On the 4th of July, I ran in the world’s largest 10K race, the Peachtree Road Race. Along with 60,000 other runners, I ran the 6.25 miles down Peachtree Street in the Atlanta heat and humidity to get the coveted t-shirt at the finish line. I actually ran for a lot of other reasons but being able to wear the t-shirt is one of best parts of finishing the race.
I ran my very first Peachtree Road Race when I was thirty five years old; that was over twenty years ago. I have run over a dozen of these Fourth of July excursions in the past twenty plus years because someone invited me to run with them. Yes, my first Peachtree Road Race was run because of an invitation. My friend, Hank Moody, asked me to run my very first race with him.
I only ran one race with Hank but that race helped me get started. Hank’s “come and see” invite was all it took to help me become a 10K disciple. Hank showed me the ropes and helped me take my first steps at the Peachtree. Hank was familiar with the environment and he made it so much easier for me to take a step into something that was so foreign and intimidating to me.
Hank no longer runs, (knee replacement can do that to you), but since my first Peachtree, I have invited at least a half a dozen other people to run with me. I have invited several close friends and family members to “come and see” as well. I guess you could say I have gone from a 10K disciple to a 10K disciple maker.
Even more important than running a road race is running the race of life and nothing is more important than running it the right way. Life is meant to be run as a disciple of Christ. You can’t finish the race well if you are not running for Christ and you cannot run for Christ unless someone invites you to “come and run”.
Impact Ministries exists to help you be and build disciples. Learn more about how to do this at impactdisciples.com.
