DEVOTIONS Finding God in a Runners Space Volume Three
Run for God
before you get started The Thing about a Shirt A FEW YEARS BACK I WAS in Richmond, Virginia, for the Youth and Junior Elite DraftLegal Triathlon. Some of our young athletes were competing, and it was an all-around great trip. Something happened this weekend that happens quite often to our entire Run for God family. A gentleman went out of his way to comment on our
Triathlon Suits. He said that his son had recently come to know the Lord, and when he saw one of our athletes on the course wearing his Run for God gear, it inspired him. The other part of our Tri team was competing at another venue, and while getting a race summary from that venue, I heard similar stories of people commenting on the Run for God tent and shirts. On the eight-hour drive home, I pulled up my Facebook and began reading how Ben Reed, an instructor in Westerville, Ohio, had volunteered his class to work the packet pick-up at a local race where 14,500 runners were present. Guess what? They were all wearing their Run for God shirts, and to hear the impact they had on those runners was awesome.
I wear a Run for God shirt 95% of the time, and I get many comments from many people. The vast majority of comments are great, inspiring, and the type that let me know that the Lord has reached down and touched someone’s day, even if it’s just a small touch. Others are witty and sometimes rude, like the guy who asked me “What’s God running for—President?” I’m convinced that even those people are touched in some way. RUNFORGOD.COM
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shirts, specifically, the kids’ Run for God
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Can a t-shirt make a difference? I say yes, but I say that with a strong word of caution. People today seem to be more aware than ever of how others handle and portray themselves. A Run for God shirt, or any spiritual shirt for that matter, on the shoulders of someone who is out in the world living for Christ and reflecting Jesus can be a very powerful thing. It says a lot about who you are and whom you follow. It lets others know what you stand for without you ever having to open your mouth. But you must be walking with Christ and reflecting His light for that shirt to have any power.
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I have a friend that had a quote printed on the back of his Run for God shirt:
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“Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” That statement is so true! We can talk all we want about how we live for God and even have a closet full of spiritual shirts, but if our actions do not back up what we are representing, then we are only hurting the cause and our words have no validity.
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:20–21).
Get your shirt at www.RunforGod.com
“Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.”
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getting started WE HOPE YOU’LL ENJOY READING RUN for God—Devotions as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Devotions came together as a result of the outpouring of letters and e-mails that come into the Run for God camp each week. These stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things and Run for God’s role in their lives prompted us to find a way to preserve these memories. From a desire to both preserve and share these stories, Devotions was born.
This Bible study is not your ordinary study. No, it’s a study that is made up of stories from people just like you and me, real stories from real people. These thoughts and
Christians, old Christians, and even Christians who had lost their way for a time. So if you’re looking for a study that is authored by a renowned theologian, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a study that shows what God can do through someone just like you or me, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
So how do you use this book? I’m glad you asked. Devotions is designed to be a weekly one-year study in which you tackle a task each weekday and recap on the weekends. Let me just lay out a typical week for you. Monday
Read the main story.
Tuesday
Look up and study the scriptures provided.
Wednesday
Write down, recite, and commit to memory the verses of the week.
Thursday
Ponder and write down your response to the questions of the week.
Friday
Read “Running Observations by Dean.”
You’re going to love this guy!
Weekend
Recap and journal your thoughts from the previous week in your Sticky Notes.
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experiences are brought to you from pastors, deacons, Sunday school teachers, new
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You may be wondering if this study could be used in small groups? You bet! While we have 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon Challenges that are designed for small group settings, you may be part of a running club full of seasoned runners or a Run for God class that has graduated from all the Challenges. Whichever the case may be, grab some friends, agree on a time to get together each week, share the study, and hold each other accountable for your training. Feel free to use the training schedules located in the back of the book as a workout guide.
I think you now have all the tools to get started. From all of us here at Run for
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God, we hope you enjoy this study. Should you need anything, or if you have a story
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you’d like to share, feel free to reach out to us at www.RunforGod.com.
Keep pointing people to Jesus! Mitchell Hollis
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who is dean? DEAN THOMPSON IS A GREAT FRIEND of the Run for God ministry and a really fast runner. While we were planning this Devotions project, we wanted the input of someone who was both a veteran to the sport of running and very open about his relationship with Christ. It didn’t take very long to decide he was the man for the job.
Our challenge to Dean was very simple. Take the most common topics that you discuss with runners and non-runners alike, and tell us about them in your own words. I think that you will find Dean’s thoughts inspiring, informational, and even
Here’s a little more about Dean as told by his wife Debbie.
“Running is the only thing I’m good at.” I’ve heard Dean say these words many times, but they simply are not true.
Born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Dean’s family moved to Miami, Florida, when he was five years old. This is where his running career began.
He and his family lived in one of the large mobile home parks in Miami. In fact, the park was so large that the Thompson’s home sat on Lot # Z15. When Dean’s mother drove to the park’s post office to pick up their mail, Dean wouldn’t ride in the car. He would run in front of the car all the way to the post office and back home again. With every trip to the post office, Dean’s competitiveness would kick in, pushing him to run faster than he did in his last “race against mom’s car.”
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funny at times. Needless to say, we think Dean is a pretty cool guy.
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He played baseball while attending Flamingo Elementary and Redland Elementary schools in Florida and continued to play after his family moved to Riverdale, Georgia, when he was 10 years old. He always led his team in stolen bases. “I was offended if anyone got close to my total,” he said. “When someone got close, I’d just steal more bases.” He was a true runner, even on the baseball field.
While in the ninth grade, he tried out for the track team, running a 5:31 mile in his first-ever timed mile and securing a place on the team. He ran the 880, the mile, and the mile relay, finishing second in the county for the mile, losing by one-
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hundredth of a second. In his sophomore year, he began running with the cross-
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country team. Leading his first JV 5K race, a volunteer pointed him in the wrong direction. He soon recognized this, turned around, and still finished in second place. He continued to run through his junior and senior years and was named to the 2nd All-Southeastern Cross Country Team. He won a state championship in cross-country and two state championships in track. After high school, he attended Georgia Tech on an athletic scholarship, running both cross-country and track.
Dean continued to run after college, but it wasn’t until he turned forty that he began to get serious again. He has run the Boston Marathon two times and the Myrtle Beach Marathon three times, winning the race in 2013. He runs numerous local races in the North Georgia and Chattanooga areas. He is also a member of the Chattanooga Track Club Masters team that competes nationally.
While his passion for running is obvious, so is his love for our Lord. I see this passion as he encourages other runners, including myself, to do their best in a race. He is always eager to talk with people about running as well as their walk with Christ. Recognizing that our love for each other is strengthened by our love for our Lord, we are very active in our church and community.
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So when Dean says that running is the only thing at which he’s good, I have to politely disagree. He is also a good husband, father, athlete, and encourager, giving God the glory while pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
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God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).
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Week
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toilet paper and time with god ON A FROSTY JANUARY MORNING, I ran with my son Adam and his girlfriend Jess in Atlanta’s Hot Chocolate 5K/15K. We rushed to get to the parking area by 6:30 a.m. and then sat in the warm car, talking and having a good time while waiting for the race to start. We then had to rush around to get to the port-apotties, pin on our numbers, and make it to the starting line. I was running the 15K, so after getting the kids started, I went back to the car to get the rest of my stuff and started laughing when I looked into my front window. How classy, I thought. Sitting on the dash of my little Prius was a roll of toilet paper (thoughtfully provided by Adam) with the Run for God 10K/Half Marathon Challenge book underneath it.
This little tableau is a perfect representation of what running has meant in my life. First, the toilet paper. Running is first and foremost a physical act, involving all aspects of our bodies, including the part that comes in contact with toilet paper. I am kind of a joke with my running buddies for my struggles with “runner’s trots,” which is when the call of nature comes in the middle of a great run. My race day and long-run eating plans center on avoiding this unhappy occurrence. It has ruined many a run for me. Beyond that, running involves training to make my legs strong,
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my lungs healthy, and my body able to withstand long distances. I work to make sure I have adequate carbs and electrolytes, doing what I can to decrease or avoid chafing, blisters, soreness, and injury. Running has taught me to listen to the needs of my body, and I love how it feels when it responds to what I ask of it.
But running is so much more than the physical act of pushing my legs to shuffle along. It involves my whole self, especially the spiritual part that is represented by the Run for God book on my dash. Running has taught me that no part of me acts without the rest; whatever I do, my physical, spiritual, mental and emotional selves are involved. My yoga-teacher friend calls running “moving meditation.” Similar to the proverbial student taking a test and asking God for help, I have asked Him
you and me out here. Help me finish this out.” I also pray for everyone who comes to mind. I let my mind float freely in a way I never do when sitting with my Bible or in church. When I am running, there are fewer distractions. I actually listen to what God is saying, as opposed to telling Him things. My mind is bored—imagine that—so I am forced to listen.
God and I finished the 9.3 miles of the race in a rush of endorphins and praise that Sunday. Adam and Jess met me at the finish with smiles and hugs. As we moved through the crowd toward my prize of chocolate, Adam fished a wad of toilet paper from his pocket.
“Here, Mom,” he said. “I knew you would need this.”
How well my sweet boy knows me!
Millicent Flake – Sugar Valley, GA
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many times to get me through the next mile. Often I will pray, “Okay, God, it’s just
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get in the word 1 Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to Devotions • VOLUME 3
come.
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1 Corinthians 12:12–13
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
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something to ponder OUR PHYSICAL and spiritual lives work together and can complement each other, but do you find yourself spending more time on your physical side than your Devotions • VOLUME 3
spiritual side? Make a goal this week to strengthen not only your body, but your soul
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as well.
WE NEED all parts of our bodies working together to be successful runners. Even a problem with something as small as a toe can throw us off. In the same way, God needs each of us to work in His kingdom. Pray for God to show you ways He wants to use you today.
MOST OF us are constantly bombarded with noise and information. Do you use your running time as an opportunity to listen to your Heavenly Father? On your next run, leave your headphones at home and concentrate on listening to “that still small voice.”
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running observations by Dean Responding to Naysayers THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE TRYING TO bring us down. If you have a belief in anything or take a stand for any cause, someone will always be ready to
below news articles, you know that the supply of these negative prognosticators is not about to run dry any time soon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m terribly proud to live in a country where we have freedom to speak up, but those pessimistic voices can get to you sometimes.
Maybe you’ve heard about someone who is chattering behind your back about how crazy you are for becoming a runner. Maybe they’re even cheekier and have told you directly, “You’re not really running. You’re too slow to be running.” Or perhaps you’ve been a runner for some time, and they’re trying to convince you to give up the dream of completing a marathon or qualifying for Boston. I have some advice that might be different from the usual response: listen to them. That’s right. I said listen to them.
Oh, I don’t mean believe them. On the contrary, listen to what they have to say, but don’t buy into their pessimism. We don’t need everyone around us to believe in us as long we have confidence in ourselves. I’ve had running goals my entire life, some I have been able to achieve, and some have expired before coming to fruition. I focus on the victories and forget the also-rans. It doesn’t stop me from setting
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tell you why you’re off your rocker. If you have ever scrolled down to the comments
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new objectives. When I find someone who doesn’t see my future as optimistically as I do, I use it for fuel. In order to reach goals, it requires constant focus and determination, so I like to fuel a portion of my determination with the challenge created by “Negative Nelly.”
Did someone say you couldn’t run a full 5K without stopping? Prove her wrong! Is someone trying to convince you that your goal of completing a marathon is out of reach for someone of your size or your age? Demonstrate to him the error in his judgment! When you do, it will make your accomplishment all the sweeter. Listen to
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them, internalize their comments, and use their words to ignite an inferno in your
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determination to attain your aspiration. Then when you see them, you don’t need to mention it. Just smile as you walk past—you know, that smile that says, “I’m proud of what I have done, and your doubt helped along the way!”
As Christians, we are surrounded by people who think differently than us. They don’t understand what our joy is all about. Many do not even have a basic understanding of the gospel. So what should we do about it? Listen to them. Let them tell you why they don’t believe in an omnipotent God. Use that as fuel to focus your Bible study so that you can answer them in a respectful and Holy Spirit-led way. Share with them what the joy is all about!
Luke tells us in chapter eight of his gospel about a man possessed by demons. Jesus confronted the demons and sent them into a herd of swine that subsequently ran into a lake and drowned. Following that incredible scene, he told the man, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). Imagine how the man’s family and friends responded to him! That is exactly how we should respond to unbelievers; tell them what God has done for us!
• There is never a shortage of people trying to tell you what you can’t accomplish and why.
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• Listen to the naysayers and internalize their words to use as fuel for your motivating fire. • Listen to non-believers, learn how respond to their
sticky notes _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________
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concerns, and share what God has done to change your life.
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STEPS TO PEACE WITH GOD
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Where are you?
GOD’S PURPOSE: Peace and Life
1 God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life — abundant and eternal
PEOPLE (sinful)
Our choice results in seperation from God
“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” -Romans 5:1 (NIV)
PEOPLE
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”-John 3:61(NKJV)
(sinful)
GOD
(holy)
“I have come that they may have lofe, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
GOD
(holy)
-John 10:10 (NKJV)
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OUR RESPONSE: Receive Christ
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OUR PROBLEM:
Seperation from God
God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him, but gave us a will and a freedom of choice.
We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation...
We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today: This results in separation from God.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me.” -Revelation 3:20(NKJV)
“I have come that they may have lofe, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
-John 10:10 (NiV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-John 1:12 (NKJV)
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” -Romans 1o:9(NKJV)
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-Romans 6:23 (NIV)
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GOD’S REMEDY: The Cross
Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. He died on the cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin and bridging the gap between God and people “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
OUR ATTEMPTS TO REACH GOD
Through the ages, individuals have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God...without success. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” -Proverbs 6:23(NIV) “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” -Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV)
NO BRIDGE REACHES GOD... EXCEPT ONE
-1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
PEOPLE (sinful)
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”-1 Peter 3:18(NKJV) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”-Romans 5:8(NIV)
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(holy)
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Since God planned for us to have peace and abundant life right now, are most people having this experience?
PEOPLE (sinful)
Good Works? Religion? Philosophy? Morality?
GOD
(holy)
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