My tips to the street preacher at the US 10K Classic

Usually at this point in time, I am packing myself up from LDR to head home after a stomach-satisfying breakfast at the Donut Hole in Sandestin... but alas I did not make LDR this year (can't wait to hear how it was), so I ran in the US 10K Classic this morning

(which has the opposite effect of eating at The Donut Hole :) )

I finished the race in 59:59 (yes, I sprinted to finish in under an hour), despite chilling at a few water stops and getting stuck behind a bunch of walkers and non-starters at the beginning (at least that's my excuse for not doing better :) ), and enjoyed grabbing some Publix swag, listening to some music from this local band that was playing at the afterparty, and checked out the chiropractic tent and to my surprise got my neck adjusted.  

But the most interesting thing to me was that when I was going back into the main area from the concert stage, there was this guy trying to get past security that obviously wasn't part of the race crowd.  By looking at his t-shirt, it was obvious what he was there for... he was the "You're going to Hell guy."  Needless to say, he didn't get past security because he didn't have a race number, but he sure as (heck) tried.  But after seeing him try to get in I didn't give it a second thought until I had to wait in this really long line to catch the CCT busses back to my car parked near Cobb Galeria (we were up at Six Flags Whitewater just north of the Big Chicken), and there he was... listing "our" sins, telling us that we needed to turn or go to H-ay-eeeeeeeee-lluh (Yes, I think he used three syllables in classic stereotypical fashion :) )

Not that I don't believe God can use this, but I was seriously praying "God, please tell me you didn't send that guy."  And now my prayer is "God, if you DID send that guy, I pray that if you are working in someone's heart that you'll send an authentic Christian into their world that will love on them and answer their questions with gentleness, wisdom, and respect."  

But I hope that God did not send him, or at least he misinterpreted God's call on his life if he was indeed to witness at the US 10K (or any other race for that matter).  In case he is reading my blog (oh, please read it!  Please read it!), here are some tips from me to you on how you can, if you are called to witness to runners at a race like this, be true to your calling.

1.) Get your butt in shape.  Paul in one of his letters stated that he became "all things to all people" so that they could hear the gospel.  Dude, it was obvious that you weren't there to run.  

2.) Join a running group.  You may want to get in shape before this so you can hang.  But if you're going to share God's grace with people, then you need to be building relationships with them.  Go where they are, and let them see the light in your life.

3.) Get your internal life in order.  This is just a hint, but Paul states in Romans that perhaps, just perhaps, that this judgmental, condemning style is not holy but is flowing from your sin nature.  Get grace applied to your life so that you can glorify God here, speak to others with love showing from your life, and so that you can fulfill your ultimate purpose which is to reflect who God is to a world that needs to see who God is. 

4.) Actually, do #3 before you do #2... that judgmental thing will come out if you haven't dealt with it. 

5.) Okay, now... rub shoulders with some non-Christians and get to know them.  

6.) On #5, NO AGENDAS.  Let God set the agenda.  

7.) When you have an opportunity to talk about what God's doing or has done in YOUR life, share it and be excited to know a God as awesome as our God.  

8.) Okay, now that you have running friends, you have a group, you've invested relationally... you sign up and run the US 10K classic.

9.) You run the whole thing :-)

10.) And when you and your friends that are curious about Christ because of you run into some other judgmental, fire-breathing, preacher dude condemning them to Hell, you can love on them and point them one step closer to a real life with Jesus (which includes but is not limited to "after we die"), which is actually much superior to the "fire insurance" that the dude standing along the CCT bus line is selling.  

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - Jesus (John 10:10)