Reflections on the 8K

On Saturday, March 25 I ran an 8K with 20 or so church members from Fellowship Raleigh. I have always played sports, but this was my first distance run of any kind. I did this along with Johnny Hindman and many other Fellowship members in order to challenge myself to Finish Strong with our Transformission Finish Line building campaign.

Here are my reflections from the 8K:

Pre-Race: Insecure and Vulnerable 

• By vulnerability I mean that I ran this race with church members who hear me preach good sermons every Sunday and church staff whom I lead during the week. Having them cheer for me and high-five me in something I’m very insecure and incompetent in was a very vulnerable experience.
• By insecurity I mean that I have never ever seen a big road race of any kind in person… so this spectacle of standing around at a starting line with 2,000 people was an entirely new scene of chaos to me… and a little intimidating. I did not even know where to pin my race bib and had to ask others. The whole newness of it made me a bit insecure to be honest. But, being committed to run, I had to press through it.

Mile 1: Just Run My Race 

• Getting passed by so many people. Even men and women jogging behind strollers with children in them passed me. This was a weird feeling because it mirrored a feeling I have had in life and ministry. I have often felt “passed” by those to whom I feel I should be ahead of. I found myself running while meditating on Hebrews 12:2 (look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith) and 1 Cor. 4:2 (those who have been given a trust must prove faithful). This was a good reminder to focus on God and run my race and not look at those ahead, behind, or passing me.  (Note- I placed 1388 out of 1749, finished in 63 minutes) There was actually a 70-year old woman named Louis who finished 5 minutes ahead of me!! 😃

Mile 2: Wife and Family are there for me… as always! 

• Right when I first began entertain walking and/or quitting I saw my parents, wife, and 4 daughters. My family was perched, with their twin stroller, at an intersection to see me and cheer for me. I did not know for sure if they were even coming because my wife Kristin had slept 13 hours the night before with the flu. However, in typical Kristin fashion, she still wanted to come see me run and found a way to make it work. This was surreal to me as it profoundly mirrored so much of my life and ministry…. So many times when I am about ready to quit my wife and family seem to be there for me to encourage me. Even though my wife is spent, discouraged, and even sick, she still seems to find joy in being part of this journey with me and brings excellent encouragement. I am blessed.

Mile 3: A Diverse and Joyful Church Family 

• This mile was a blur… but I know that I passed the water station where there were about 15 Fellowship Raleigh volunteers… a very diverse group yet all in green church T-shirts. They seemed to be having so much fun and it was just a great encouragement to see people I love, who are in this with me, and to get some cold water from them. Again, in many ways, a parallel to life. We have a great church family!

Mile 4: God at work in bringing about New Partners in the Gospel 

• This was my best mile where I felt the strongest and the hills were mostly in the past. All of a sudden DeAngelo and his 6”8 frame runs up nest to me and says “hey.” DeAngelo is a new friend, non-profit leader, and tenant at our Fellowship Raleigh church facility. He ran this 8K to support our church’s efforts to cross the Finish Line on buying our building. He and I were able to finish the race running side by side and get our medals together. For me, this reminded me that God is at work in the present in my life and ministry. He is not finished with me or Fellowship Raleigh and He is bringing new friends and Gospel partners into my life.

Post-Race: I Love My City (Raleigh)

• Everyone who finished the race got a free beer and there was live music playing and a wonderful spirit of camaraderie shared by all. The biggest thing that struck me “post-race” was that the only people I knew (out of the 2,000 people) were the people I came with from our church. I’ve lived in Raleigh for 10 years and feel I know all the Pastors, Christian celebrities, and have had plenty of Christians cycle their way through our church, yet I did not see anyone that I knew at this race nor did I see any other church T-shirts. This reminded me that Raleigh is not a small town, rather it is a million plus growing city and everyone here is not already a Christian. There are many who are irreligious and religiously lost who have never authentically heard or believed the Gospel and have not yet begun to follow Jesus in their life. I am happy to be here to be part of making the Gospel visible to this city.

Other Fun Facts:  

• One of church members (Andy) was the volunteer who handed the free beer out to all 2,000 people. It was just one beer per person (i.e. we did not enable drunkenness).
• One of our church members (James) placed 3rd overall in the race! Go James.
• Our Fellowship Finish Line team was the largest non beer related team.
• Our team placed 3rd overall (no thanks to my race time).

This was a great experience all by itself, but we did this because we have a bigger Finish Line to cross this summer with closing on our church facility at 410 Lord Berkley. See: www.fellowshipraleigh.org/finishline. Please join us in giving and praying. Commitment Sunday is April 9.