Running the New York City Marathon at age 57 was something I never would have imagined doing. Of course neither was using social media — and celebrating how God can use it in my life for His good purpose.
Social media. Those two words make me cringe. I am an introvert and easily overwhelmed by relationships. I hold my inner-self close, and don’t lay my life bare before the world.
Though I finally set up a Facebook account last summer, I have yet to invite friends or accepted invitations. To me, LinkedIn is a grudging necessity for being in the professional world. I am there, but mostly silent.
God has a way of pulling us out of comfort zones, and so He did with me on Good Friday morning in 2016. On that day I was providentially drawn into running the New York City Marathon on behalf of a charity. Those were two things I had never done or had any interest in doing—running a big city marathon and fund raising. The draw was that the charity was tied to a professional organization in my industry. The head of the organization was someone I previously worked for and whom I admire.
By noon on that fateful morning I was signed up to run for the charity and my wife had booked a hotel in Brooklyn. The industry focus of the charity made it natural to invite fellow professionals to support me. LinkedIn would be the social-media door through which I could invite people deeper into my world; a world where running and athletics mesh with spirituality and biblical truth. I would have to embrace social media.
On May 2 the plan became live via a LinkedIn post. Within days more than 100 people read it. Three immediately accepted the call. Another four who “Liked” the post responded to direct appeals. With those seven, and my Church running buddy who seeded the fund-raising effort, it was game on. Over the following months I set up waves of targeted appeals to individuals in my professional network. When race day in November arrived, God had provided exactly what I needed—thirty-two team members and the $3,000 fundraising requirement.
This adventure ultimately was not about me stepping out of my comfort zone to raise money for a charity. It was stepping out of my comfort zone to bring the Gospel to my professional network. Fundraising was via a crowd-funding site, where communication was encouraged between fund raisers and supporters through a blogging facility.
My commitment was to write weekly blogs for my “team.” Each time I posted, a link was automatically e-mailed to supporters. Could I write well enough to have meaningful interactions? Would they be winsome enough that people would read and be drawn to consider Gospel truths? Could I keep this up for six months?
Every week I sat at my computer and wrote, but with no feedback. For twenty-six weeks I did not know if anyone was reading or impacted. It was only when I sent my final summary and thank-you after the race that I knew. Six wrote to say they read and were inspired. Seeds were sown. I opened my life and heart in a transparent way, and let God take His message through me. I took two “talents” God gave me—running and writing—and made them available for the Kingdom. God then took me to the biggest running stage in the world, and on the way used my experiences to draw people to himself.
On that journey I learned to embrace social media. It was not to create an avatar of myself for the world to love, but to use my witness, my experience to introduce them to the Jesus I love. This closed heart opened in a new and transparent way to share God’s redemptive grace. LinkedIn and the blogging facility were simply tools. The real social networking app was in using my running and writing to facilitate personal connections. Social media helped open my heart to others.
