Women Finishing Well

In this episode podcast original co-host Diane Bradley returns to join Chris to discuss the challenges of building a legacy in your everyday life when God is calling you to a "new thing."

Show Notes & Links (Click' em, they're live)

-The heart of Women Finishing Well's calling: Romans 12:1-2

-God has called us to run a race with others and pass our faith to others in the race (Heb. 12:1-2, 12-13)

-Review of the legacy seasons:

Spring: women ages 25-40

Summer: women ages 40-54

Fall: women ages 55-75

Winter: women over 75

-Our circle of influence can change in various seasons. Be open to the people God puts in your life as you get older.

-Moving into a new season can bring a sense of urgency and anxiety. But God will show you the next thing as you follow Him in trust.

Scriptures about trusting God in a new season : 2 Peter 1: 13-15, Isaiah 43: 18-19

- When you want to take on something new, you need to put something down. How do we choose what to give up when God calls us to something new? Diane calls it "finding your best yes."

-Our stories: what we are moving on to.

-When God does something new, it's exciting!

Welcome to the last lesson (lesson four) in the online Bible study, The Four Seasons of Legacy Building. In this lesson you'll discover how you are uniquely and wonderfully made by God to build a legacy of faith that lasts for generations.

Show Notes & Links

Where we're going in this lesson:

• You'll discover the unique purpose God has for you using our Legacy Inventory online tool.
• Clarify the definition of "building a legacy of faith in your everyday life."
• Introduction to the Legacy Inventory: How are you wonderfully made?
  • Step One: Who Am I?
  • Step Two: Where Have I Been?
  • Step Three: Where Am I Now?
  • Step Four: Who Has God Put in My Life?
  • Step Five: Putting it All Together

As you access the online inventory, be sure you have all your tools ready (journal, Bible) and start each step by watching the video. Be ready to take notes on the video in your journal! After you watch the video, go through all the instructions and exercises for that step in the inventory. Warning: Life-changing information ahead!

Scriptures for this lesson (New Living Translation, unless noted):

• Romans 12:1, The Message
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Php. 1:6
• Deuteronomy 11:18-21

Links (click 'em, they're live):

Click here to access the Legacy Inventory on our website.

Click here to access a pdf of the first two chapters of Building a Legacy of Faith if you don't have a copy.

Click here to get your copy of Building a Legacy of Faith on sale on Amazon. Both digital and print versions are on sale.

Click here to access our Facebook community. Join us and share your legacy!

Be sure and email us if you have any questions or just want to say "hi." Email [email protected]

What does building a legacy of faith look like in the different seasons of life? In this episode, some of our former podcast guests will share their current legacy-building challenges.

Scriptures, Show Notes & Links:

Scriptures we use in this podcast:

1 Cor. 9:26-27

Ps. 1:1-3

2 Pet. 1:12-15

Jer. 29:11

John 15:4

Show Notes:

-Review of the four season of legacy building; their ages and characteristics.

-The Challenges:

Spring: time for parenting, friends, finding a place/time to serve.

Summer: Change in parenting styles from the spring season because of kids' ages--giving them more freedom; job changes and trying to advance careers; finding the time and place to serve; few leadership opportunities for women this age; making time for friends.

Fall: Identifying the next step in family and job transition; hard to let go and pass the baton to youngers, hard to connect with younger women and older women—too young for some, too old for some. Changing family status (children leaving, grandchildren arriving)

Winter: How to ignite my stored energy to influence youngers; difficulty finding a place to serve; shifting of priorities and health challenges. The biggest challenge is the church's perceived irrelevance of women at this age.

Links:

Click here to download the Four Seasons of Legacy Building study guide.

Click here to check out Jean Fleming's book, Pursue the Intentional Life.

Click here to get your copy of Building a Legacy of Faith (book by Chris Syme).

You can email Chris at [email protected].

The Tree of Seasons:

Welcome to lesson two of our online study, The Four Seasons of Legacy Building. This episode is dedicated to helping you get started with the study guide and lead you into an immersive experience with the study material. You'll get the most out of this episode if you download the study guide first here and follow along as you go through the podcast:

https://womenfinishingwell.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Lesson-4-study-guide.pdf

Don't be in a hurry to work through this lesson. I recommend starting with 10-15 minutes/day with your journal. Pray that God will open the eyes of your heart as you listen and journal through the guide (Ps. 119:18).

Show Notes & Links:

-God is the Orchestrator of all our seasons.

-List of scriptures from the study guide. You may want to do a short study taking one scripture passage per day. We'll cover the basics of the SOAP method of study in this lesson in the Digging Deeper section. It's very user-friendly and will help you get more out of your Bible reading.

• Psalm 1:1-3

• Psalm 78:2-4

• Psalm 145:4-6

• Exodus 20:4-6

• Colossians 3: 1-2

• Hebrews 12:12-13

-Be sure and use your journal to take notes as you are going through the lesson.

Links

Send me an email with any questions or just let me know how you're doing. You can email me at [email protected].

If you don't have a copy of the Tree of Seasons, you can save (right-click) the image below:

Get out your journal and get ready for lesson four in our Bible study, The Tale of Two Legacies. In this episode we'll start the process of identifying what "season" of life we're in and how we can craft the narratives that will help us build a legacy of faith in this season.

Show Notes:

What 2 Listen 4 in this lesson:

In this lesson we're going to learn the basics about the four seasons of legacy building and discover the stories (narratives) of your season. Before you start, download the image of the tree of seasons in the show notes or right click on the image below. We will refer to it in the podcast.

• Discover the season of life that defines where you're at right now.
• Each season has unique narratives that help us build a legacy during that season. More on the how-to in lesson five.
• The seasons:
  • Spring: ages 25-40*. New, exuberant life. These are the leaves on the far left of our tree of seasons.
  • Summer: ages 41-54*. The season of strength and growth. The leaves are green and sturdy.
  • Fall: ages 55-75*. This season is normally a season of transition and change– the one with the most vibrant colors of life.
  • Winter: ages 76-plus*. This is a strong season of stored energy essential for the regeneration of seasons in the spring. The most challenging season of legacy building.

*seasonal ages can vary a few years on either side

• Scripture verses in this lesson (all scripture is from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted)
• Psalm 1:1-3
• Psalm 78:2-4
• Psalm 145:4-6
• Exodus 20:4-6
• Colossians 3: 1-2
• Hebrews 12:12-13

Links and downloads:

You can download your copy of the "tree of seasons" and your lesson four study guide under the lesson four resources HERE.

Download your Lesson 1 study guide here.

You can email Chris at [email protected] with any questions or resources you need to access.

CLICK to visit our Facebook page and join the community of women learning to build a legacy of faith.

In this episode, we're introducing a new 4-lesson online study that will help you build a legacy of faith no matter what season of life you're in.

Notes & Links:

-When God wants us to step out, sometimes He leads us through some challenges. No worries--He's just getting you ready for what's next.

-Join our new online study starting the week of April 24: The Four Seasons of Legacy Building where we will explore what it takes to build a legacy of faith in every season of your life. No matter what your age or season of life, we've got you covered.

-This study is great for grandparents and moms who have kids out of school in the summer.

Click here to join our Facebook community

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and get episodes early and chances to win free books.

The Four Seasons of Building a Legacy Tree:

In this episode of our new series, Help For The Hurting, we'll talk about the three kinds of questions to ask God when we are faced with a season of hurt. God wants us to bring him into our troubles. He knows the way through.

Show Notes & Links:

There are some common challenges we face and questions we ask in a season of hurt:

Common challenges:

• The misplaced "shame" of questioning God.
• The two truths we need to establish when trouble shows up.

Three kinds of questions we face when we hurt:

• The questions we ask God (who, what, when, where, why)
• The questions the world asks us: if you really are a child of God, then why did God let this happen? Did God really say?
• The questions Jesus is asking us.

The 5 W's: The questions and the scriptures. I encourage you to take some time and study these questions and answers to help you connect with God in a season of hurt. Today we'll talk about the first four: who, what, when, and where. We talked about the why in last week's blog post. You can read that here: https://womenfinishingwell.com/why-god-why/

• Who is involved in the hurt—how far did it reach? Is it just me? Are there others? What is God's take? It's time to bring God alongside—He is the biggest "who" in the equation of every hurt. All things come through Him (not, "are caused by Him"—there is a difference. Read Romans 11:36). Are you protecting me in this? (Ps. 73:25-26, Rom 11:36, Ps. 23:7, Ps. 138: 7-8)
• What? What just happened here, God? Am I discerning the cause, the effect? Is this important? What attacks of the enemy do I need to guard against in light of what happened? Show me what is the truth and what is a lie or a conclusion fueled by my emotions? What do you want me to see? Are you protecting me? (2 Thes. 3:3, Is. 54:17, Psalm 59, Ps. 23:5, Rom. 12:2)
• When? How long will this last God? We need prayers for endurance, wisdom, and strength of heart and mind. When will I (my friend, these people) be restored? How can I keep connected to you in this trouble? How can I let go of this? Ask God to help you walk through the process of grieving/making amends, or whatever needs to be done in His perfect timing. (Php. 4:13, Php 4:5-7, Ps. 29:11, 2 Chron. 6:19, James 1:5, Mt. 11:28-30, John 16:33)
• Where? Where are you, Lord? Are you here with me? Help me to see your healing hand in all this. Where can I turn? What friends, scriptures, and wisdom should I seek in this situation? It feels like You have abandoned me. (Heb. 13:5-6, Ps. 73:23-26, Ps. 37:24-26)

Links: click 'em, they're live:

• Listen to the kickoff episode of our new series here.
• Sign up for our newsletter to get new episodes delivered to your Inbox and chances to win fun prizes! Click here and be sure and check your email inbox for a confirmation after you sign up.
• Join our Facebook community. Meet other women finishing well.
• You can email me at [email protected]

In this episode, we start a new series called Help For the Hurting. You'll want to hear this kick-off episode with writer and speaker Melanie Davis Porter as she shares how God brought her family through a season of grief, and how He used that grief to inspire Melanie to reach out to help others through her writing and everyday life.

Show Notes & Links:

• Defining grief as a season and how God brings balance to our seasons.
• How the enemy of your heart can complicate your grief.
• Defining your season of mourning and its purpose for the healing journey.
• How to share your grief with others.
• How looking back at God's faithfulness helps us deal with our present hurt.
• Why you should keep an inventory (journal) on how God shows up in your grief.
• Andrew Murray prayer for troubled times:

  "In time of trouble, say, First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child. Then say, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow. And last, say, In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows. Therefore, say, I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time."

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDavisPorter/
• Twitter & Instagram: @melaniedavisporter
• Blog & website: https://melaniedavisporter.com/

*Start our podcast Bible study, The Journey Back to Your Heart, here: https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode161/

In this episode we take a look at how to set our heart and mind on making 2023 our best year ever. Learn the keys to building a deeper walk with God in the new year.

Scripture verses we'll dive into:

• Hebrews 12:1-3, The Message
• Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT
• Psalm 90: 12, 17
• Philippians 1:6
• Romans 12:2, The Message

Show Notes & Links:

-Why we need to start out every year asking God to teach us to number our days.

-The important difference between a goal and a purpose.

-How to write a life purpose statement. Details are below in the tools section.

-Always remember that it is God who works in you. We're seeking His purpose (Philippians 1:6).

-"Transformation will happen when you consistently do what others occasionally do" (Pastor Ashley Wooldridge).

Other tools you'll need:

How to Write Your Life Purpose Statement:

1. Get a blank sheet of paper. Title it, My Purpose in Life. Pray for wisdom.
2. Start writing. Write. Write all you can. Words, phrases, complete sentences, Just write . Don't stop and edit. Write more.
3. Repeat step two until you get the answer that makes you either cry or jump up and down with excitement. Boil it down to a couple sentences. It has to make sense to you only.

Chris' Life Purpose Statement:

My purpose in life is to live and love for God, and bless all the people He puts in my life; to trust in Him completely to lead me in the way I should go, come what may; and to put on the easy yoke and carry the light burden.

Links: Click 'em, they're live

Tools for starting a morning time with God:

1. Load the Lectio 365 (app) on to your Apple or Android Device. It will help you connect with God in just ten minutes each morning: https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/

2. Take advantage of the reading plans on any book of the Bible or any topic in the YouVersion Bible app. Load it on to your Apple or Android device here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/

You can also use this app to read from any Bible version, search for verses and topics, and study reading plans with friends.

3. Click here to learn more about the five-year journal.

-Click here to join the Women Finishing Well Facebook community-get involved in 2023!

-Click here to join the email list and be a podcast Insider! Access to new podcasts, giveaways and more!

Send Chris an email: [email protected]

This episode is the finale of our Bible study, The Journey Back To Your Heart. We'll discover that beginning with the end in mind is the key to our successful journey. Get ready to be blessed!

Show Notes, Scriptures & Links:

Scriptures in this episode: Hebrews 12:1-3, Hebrews 12: 12-13, Philippians 1:6, Colossians 3:1-2, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 1: 3-14, Matthew 7:13-14

-This episode brings us full circle in the journey back to the center of our hearts with God. As we step up to the starting line, we'll learn how a good beginning mindset produces a strong finish.

-In this episode, we tackle our last life habit: begin with the end in mind. We aren't called just to start our race; we are called to finish well.

-Running the race God has marked out for us to run: Jesus has already been there, done that. Learn how He did it!

-Finishing the race takes perseverance--life is full of challenges.

-Two keys to beginning with the end in mind and finishing strong:

• Keep your heart and mind fixed on things above, and the tools to help you do that.
• Determine to live counter-culturally. (Romans 12:2, The Message). Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold. The gate is narrow and the road to life is difficult. But Jesus is leading us! (Mt. 7:13-14)

Links: Click 'em; they'll get you there:

Click here to access the first episode (161) in the study and start your journey!

For a deeper experience with this study, get a copy of the Bible study, Building A Legacy of Faith: how to influence others with your everyday life.

Lectio 365 app for Apple or Android here

Download the First Things First tool here

You can connect with our Facebook community here. Find other women who want to finish well!

Sign up for our mailing list here and get insider access to every podcast and giveaway! You can unsubscribe at any time.

Don't forget next week's episode where we explore the process of setting our hearts and minds above for 2023. Learn the difference between purpose and goals. It'll wow you! Tell a friend.