Book Review: How to Finish the Christian Life

Here is a book that is written by a son (Donald Sweeting) who is in his 50s, and his father (George Sweeting), who is in his 80s. It is entitled How to Finish the Christ Life. They offer wisdom for those who are approaching their senior years, or who have already entered those senior years. Both men have been in ministry for their entire careers, George as a pastor, evangelist, and past president of Moody Bible Institute, and Donald as a pastor and President of Reformed Theological Seminary. Their wisdom is based on both scripture and their own pastoral experience. It is wisdom that is to be highly regarded.

The fifteen chapters are short and practical. It would be difficult to cover everything in a short review, so let me mention what I found most helpful. First, I loved the emphasis on the gospel. Much is written in recent years about preaching the gospel to yourself, and the authors include that emphasis in the second chapter, showing how important the gospel is to those in the  “second half” of their life. They need to share it with others regularly, explore it deeply, and preach to themselves continually.

Another highlight is in the fifth chapter (You Can’t Run This Race Alone) where they emphasize a need for having a mentor and also being mentored. There is an overall theme of our lives being a marathon (starting with chapter one), but it is so important that we remember that the race is a team effort. Towards the end of the chapter it is stated that leaders “forget that the younger generation needs to see a living curriculum!” We can’t stop learning, but we also can’t stop showing others the Christlike life. That would be a great book in itself!

Other chapters deal with suffering, funerals, finances, finishing well, facing death, and many others. They’re all good! We need information like this. We would do well to give serious thought to what our lives will be like as we come to our second half of life. This book gives us much to consider.

I did find one weakness in the book. There were so many excellent ideas, surely too many to address with specific recommendations. I think it would have been helpful to include some suggested resources that would guide the reader in implementing the ideas.  

For example, when talking about how to handle your finances in chapter eight (“You Can’t Take It With You”), the authors might have provided some books or other places the reader might go that would guide them in the right direction. This was done in a couple of chapters, but I found myself asking “How do I do that?” so many times throughout the book. How do I mentor someone else? How do I restore relationships with people?

If you are approaching those senior years (I would call you a Senior in Training!), please get this book and prepare to live many more productive years for the purpose of bringing glory to our Savior. If you have already arrived at those golden years, read this book and make some adjustments as needed. God will be pleased. I highly recommend it!

I received this book from Moody Publishers and in return I am submitting a review of this book. My review of this book is my honest opinion.