On My Bucket List: Running to End Poverty

A few years ago a dear friend of mine, Debi Hale, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a scary time for her family and friends. In the months following the diagnosis, we supported her through many life-changing events.

One event that brought many of her friends together for the first time was the Komen Race for the Cure. It began in 1983 in Dallas with 800 participants. Now Race for the Cure events occur in 150 cities that get more than two million people involved.

It was during this race, watching my survivor friend Debi proudly walking alongside her husband and daughter, that I realized the power of raising funds through running.

So I began to run. (Yes, a late start in life… I was in my forties!) After the initial shock and awe of propelling a stationary object forward, I learned to love running. And I put my passion for running and compassion for the poor in the same bucket.

Whether you are a friend who can’t stop laughing at the idea of me waddling across a finish line, a fellow minister who preaches the passion which Christ had for the poor, an athlete who understands the sacrifice that one must make to train for a marathon, a traveler who has witnessed firsthand the devastation and degradation of human life through the conditions of poverty, or a web-surfer who arrived on this site by accident, I invite you to respond to the plight of the poor.

Place those struggling to break the shackles of poverty somewhere on your own bucket list. Follow your passion in life, whatever it is! … but find a way to do it that makes a difference in the lives of others.