"The second half of your life can be better than the first." - Bob Buford
I read that line on the back of Halftime, a book written by Bob Buford. My first thought was, "That's easy for you to say, Bob! You don't know what I've been through!"
As it turns out, other than the Bible, Halftime is the most impactful book I have ever read.
I discovered Halftime at a time in my life when I thought I was in a full-blown mid-life crisis.
Just thirty days before I discovered Halftime, I received a phone call that changed our lives.
It was a call from a pastor saying, "The van that Malori was riding in was involved in a rollover accident and she was thrown out of the van. She's not breathing."
I asked the pastor where they were and he said, "Monterrey, Mexico," a place I had never heard of before, but I was now buying a plane ticket to get there as soon as possible.
As I was backing out of the driveway to head to the airport, I received a second phone call from the Pastor saying, "Malori died, I'm so sorry."
And that was the beginning of my Halftime journey.
My daughter, Malori Aslan Smith, was 17-years old. She graduated early from high school to become a full-time missionary in Mexico. So, when we got the news that she had died on the mission field, our faith-based lives were shaken to the core.
If you've ever asked yourself, "What am I supposed to do now?" then you know how I felt.
But, you don't need to lose someone to feel this way.
All of us will ask, "what next?" at some point or another. For some that's the season before retirement, for others it's the empty nest years, a spiritual or work rut, or even the old cliché, the mid-life crisis: losing your identity, your confidence, feeling burnt out, and trying to fulfill that void by buying a sports car, getting a new spouse, taking an exotic vacation, etc.
Bob Buford destroys the mid-life crisis "myth" in his book.
Your "what next?" moment — your second half of life — can be defined by Halftime. It's a time to regain control of your life, find your unique purpose, and to reallocate it in a way that is more about meaning, than money.
Odds are, you'll live a whole adult lifetime that wasn't available to your parents and grandparents. Their life expectancy at birth was fifty years. We have two lifetimes now. Life I is what occurs before halftime, and Life II comes afterward. ~ Bob Bufford
For me and my wife, that meant focusing on eternal investments and stepping out into unchartered territory to live for something bigger than ourselves.
We ended up starting Aslan's Army, a non-profit that furthered the mission that Malori had started. Since forming Aslan's Army, we have supported hundreds of orphans and widows and trained hundreds of pastors who have gone on to launch over 500 churches in India, Africa, Mexico and South America. Plus, I've worked for and started new businesses, like FaithGateway, that have encouraged others to have a life of meaning and faith.
If you're open to living the next season of your life full of meaning, adventure, and eternal perspective, then I highly recommend reading Halftime.
And to help make that possible, we put together a great way for your to get your own copy of Halftime — way cheaper than Amazon :) And, it includes free shipping!
In addition, we're including with your purchase an exclusive FREE BONUS called Halftime for Couples, an ebook with video lessons in each chapter so you can discover your purpose as a couple.
So, just click on this link and join thousands of others who are part of the Halftime movement — working to create a life of meaning for ourselves and to help others do the same.
Sincerely,
Mark Smith Founder, FaithGateway.com
P.S. Over 750,000 people have read Halftime and have set out on a journey to build a life full of joy, purpose and impact. You can read a few of their stories (and the rest of my story) by clicking here.
FaithGateway ~ our mission is to help you grow and share your faith.
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