What would happen if we were to let our preschoolers call the shots? Parents would probably shudder at the thought!
After contemplating this, another thought quickly follows…I wonder if God isn’t doing the very same thing right now over some of the choices we’ve made? hmmmm….
Vlog – Season 1 – video #12. To see past vlogs, visit the vlog channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Ogqj5EnQo7Q0egcpCkpLg
Welcome to Finish Strong! We’re writing to let you know that the 2019 membership season is now open, and also to tell you about some exciting developments that have occurred this year. Refocusing on our roots and listening to input from our members, we’ve charted a course for 2019 that places an emphasis on working together to further the mission of the team – to share the hope of Christ through endurance sports.
In keeping with this theme, the 2019 Kit has been finalized and is a nod to the original Finish Strong kit. Based on current safety trends and member feedback, HI-VIS elements have been incorporated to make for an updated, great looking kit that promotes the safety of our members while out on the roads.
One of the things that came into focus in 2018 was the recognition that, in order to achieve our goals of spreading the Word of Christ through our sport, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus must be at the center of our lives and the motivation for what we do before we can have any meaningful impact for the gospel.
Our desire is to see our team members grow in their relationship with Christ Jesus, and this best fostered in a local body of believers. It is in these faith communities where we can be built up in our faith as described in Colossians 2:6-7.
That said, our role as a team is to take the gospel beyond of the doors of the church and into world. To that end, one of our core focuses in 2019 is to better equip team members to share their faith where opportunities may be found. We will be providing ministry resources and tools in various forms to our members throughout the year so that they may be prepared when those opportunities come!
Thank you to all who support the mission of Team Finish Strong!
There is perhaps no more iconic symbol of modern social life today than the thumbs up symbol used on numerous media platforms. With merely a tap of these buttons, we declare to the world what we like or dislike, or of what things we approve or disapprove.
So embedded is public approval in our culture that getting the most likes, the most views, or the most followers has become its own phenomenon. Taken to the extreme, we end up with absurdities such as the Kiki (“InMyFeelings”) Challenge where people jump out of moving vehicles to dance while on video – all for the approval of a virtual audience.
Here in America, public opinion is a beast like none other in modern American life that has both lifted up unlikely heroes as well as taken down the powerful. The mood of the masses has at times even trumped the order of…
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Ben Franklin regularly makes the trip up the watershed by bike, and recently he, along with other members of Finish Strong, rode into the foothills on what has been termed, “The Triple Bakery Ride.”
The Triple Bakery is one of those that might well be placed in the “Epic” category of rides in the Upstate. As the name implies, favorites of the popular Bakery and Double Bakery Rides will be familiar with waypoints on this trek, as visits to the cyclist friendly bakeries in Flat Rock and Saluda are included. Throw in the Bracken Mountain Bakery in Brevard, NC, and, voila, you have a confectionary trifecta worthy of remembrance!
To be certain, one must pay homage to the mountains in order to enjoy the delights that await on this 80+ mile journey. The greatest challenge came early for Ben’s group with a climb up Caesar’s Head. On this day, morning fog set the perfect backdrop for a group photo commemorating the ascent, then it was off to Brevard for their first bakery stop. Six plus hours, 84 miles, and 5,600 feet of climbing later, the team returned to the meetup location in Marietta, SC.
Finish Strong, a team of endurance athletes committed to sharing the Word of Christ through cycling, welcomes anyone to join the team on their regular group rides. Rides are usually posted on the Strava club page or are posted via email. You may also use our contact form for further information.
Athletes who wish to join the mission of Finish Strong as part of the endurance team may register now!
James Fowler
Finish Strong
BE WILLING TO KEEP CLIMBING THIS HIGH mountain with Me. Sometimes you look back nostalgically at a long-ago stage of your journey. You yearn for that easier, less complicated time in your life. But I want you to recognize it for what it was: a base camp. It was a time and place of preparation for the arduous adventure ahead of you.
The mountain you are climbing is exceedingly high; the top of it is hidden in clouds. So it’s impossible for you to know how far up those heights you have come— and how far you have yet to go. However, the higher you go, the better view you have. Although each day is a challenge and you often feel weary, take time to enjoy the magnificent scenery!
This journey with Me is training you to see from a heavenly perspective that transcends your circumstances. The higher up the mountain you climb, the steeper and more challenging your path becomes— but the greater your adventure as well. Remember that the higher you go with Me, the closer you get to your ultimate goal— the heights of heaven!
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. —Matthew 17: 1– 2 NKJV
The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! —Habakkuk 3: 19 AMP
Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. —Philippians 3: 20– 21
Vince Schmidt
Finish Strong
