Farrar - Finishing strong: going the distance for your family

FINISHING STRONG
published by Multnomah Publishers
A division of Random House, Inc.

1995 by Steve Farrar
eISBN: 978-0-307-77915-1

Most Scripture quotations are from:
New American Standard Bible
1960, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation

Also quoted:
The Holy Bible, New International Version ( NIV )
1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House

The Living Bible ( TLB )
1971 by Tyndale House Publishers

appeared in
If Im Not Tarzan, and My Wife Isnt Jane,
Then What Are We Doing in the Jungle?
an earlier, now out-of-print book by the author.

Multnomah is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission.

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v3.1

To my brothers,
Mike Farrar
and
Jeff Farrar

We have been running this race together now for over forty years.
When one has tripped, there have been two to pick him up.
And thats the best part of this race.
Were running in it together.
We were given a great start.
Lets have a strong finish.
Together.
Thank you for your encouragement.
Its great to have brothers who are brothers.

BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL, AND BASEBALL ARE TEAM SPORTSAND SO IS WRITING a book. And there are some valuable members of this team who should be specifically put into the spotlight.

Simply put, Larry Libby is a superb editor. This is our third project together, and once again, Larry showed his stuff. Thanks, Larry, for your tireless work and ceaseless encouragement.

Thanks also to David Kopp, who provided some very timely direction and focus! Way to go, Dave!

My brother-in-law, Bryan Owens, did a great job of overseeing the ministry side of things so that I could channel my energies into this book.

Thanks to Dr. Howard Hendricks for his willingness to plug in some significant data that enabled me to shape the central premise of this book. And I am indebted to Dr. Robert Clinton for taking the time in several phone conversations to summarize his substantial studies of over nine hundred Christian leaders.

Dr. Charlie Dyer, professor of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, also lent his biblical expertise on more than one occasion. Thanks, Charlie! Ill buy you a Diet Dr. Pepper in Jerusalem when we make that Israel trip!

Dave Roper introduced me to Manasseh and Uzziah a long time ago at Peninsula Bible Church. Much of what I have written is gleaned from Daves great studies of twenty-five years ago.

Jim Litchfield, Mario Zandstra, Ken Sibley, Pat Hamner, Mike Farrar, and John Bethany all took their valuable time to read assorted drafts and offer critical input. Thanks, gentlemen!

My in-laws, Carl and Sara Jo Wilson, made some significant personal sacrifices out of their own schedules to help make this book a reality, and I am grateful to them.

At our house, writing a book is always a family effort. Mary, Rachel, John, and Josh all made significant personal sacrifices to enable me to write. Especially toward the end of the project when I got irritable because I was trying to finish strong! Thanks for putting up with me. You are the four earthly reasons why I want to finish strong.

Truth is heavy, so few men carry it.
J EWISH P ROVERB

THE YEAR 1994 WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR THE NBA DRAFT. Three players emerged from the 94 draft who were destined for greatness: Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, and Glenn Robinson. Its a rare year when there are three young players available who single-handedly can turn a franchise around. But 94 was one of those years.

Hill impacted Detroit, Kidd revolutionized the Dallas Mavericks, and Robinson made Milwaukee a potential threat to every team in the league. And when it came time to give the Rookie of the Year award, for only the third time in NBA history the voting was tied. As a result, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were named Co-Rookies of the Year. And Robinson was right behind them in the balloting, breathing down their necks.