When I entered ministry over fifty years ago, I was not focusing on finishing my ministry or even finishing life. My mindset was on the “now.” All I could focus on was getting the job done. Goals, accomplishment, progress, and achievement were words that described my thinking. Oh yes, speed would have been included. I knew there was a finish but did not see it properly. I preached about heaven, hell, and death, but they were words that enhanced a fired-up message for the altar call. My eternal perspective was skewed.

As I matured in my journey through Scripture and in my desire to follow Jesus and seek His face, my understanding of the finish line became something I longed for and which began to shape my life, especially in my later years. Now, I pause to think about what I would tell my younger self fifty years ago. I would talk about practices that would shape my life for eternity. Here is what I would say.

The Primacy of Prayer and the Word

Prayer and the Word are our driving themes in the Strategic Renewal family. It is not just an academic approach—it is the necessity for a spiritual life of vitality. They are the practices that place us into a life of dependence. I remember Daniel Henderson saying, “We have many body parts and organs. We can live without an arm, leg, eye, and even a kidney, but we cannot live without our lungs and a heart.” Prayer and the Word are our lungs and heart. Our bodies can live without food for forty days; we can go approximately three days without water. However, we can live for only a few minutes without breathing. In an article years ago, the mystic Evelyn Underhill had one thing correct when she said, “Prayer is breathing the air of eternity.”* If I could go back in time, I would emphatically tell my younger self this truth. The Word would then direct my “breathing” and give life with clarity, purpose, and direction. “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you” (Proverbs 3:1-2).

“We have many body parts and organs. We can live without an arm, leg, eye, and even a kidney, but we cannot live without our lungs and a heart.” (Daniel Henderson)

Prayer and the Word are our lungs and heart.

The Importance of a Mentor

Mentors give us advice, but more importantly, they model a life to follow. Moses had Jethro, the Twelve had Jesus, and Timothy had Paul. “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness” (2 Timothy 3:10). The right mentor shapes us towards Jesus and biblical community.  He or she will lead a clear path to follow. We can have several relationships, but one must be with someone who, without reservation, lives with an authenticity that attracts us to be open to instruction and advice, and to walk with God in real, everyday situations.

Mentors can also be the ones who call us into accountability. I have lived most of my life without that one person who was bold enough to hold me accountable. I look back and see some major stumbles along my journey when a strong mentor would have said, “Halt! You are about to make a wrong decision.” Or a mentor could have come alongside and encouraged me when I made a mistake or when I was discouraged and losing sight of the vision God had established in the ministry. A godly mentor speaks truth in love, asks hard questions, and points us back to Christ when we drift. Then we can properly pass the same practice and relationship on to others. “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

A godly mentor speaks truth in love, asks hard questions, and points us back to Christ when we drift. Then we can properly pass the same practice and relationship on to others.

The Practice of Being Still

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10). This verse is not just about being quiet. It is set in a time of war. The word “still” in Hebrew is raphah and it means to let go; to relax one’s grip; to cease striving. When we apply this to our lives, it can be a sense of calm, of slowing down, and yes, of being quiet. I never practiced solitude and listening in my younger days. In that absence, I missed much of what God wanted to teach me. I was hurried, rushed, busy, and at times off course. I was striving to do ministry and life at such a pace that I missed the priorities of life and eternity that God wanted me to have.

In our world of noise, speed, and media, it goes against the flow to be quiet, to sit, to meditate on God’s truth and just listen to one voice. Oh, how I wish I could turn back the clock of blaring noise and running and wait upon the Lord for the renewing of my strength according to Isaiah 46:10. The word “wait” in Hebrew is āvâ and it means actively hoping in God; leaning your full weight on Him; being tightly bound to Him in trust; enduring with confident expectation. I think back on how I strived and how hurried life became, and how much I missed hearing from God. My plans were at best a good guess at God’s direction for my life and ministry.

In our world of noise, speed, and media, it goes against the flow to be quiet, to sit, to meditate on God’s truth and just listen to one voice.

As the years went on, I finally read of those great saints who practiced solitude and silence, and solitude has now become a welcome practice, drawing my heart to the finish line and to seeing my Savior, declaring His worthiness and singing the songs of heaven to the Lamb. I love the fact that I do not have social media—I don’t say that with judgment or haughtiness, but with the brokenness of realizing that for me, I need to be still and block out all other voices. I need to hear the one voice that is eternal.

The Reminder of the Finish Line

Paul writes that our citizenship is in heaven. We are here on a temporary visa, but our current identity is in Christ, and our home is in heaven. We already belong to another kingdom. We already live under another rule. Over the years, I wish that I had been reminded of the reality of the eternal perspective. The reminder would not have been for fear or the motivation of guilt, but for hope and the reality of what really matters.

The psalmist tells us, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Now, the thought of the finish line brings me joy and a smile. We live for “that day.” Paul instructs us to set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. When we keep focused on the finish line, it helps in our suffering; it changes our values; it helps us with our fears; it changes how we forgive. When heaven becomes real to our souls, fear loses its grip, bitterness loosens its hold, and worldly success loses its power. Eternity gives perspective.

When heaven becomes real to our souls, fear loses its grip, bitterness loosens its hold, and worldly success loses its power. Eternity gives perspective.

May we live to cross that finish line to hear, feel, and see the joy that lies before us.

Copyright © 2026 Dennis Henderson. All rights reserved.

*The Essentials of Mysticism and Other Essays