Do you have a goal in your life to run a marathon? Maybe a half?

I am making it a goal to run the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon on May 3rd.

I know in talking to a lot of you – some are at least interested in making the journey. The actual marathon training would start 20 weeks out from the marathon – so starting December 12th.

I’m looking (along with Pastor Moore) to get a group of people together who’d be interested in training together (mostly the long runs which usually happen on Saturday mornings.)

Even if you wanted to run the half – you could still train with us.

If this is something that interests you please let me know as soon as possible and I can start coordinating some things.

Remember – Anyone can run a marathon… if you have a desire to run one – don’t miss out on this opportunity!

If you’d like to do some reading on running – I enjoy www.runnersworld.com

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s supper, shared their meals with great generosity-all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts 2:44-47

I love huge events and I love being around a ton of people… it’s just my personality. It energizes me and fires me up when I’m in the midst of thousands of people.I think of events like the marathon which brought 45,000 people in just to race not to mention the thousands that came to cheer on their friends and family members. I went to the Great Race this year which had 6,000 people there and the Race for the Cure which had 15,000+. I’ve gone to a few country concerts this summer where 40,000+ people came just to hear somebody sing a few songs.

Usually when I am at these events I’ll get really quiet (even to the point where people think I’m being a jerk or thinking I’m depressed). But in fact, it’s quite the opposite, in those times I just look around and watch the sea of people… knowing they came to run for a great cause, see a great show, or to be entertained. It’s usually a time of dreaming for me. Dreaming of what’d it’d be like if a crowd like that gathered to worship God and to hear the Word of God. Knowing that the majority of the people I am looking at feel a void in their lives that they try to fill through so many different means. Knowing that their greatest voids and regrets in life could be spared if they’d only develop a relationship with God.

That is what pumps me up about Joel Osteens church… every week 35,000+ people come to worship God and hear the Word and get their lives changed (and their are churches like that raising up all over the US already!) I truly believe if the church will learn how to effectively reach people then it won’t be long before we see stadiums all over the world filled with people worshiping God. I think we can learn a lot from the events that draw in large crowds like the Chicago Marathon:

What the church could learn from the Chicago Marathon:

VISION – The Bible says that without a vision people perish. Sadly so many churches and ministries in America just simply exist to have church every week. People will go to great lengths (run 26.2 miles and spend a ton of money!) to see a great vision fulfilled. Could the people in your church or ministry tell you why you exist and what your vision is?

EXCELLENCE – When I start to think about running this event I get stressed! Imagine closing down a city, organizing 10,000+ volunteers, and making 33,000+ runners feel like they had an experience that they’ll never forget. This was the best run event I’ve ever seen! The runners never had to worry about anything but running the race. They were organized and efficient. If someone came to your church or ministry for the first time, would they have an experience they’d never forget?

COMMUNITY – There was a book I wanted to buy about how Nike made the running culture into what it is today. It was incredible! From the expo to leaving Chicago on Monday I felt like was in a family. Everyone was wearing their Chicago marathon gear, encouraging each other, asking where each other was from, etc.. All because they had a common purpose. It sounds a lot like the community in Acts 2:44-47 doesn’t it? If we’ll realize that God has called all of us to reach a generation of people … then we need to realize that our churches need to make people feel long they belong to a family-because they do-the family of God.

LOVE - We’re commanded to love people! What does that mean? When people weep, we weep with them and when they’re celebrating, we celebrate with them. Basically, we walk through the journey of life with each other through the good times and bad times. Throughout the marathon, people cried together, laughed together, encouraged together, and after crossing the finish line they celebrated together. Are we doing this for the people in our lives, in our churches, and in our communities?

I know this was long… but I am sick of going to places that get thousands of people to come just to hear a song, get entertained, and leave the same way they came. I long for the day where people come together for the purpose of worshiping God, growing spiritually, and having their lives transformed.

That day will come, but only when the church will provide a compelling vision, excellence in everything they do, a sense of community, and when everything is done in love. I can’t wait until I can to any city in the US and see stadiums packed with people eagerly awaiting to hear the Word of God! That fires me up!

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.”

-Jim Stovall

From 6:30 a.m. on Pastor Larry and I waited with 31,000 other people for the start of the race. The entire environment was unbelievable…31,000+ people all with one goal and one mission: to finish the 26.2 mile course. Some people were veterans trying to set personal records while others were running their first marathon determined to cross the finish line. What was amazing was when you had everyone united with the goal of finishing, suddenly you went from 31,000+ people with individual goals to a 31,000+ person team focused on encouraging one another to finish.

From before the starting line, along the whole 26.2 miles , and beyond the finish line there were thousands of fans cheering you on! In the beginning of the race I saw thousands of people with their names written in marker on their calves and arms…. I had no idea why until the race started. It was so other people can encourage them! It was amazing to me to hear the fans cheer for everyone (not just the people they came to see).

Throughout the whole race I saw churches, businesses, and families all cheering on the 31,000+ racers. It was incredible and it’s amazing what just hearing things like: “YOU CAN DO IT!, “Keep going!”, and “You’re almost there!” can do for you when you’re struggling.

This is a sign that a woman named Thanh made for Pastor Larry. She attended a summer camp PL spoke at over the summer where he put on his Nacho Libre mask. She liked it so much she made a poster for him and held it up toward the end of the race to encourage him to keep going.

Again, my favorite sign that encouraged me was around mile 22 in which a woman from a local church was holding up a sign that said, “YOU’RE ANOINTED TO FINISH”. That just fired me up and really help push me those last extra miles.

So what is the lesson?

• Everyone needs encouragement!

• Encouragement can come from anybody! (You can encourage anyone!!)

• You never know where someone is on their journey (they may be on mile 22 ready to call it quits!) and your encouragement may be what gets them through.

• Encouragement is the most powerful when we’re genuinely interested in someone else’s dreams, goals, and desires.

• As Christians, we’re surrounded by a cloud of witnesses throughout our entire journey….cheering us on and encouraging us to not give up because what God has for us is unbelievable if we’ll just keep going!

Are you encouraging people? I want to challenge you to go out and encourage 5 people a day on purpose! If you’ll make it a daily habit… you’ll become a constant source of encouragement to everyone around you in no time.