And you say, our best years are right now. Even though we may have gray hair, we probably have more to pass on to other individuals. Titus 2, older men, disciple, and younger men. And it seems to me that we've missed that. And you certainly understood that. And that's why you've created this incredible ministry. Yeah. This morning, we led a Bible study on Joshua. And we're doing an intro to the whole subject, the whole book.

[00:02:41] And Joshua spent 40 years being in training under Moses, being prepared for the next season of his life, which started at age 80. And I really believe that. God has a purpose for every year of our lives. And the next year is the best year. Like Robert Browning says, grow old along with me. The best is yet to be. The last of life for which the first was made. You know, God has a timing.

[00:03:09] You know, you and I don't retire in the sense of what our culture thinks of retirement. We just move to the next season. Yes. And God has already prepared and is working now to prepare us for that season. And I really believe that, Kirby. I mean, you believe it too. I do. And again, that is a question I get all the time. I'm sure you do as well. And that is, when are you going to retire? Well, even if I technically retire from full-time Christian work, I'm still going to be doing ministry.

[00:03:36] And again, when it comes time for Paul to think about how I'm going to pass this on, he sends Timothy to Ephesus. And, of course, we have 1 and 2 Timothy. He sends Titus to Crete. I've been at the church that is supposedly the church they helped find. And he says, again, in Titus, that older men should be discipling and mentoring and teaching younger men. Older women should be teaching younger women.

[00:04:04] And it does seem to me that he understands that if he's going to put some of these young bucks on these two places, Ephesus and Crete, he better have some older individuals also coming alongside to make sure that we can raise up the next generation. I think it's so critically important. Why does God have us here in those extended years if it were not for the purpose of investing in each other as we age? Because that's a challenge.

[00:04:32] We get isolated as we age and we kind of slough off maybe. But we're here for each other and for generations following us. I think it's critically important. The church needs to be aroused to embrace that. You know, we're all embracing younger generations, and that is the future of the church. I mean, just like in our families, our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren are the future of our families. But that doesn't mean we don't have a critical role now.

[00:05:00] And I think older people have a critical, essential role. They did in the story of Scripture. You know, I'm the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, generational theology. One generation mentors another and so forth, and it never stops until you go to heaven. So as long as you're breathing, you have a vibrant ministry and a purpose to pass it on and to be all that God has called you to be here.

[00:05:26] You've been a pastor, and you recognize that for a time the church sometimes didn't know what to do with single adults. You know, they didn't fit into the college and career. We didn't know what to do with them. But I still think the church hasn't quite figured out what to do with older people. We want your money, and we want you to sit in the fuse, but we don't know what else to do with you. And that's one of the reasons why I'm so thrilled about finishing Well Ministries. Well, I embrace that, as you know, and thanks for your encouragement and support.

[00:05:54] We need to keep addressing the issue again and again and again every year, every decade, because older people generally fade away. Yes. They do. They do, yeah. But they're as important in those latter years as at any time in their life. I just think you've got so much going for it. Let me just mention, too, if you go there right now, we have a link to Finishing Well Ministries. But one of the reasons I wanted to bring you on is you will see there's a banner, and we have, I think, a separate posting of that.

[00:06:23] And I'll show that to people that are watching online right now, this leadership conference. And we were just a few minutes ago talking with an individual talking about the importance of leadership, so it was a perfect lead-in to this. And you are one of the speakers. But I just love the fact that Verdell Davis, who I've known for so many years, as well as Ken Wilgus, I've sat on boards with him for years, are some of your speakers. So in some respects, you're going to help people really understand a number of things.

[00:06:52] And I thought maybe you could, after we come back from the break, talk about these seven essentials, because that's kind of a key aspect of that. But then also how other churches could begin to develop a Finishing Well ministry in their church. And then, of course, how you can talk about growing as a leader and a few other issues. So I would encourage, as we're going to the break, to maybe, first of all, go to the website, pointofview.net.

[00:07:18] Or you can actually click on finishingwellministries.org. Either way, we'll get you there. You will see there's a banner there. If you click on that, you will get this particular sheet. And I wanted to give you enough advance notice, because this doesn't take place until November. And here we are. That's correct, six weeks out. Yeah, so we've got a long time for you to say, you know what? I might actually be willing to go to this. I might want to send a leader in our church to go to it. But where would I stay?

[00:07:48] Well, you've worked it out so that there is a place where you could provide room and board and all the rest. All the details are there. I love that. Come to Plano. We'll take care of the rest. I just love that. And so sometimes when you go to a conference, you're thinking, okay, all the details have to take care of. If you can get there, they can begin to minister to you. So this is a national leadership conference, leading with purpose. And when we come back, we're going to talk about some of the elements.

[00:08:13] So whether you go to the conference or not, you can maybe just listen in for a few minutes on some of the things that Hal and many of these other very dedicated teachers are going to be teaching. But let's take a break. And when we come back, we'll get into this whole idea of finishing well. Later on, I will open up the phones just to give you a chance to join the conversation. Maybe you have some questions or some thoughts. 1-800-351-1212 is the number to call.

[00:08:39] Perhaps you have an outreach to those who are older in the church. Maybe you're saying, I've never even thought about this. How do I get started? We'd love to get your questions. And we'll be back right after this. This is Viewpoints with Kirby Anderson. You know, a very important book written by Nancy Peercy came out this week.

[00:09:08] The toxic war on masculinity is well-researched and full of surprises. The first surprise is the claim that there is good news about Christian men. You know, the standard response from both the secular and Christian media is that biblical teachings about such topics as headship in marriage make Christian men more likely to commit abuse and pose significant difficulties in a marriage. The problem with the social science research in the past is that it failed to identify two distinct groups of men, religiously devout versus nominal evangelicals.

[00:09:37] The first group, who attend church regularly, shatter the negative stereotypes. They are more loving to their wives and more emotionally engaged with their children than any other group in America. They're less likely to divorce and least likely to commit domestic violence. By contrast, the nominal Christian family men do fit the negative stereotype. They spend less time with their children. Their wives report significantly lower levels of happiness and are 20% more likely to divorce than secular men.

[00:10:03] Sociologist Brad Wilcox reports that the most violent husbands in America are nominal evangelical Protestants who attend church infrequently or not at all. Nancy Peercy has a few suppositions for this difference. She observes that nominal men hang around the fringes of the Christian world just enough to learn the language of headship and submission, but not enough to learn the biblical meaning of those terms.

[00:10:25] She believes they cherry-pick verses from the Bible and read them through a grid of male superiority and entitlement that they have absorbed from the secular guy code for the real man. This is one of the many insights you will discover in her new book, The Toxic War on Masculinity. I'm Kirby Anderson, and that's my point of view. Go deeper on topics like you just heard by visiting pointofview.net.

[00:10:55] That's pointofview.net. You're listening to Point of View, your listener-supported source for truth. Back once again talking, of course, with our good friend Hal Hallbecker, but I believe we have been able to now connect up with Pat Boone, and we are talking about, of course, the Reagan movie. We have all sorts of information about the Reagan movie, but first of all, Pat Boone, welcome to Point of View.

[00:11:23] Hey, good to be pointed in your direction. Well, I'm glad we made connection. We were going to get you on earlier, but this is just perfect. And, of course, years ago we had you on Point of View, but it's been a long time. But let's talk about the movie for just a minute. We've got this very good article, moviegoers push Reagan to number one as Pat Boone recalls prophecy featured in the film. I've seen the film. I've recommended it to many.

[00:11:47] But there is a very poignant scene in there where, again, you play actually not yourself but another individual, which we'll talk about in just a minute. But this is an incredible prophecy. Can you share that with us? Yes, I will. I want to. It really happened. I was in the governor's mansion with my wife and George Otis, a very prominent businessman and deeply spiritual fellow.

[00:12:14] And we were having a session, just a tea session, before we came back to L.A. from a Catherine Kuhlman meeting in downtown Sacramento. And George said, can we have a prayer with you before we leave, Governor? And Reagan said, well, sure. And so George took his hand. We prayed. And while we were praying together, George stopped in the middle of a prayer. And his voice changed.

[00:12:43] And he said, my son, I'm well pleased with you. If you continue to walk uprightly before me, you will dwell at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And then there was a pause. And then he finished the prayer with his own voice. And we knew what had happened. But Reagan, all he could say was, well, that was something. But again, it's accurately portrayed in the film.

[00:13:10] But, of course, you end up playing George Otis and someone else plays Pat Boone, which is kind of funny. The young guy plays me and a young actress plays my wife, Shirley. The scene was actually a little longer because in the scene that we shot, as George Otis, I say, Governor, that was not me talking. That was what the Holy Spirit said through me. It's called a voice of prophecy. Well, so we explain.

[00:13:40] I wanted to explain that to the viewers who see it. They wonder, is that just Pat Boone talking? And why does he have a white wig on anyway? And so, yeah, I was playing someone else. Someone else playing me. But the point is, it really happened. It was a real prophecy. I mean, Ronald Reagan did become our president twice. And that prophecy was fulfilled very, very beautifully.

[00:14:09] George Otis has been a good friend of Point of View. Marlon Maddox is the original host of Point of View. And George Otis and Marlon Maddox were good friends. So we knew some of that story. But it was great to see it portrayed in the film. And as an individual myself, growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area and living in California, my father ran for the California Assembly.

[00:14:30] Matter of fact, I went even to the Cow Palace when they had, very interestingly, in 1964, this was when they nominated Barry Goldwater as president. But there was also a man speaking there by the name of Ronald Reagan, who then, of course, became governor. I've even got his autograph as governor of the state of California. But as you have seen the film now, and I encourage people to see the film, we have a link to Reagan.movie.

[00:14:59] I think it tells a story that, Pat, most people don't know about Ronald Reagan, some of the spiritual experiences behind the scenes that made him who he was. Can you speak to that? Yes, of course, because I knew him very well. Shirley and I knew him and Ron and Nancy, as we could call them, when our kids were in school together up in the Bel Air Hills at a nice school, that we had our kids early in our marriage.

[00:15:29] And they had this toward the end of their childbearing capability. But our kids were close. And therefore, we as parents were close to each other. And I spent many evenings after some school meetings in the front of this huge fireplace in the schoolyard, on the building, I mean, and talking about politics and driving home saying to Shirley, boy, I wish Ron Reagan would run for office. He'd be a great congressman.

[00:15:56] And it took out when he was talked into running for president. I was the first entertainer to jump to his side and, you know, endorse him and campaign for president. I remember that, yeah. I was joined by Piper Laurie, Victor Jory, an actor, and Wendell Corey, who was a country, not country, but Western actor.

[00:16:24] And we were the only ones in the entertainment business supporting Ron at that time because his own buddies in the entertainment field didn't think he would be taken seriously as a president, though he had, you know, he'd headed up the Screen Actors Guild superlatively and had been warning about the encroachment of communism in the film business while he was there.

[00:16:47] That's why he got excused from that job and wound up appearing in Las Vegas with a show for a short time and then traveling, speaking for conservative causes. And gradually it became obvious that he needed to be president, which he did for two terms. And when I was in Washington the night he was elected, the first night, I, for some reason, don't remember why I was there.

[00:17:17] But as the commentators were saying, it looks like, and it's Dan Rather and the others, looks like the governor of California is going to be our next president. So I picked up the phone just on a hunch and called Reagan's home in Pacific Palisades to see if he was still there, not having gone to the hotel or convention to either concede or give up, I mean, or accept.

[00:17:44] And so as soon as the phone answered, it was Reagan. Hello. Hello. And I said, may I be the first to address you as Mr. President? He recognized my voice. They're still counting the voice. It's a little premature. I said, no, these guys are saying you are the president. It doesn't look like they're totally happy about it, but you are going to be our next president.

[00:18:11] And he said, well, I said, can you, do you remember that evening that happened in the afternoon in Sacramento two or three years ago when the voice of prophecy came? And he said, I've thought about it many times in the last few months. It was very much on his mind that that word from God had come. And he did what he was supposed to do, live uprightly before God.

[00:18:38] And he became, I think, if there's room on Mount Rushmore, that he should be up there with the other poor. Let me just mention that this article, again, is one that you might want to find. Movie goers push Reagan to number one, as Pat Boone recalls prophecy featured in the film. So it has the story about the prophecy. And then those last few paragraphs talk about where you called him. And he actually said, yes, I've thought about it many times in the last few months.

[00:19:05] So if people would like to read the documentation for what you just mentioned, that is it. And so, again, we were able to fit you in just before we take a break. And let me just, before I let you go, talk about the fact that the film is Reagan.movie. It is something that you can see now. This is the director's cut. So even if you've seen it once, you might want to see it again. If you can go to our website, we have a link to Reagan.movie.

[00:19:31] You can click on this red banner to find theaters near you so that you can watch it. And, of course, it has the trailer of the film. And I think in some respects you will appreciate that as well. So, Pat Boone, thank you for spending a few minutes with us today here on Point of View. Boy, thank you. And I want people to know they'll be delighted to see the film, and they should take their kids to see that film too,

[00:19:57] because it was history in the making and history that we ought to hear repeated now. Again, I just would never have guessed that Dennis Quaid would end up looking like Ronald Reagan, but he looks so much like him. And it is funny to see you playing George Otis. But, anyway, that's another part that we all appreciate. So, Pat Boone, thank you for being with us. I'm glad we finally made a connection with you and wish you well. Hey, see you at the movies. All right.

[00:20:24] Well, let me again encourage everybody to go find out a little bit more. As we go to the break, we'll come back and we'll spend some time with our friend again, Hal Hallbecker, on this leadership conference. But if you would like to know a little bit more, this is the director's cut. So a few of the pieces that were not in the one of the film that you may have seen before are there. So I would certainly recommend that you find out more about that. If you say, well, I've never seen the film, we have the trailer up there right now. It's actually just a 45-second trailer.

[00:20:54] So right during the break, you could watch it right now. And you can find all of that by simply going to the website, pointofview.net. And as you go there, you'll also find all the information on Finishing Well Ministries and the Leading with Purpose National Leadership Conference. So we have a lot of that coming up. So, again, we try to be flexible. And we'll come back and continue our conversation with Hal Hallbecker right after these important messages. Stay tuned. We'll be back right after this.

[00:21:32] At Point of View, we believe there is power in prayer. And that is why we have relaunched our Pray for America campaign, a series of weekly emails to unite Americans in prayer for our nation. Imagine if hundreds of thousands of Americans started praying intentionally together on a weekly basis.

[00:21:56] You can help make that a reality by subscribing to our Pray for America emails. Just go to pointofview.net and click on the Pray for America banner that's right there on the homepage. Each week, you'll receive a brief news update, a specific prayer guide, and a free resource to equip you in further action.

[00:22:21] We encourage you to not only pray with us each week, but to share these prayers and the resources with others in your life. Join the movement today. Visit pointofview.net and click on the banner Pray for America right there at the top. That's pointofview.net. Let's pray together for God to make a difference in our land.

[00:22:49] Point of View will continue after this. You are listening to Point of View. The opinions expressed on Point of View do not necessarily reflect the views of the management or staff of this station. And now, here again, is Kirby Anderson. Back once again, we have Hal Hallbecker in studio.

[00:23:20] This has been a wild week. We've had four guests yesterday, three of whom were in studio. We had the thoughts, Pat Boone. Then we didn't have Pat Boone. Now we had Pat Boone. So here we are. But nevertheless, we're back finishing well ministries. Hal Hallbecker. And we're talking about the leadership conference. But let me also just take a phone call just to illustrate that some of you are thinking how important it is that we might actually spend time reaching out to those people who are at aging years, advanced years.

[00:23:49] And so, Ruth, calling in from Georgia, thank you for calling today. What's your question or comment? Listening to y'all like I do every day. And I have six radios all in my house. So I'm going to see you anytime I want to. But I heard the comment about the older generation. And the church that I'm going to now, they have a group called Young at Heart. They have a lady that's in charge of it.

[00:24:17] And she has an activity for the young at heart. It's the retired people. And once a month, like in October, we're going to the mountains. And we'll stop by a little one of those old-fashioned stores that sells apples and apple juice and all that kind of stuff. And it's just awesome that they can, that's where it can get together. And we can do fun things. We can use both of the church buses if we need to. Usually it's just one bus full.

[00:24:46] And we have gone out to eat at the Dublin. I think it's called Jack's at the River. A lot of people like seafood and fish. And we have done some things like just get together and just play games or something in the social hall of the church. And we eat together. But it's just something that an older person could identify with. We're the young at heart.

[00:25:15] Again, there's a place for you. And sometimes, as I said, Hal, you've been a pastor. Sometimes pastors don't know what to do. You know, well, they're headed to the old folks' home, so there's not any ministry. And yet God has a vision for people with their advanced years, don't they? He does, certainly, Kirby. And whether it's just having fun or whatever you're doing, God wants you to be alive and young at heart. I mean, to enjoy life and to find your purpose and to see it lived out with others.

[00:25:45] Well, Hal, let's, if we can, talk about some of the seven essentials, which I thought we were going to talk about a minute ago. But that's one of the issues that you're going to be addressing at the conference, isn't it? Actually, yes, the seven. At the heart of life, you never stop growing. What is the sign of growth? It's green. It's something new. It's something regenerated. It's something alive. If you're not growing, as Prophet used to say, you're dead. That's right. You know, so how are you growing? How are you growing personally? How are you growing in relationships?

[00:26:14] How are you growing in your relationship with God? How are you growing in your marriage if your spouse is still there in your aging years? Or your adult kids or your grandkids? And people at church, God wants us to be growing. That's the first. And the second, he wants us to develop friendships. Friendships that are not just going to have fun together, but friendships that really are focused on what your purpose in life is. How do you glorify God? Where does he want you to be? Where does he want you to serve?

[00:26:44] And then loving others. The mark of the Christian, John 13, 34, Jesus says, is loving others as I have loved you. You know, you have a history in your life of what it means to love and growing in love. You know, that's what we're here for, really. Yes. The fourth essential is investing in generations following. Yes. I mean, God has us here for a purpose to help raise those little people in our homes years ago.

[00:27:13] But now grandkids are coming. Your adults are still there. What is the purpose of your life? You know, being a friend, jumping in life, loving people, caring for them, listening to their comments, their challenges. The fifth essential is being available. Are you available to do what God wants you to do next? It may be a momentary thing. It may be a life change. I know lots of older people who have sensed God redirecting their lives once they retired.

[00:27:43] They're doing something totally new. They're sensitive, listening to the Spirit of God. The sixth one is preparing for the end. You know, I believe it's so important to leave a legacy of what you were in your life for your adult kids, your grandkids, your great kids, and other generations with you in the church. Find a way to do it. Find a way to share your life. Find a way to finish well.

[00:28:11] And then, of course, the seventh essential is anticipating heaven. You know, fix our eyes on heaven. Don't lay up treasures here. But in our stewardship of life and our resources, our time, our talent, we're always anticipating heaven. What did Paul say in Philippians 1? For me to live is Christ, to die is... His game. Well, we don't want to think about the game, do we? You know, it's like the song. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go. Now, at least.

[00:28:40] You know, those are the seven essentials that really crystallize the value of life, I think. And again, you talk about investing in the next generation. It does seem to me that we have a greater need than ever before. The legacy that you want to leave is also the continuity. We just heard a minute ago Pat Boone saying, take your children to hear Ronald Reagan. Yeah, I thought about that. Because all that is, is history for them, and they maybe will have a chance to experience it. Or what was it like when you were growing up as a Christian?

[00:29:10] Or what was the Jesus revolution like? Can we have it happen again? There are all sorts of questions like that. Do people know your story of how you came to trust Christ with your own life? Do your grandkids know it? Do your adult kids know what God did in your life when you came to him first? Or how you met your wife? All those kinds of stories. How he's led in various churches that you've been to. How do young people decide on a church? Or for a church? Or against a church? I mean, older people have so much to share.

[00:29:40] And it's not as if we want to have a dump, you know, a dump truck of information and say, do it the way we did. No. We want to share life with those around us and share our experiences with them and watch God work in their lives just as he did with us. Sometimes we think they're not interested. And then when I was in California just recently for a funeral, my daughter said, I want you to take me by the house you grew up in that both you and your brother grew up in.

[00:30:09] And she had been there before. And so we went over there all the way out of our way just because she wanted to know a little bit more about that. And it's like you get to the point where you think they don't care anymore. You know, because when you're teenagers, I don't care about that. Or 20 something, still don't care about that. Then they get to be 30, 40, 50. They said, you know, what's my history again? Can you help me out with that? For you and me, even. Yeah. Don't you wish you could go back and have a conversation with your dad or your mom? Yeah. You know, years ago, how many things do you wish you had known about them?

[00:30:39] Yes. But they're no longer here to talk. Right. And unless they wrote their story down or a list of things that they wanted to pass on, you'll never know. So I think about that every day. We've had Greg Vaughn on this program, and he's actually done a thing. Well, you know where I'm going with this, where they actually had a chance to record their story. And then that gives you some continuity. But you have a whole section here on the seven essentials and certainly investing in the next generation. But let me be practical for just a minute.

[00:31:09] I recognize that many people listening to this will not be able to come to your conference, although I encourage people to check out the information right now, November 12th through the 14th. It is inexpensive. It is very easy. They say, again, come to Plano. We'll take care of the rest. So it's just something where you could do it easily. But even if you cannot, you are really hoping that other people will build a finishing well ministry at their church. How can they do that?

[00:31:36] Well, part of it, they need to catch the vision for themselves. Yes. You know, it's kind of like sharing the gospel. In fact, Psalm 71, 17 and 18 talks about that very thing. You can't convince somebody else of doing something that you haven't convinced yourself of. Really? Yeah. So the purpose, the core purpose of our ministry is can you help shape a value system in somebody's life for the latter years? What's the use of them?

[00:32:05] What does God want to do in your life? What's he doing in your life? And then can you persuade other people in your church to do that with you? Start a seven essentials work group in your church. You know, and people are doing it all across America. The other thing that I wish, Kirby, and you've been around long enough, I wish more pastors had a heart for this.

[00:32:24] You know, we may do a lot of things for older people, but helping people to understand their real God-given value and that he has something to do through your life that nobody else can do. When you're in your 80s, when you're in your 90s, you know, and thinking ahead of that when you're 60, getting a head start. What is it that God wants for me to be about in my latter years? And I'm always intrigued with this. Moses didn't catch a vision for this until he was 80. That's true.

[00:32:53] And God showed up in a burning bush and said, I want you to redirect your life, Moses. And Joshua the same way. And how is that true for so many people in the scriptures? And how many people got off track? You know, you've got to be alert and intentional in your life to stay focused on what it is God has for you to be about. You know, we were talking about second chances, and that's really what we're getting into. But let's take a break, though.

[00:33:18] And this would be a perfect time for you to go to the website, pointofview.net, or you can go directly to finishingwellministries.org. And you click on the button that says Leadership Conference if you'd like to get this flyer that will tell you about what is taking place. I hope that many of you will be able to attend because, whatever, we're six weeks out, and this is happening after the election. So it would be a great time to bring together some of the leadership in your church and catch that vision.

[00:33:46] And if not, at least find out more about what is available through Finishing Well Ministries. We'll be right back. You're listening to Point of View, your listener-supported source for truth. Let me just for a few more minutes encourage you again to find out about this conference, even if you cannot attend. You may wonder later on. I'm sure they're going to videotape it, get some of the material.

[00:34:14] But certainly I think it would be something you could attend. But also, just for a minute, talk about some of these individuals. I'm hoping that over the next few months we could have some of them on, whether they talk about Finishing Well or their own ministry, because you put together quite a very significant group of individuals, many of whom who I know. But talk about some of the speakers that will be at the Leading with Purpose National Leadership Conference. Well, first of all, Mike Grayson is a very dear friend.

[00:34:43] He leads our ministry at Stonebrow Community Church. And he has for the past eight years. And he and his wife, Pam, on the side as volunteers. They teach a class every Thursday afternoon from 2 to 3.30 at Stonebrow. And, you know, during COVID, we broadcast and people from all over the country would tune in to what they were doing. So that's passed. But they do that live. And, you know, it's made a difference at Stonebrow Community Church.

[00:35:11] You know, in terms of turning an aging generation onto the possibilities of being involved. And he's also a brilliant Internet guy. He does a lot of stuff on the Internet, has his own Internet company, digital stuff. And in this book he's written, Black Holes and Other Works of God, is really a defense for who God is as a creationist. I've got to get him on the program. You would love him. And then Verdell, you know.

[00:35:40] I've known her for decades. Well, she's in her mid-80s. And she really wrestled. She wrote a book on being a grandmother years ago. And she wrestles with the aging years. I mean, she and I have a conversation going back and forth. We're working on some ideas together. And she does a lot of lectures in churches and facilitates groups on aging. I mean, she has a lot to teach us. And more women outlive their husbands. She's outlived two of them now. Her first husband died. Her second husband died.

[00:36:10] Randy Marshall, he helped found Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, has been a long-time pastor. And he is now leading our ministry at Watermark Community Church here in Dallas. And he has helped develop through leadership qualities, leadership training. And he's developing a whole, you know, several hundred people at Watermark in their 60s, 70s, and 80s are now involved in this critical ministry. It's great.

[00:36:38] Jerry Wiles is from Houston. He is one of these vibrant guys whose wife encountered Alzheimer's and dementia. And through caring for her firsthand, he has become an expert in the whole area of caregiving and understanding Alzheimer's. He's very involved with the Brain Center here at UTD. And he's a wonderful guy. But one of the things I like about Jerry, he has a passion for sharing the gospel.

[00:37:07] He has written a relational evangelism book. And he's one of these kind of guys that, like John Maisel, he'll share Christ with people in the elevator. But he does it in such an effective way. And he wants us to all, and you know Ken Wilgus. Ken's a psychologist, understands the power of relationships in marriage, in home, with your kids. You know, his whole kid's adolescent book, Feeding the Hand that Bites You. Yes. The Mouth that Bites You.

[00:37:38] You know, he has keen insight. His ringleaders. He has great sense of humor, too. He does. He does. And, you know, people in their aging years, we can still focus on the power of relationships. And I don't know if anybody better than Ken to talk about the power of relationships in the home and with each other as we develop. And he's doing this, you know, with his son as his pastor of a church. I mean, he's really developed this, all three of his kids and his grandkids. And we have a lot to learn from him. He's just an awesome friend.

[00:38:07] And I think God has brought together. And, of course, people will come to this with their own experiences. And we'll be able to share all those around tables and all that kind of thing. Really good. So, again, as people go there, they'll be able to get a real sense about how to develop one of these. But more importantly, it is a leadership conference. So I might talk about that for just a minute because this issue of leadership, some of it is taught. Some of it is caught. Some of it is intuitive. Some of it is natural.

[00:38:36] But you're going to really talk about what it means to grow as a leader. And a lot of people that are older might think, well, I'm too late to be a leader. No, it's really the best time for you to be a leader, isn't it? It really is. I mean, again, I go back to the scriptures. You know, you talk about Joshua. You know, picking up the mantle at 80 just like his mentor did. I mean, is that odd or what? Is that relevant? I think that pattern was something intended maybe. Well, I think so too. And it's intended for our day. Yeah. And these are our best years.

[00:39:06] I mean, like Robert Browning, grow old along with me. The best is yet. That really is true. You're not marginalized as an aging person. Our culture would seek to marginalize older people and say your relevance is not there anymore. But it's never been truer. You know, in your last years, you know, prof used to say last words are lasting words. So what you do with your life at the end is more powerful than you would have ever dreamt.

[00:39:31] Let me point people to the website because one of the things they will also see, whether they go to the conference or not, is there's a way in which people can take a Finishing Well Ministries Bible course. There's a video also about your group study. And, of course, you've been doing these podcasts. And from time to time, you'll talk about some interview that you've done like I've done. And we're trading some ideas. So there's a lot of material. And one of the things I like about your website, we need to do this on ours, there's a button that says start here.

[00:40:00] Because some people say, okay, you've got a lot of stuff on the website. Where do I get started? But some people, if they're looking for a Bible study or they're saying this is something we need to talk about, you've already got books, booklets, videos, and resources. It's plug and play ready to go, isn't it? It is. And by the way, all of our stuff is on Right Now Media. You know, and one of the great things of our studies is not only the core one, the seven essentials,

[00:40:24] but we have this 14-part series on biblical characters and how they finished and how they didn't finish well. I mean, all the characters in Scripture are there to teach us. Paul said they're there for our instruction. And we're here for each other for our instruction as well. And speaking of didn't finish well, we always see the great cataclysm or the drop or the explosion in a ministry. But if we can quote Prof. Hendricks one more time, most of the time it was a slow leak, wasn't it?

[00:40:54] It was. We saw it coming. Yes. Yeah. And you've got to be intentional about your life. And that's you and I. I mean, we've got years, but we can't slack off. Yes. I mean, the best years are yet to be in our vibrancy with Jesus, in our vibrancy with our family, our kids, our grandkids. I mean, life is like that. God ordained it that way that we can impact each other. So, again, if you want to know a little bit more about the conference or more about finishing well, we have all sorts of information there.

[00:41:23] There's a place that says Start Here. There's the study series we've talked about, Lead Church's Resources About. There's a place where they can contact you in case they say, okay, I'm a little confused. How can I pull this together? Or we'd like to bring our entire youth group to this group or our entire ministry group to it. Is there enough room and board and all those kinds of things? So if they need to talk to you, all of that information is available on your website, and they can contact you and get some more information.

[00:41:52] Yeah, but our core focus is leaders. Yes. You know, we want to change the church. We want to change the culture as it has to do with aging people. Let's see if we can get some of the pastors there. I'd love it. I'd love it. They're the toughest to get to, Will, these subconferences. You know as well as I do. I know that first, Dan, for myself. Well, this has been a crazy hour because we had the interruption from Pat Boone and everything else. But thank you for being such a good friend and hanging in there. Thank you. God bless you. And keep your ministry going.

[00:42:22] May your tribe increase, as Prof used to say. Let me, if we can, encourage you one last time. If you find yourself saying, okay, I'd like to know more about Finishing Well Ministries, that website is already there. You can certainly find that as well. If you'd like to know a little bit more about Lenny McAllister, of course, Pat Boone. We talked about the Reagan movie. I posted a number of very good articles in that regard. All of that is on the website, pointofview.net.

[00:42:48] And if you think we've covered everything, you have no idea what we're going to be covering tomorrow. I know we're going to be getting into flock cameras because it's a very good piece by John Stossel. We're also going to be talking about somebody who has actually decided not to post those any further. And we'll talk about some of these other very important issues. Most importantly, I want to thank Megan for her help engineering the program. Derek, thank you for producing it. See you back here tomorrow right here on Point of View.

[00:43:14] In 19th century London, two towering historical figures did battle, not with guns and bombs, but words and ideas. London was home to Karl Marx, the father of communism. And legendary Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon. London was in many ways the center of the world, economically, militarily, and intellectually. Marx sought to destroy religion, the family, and everything the Bible supports.

[00:43:43] Spurgeon stood against him, warning of socialism's dangers. Spurgeon understood Christianity is not just religious truth. It is truth for all of life. Where do you find men with that kind of wisdom to stand against darkness today? Get the light you need on today's most pressing issues delivered to your inbox when you sign up for the Viewpoints commentary at pointofview.net.

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