Our Little Tim's all Grown Up

Back in the early summer months, I ran into Tim at the coffee shop. Tim and I once ran together before he got fast and I didn't. I was surprised to see him posted up in the corner stealing wifi in the early afternoon. He was supposed to be at work but I soon learned that he quit the 9-5er. When I asked him why, he found a polite way to say it was sucking the life out of him. Tim was smart (I think like Honors College, math major smart); he was disciplined (you can't run 90+ miles/week otherwise); and he was responsible. Tim didn't seem like the type that quits. As I listened to his story I realized Tim didn't quit solely in response to the discomfort of the nameless cubicle gig. Tim quit because he couldn't stand settling. He had dreams and visions that kept him up at night and eventually the difference between what his soul was speaking and what his day job was demanding couldn't be reconciled.

Today, Tim is in Flagstaff, AZ and living his dream as an assistant with one of the best running coaches in the country. Between our fateful meeting at the coffee shop and Flagstaff, Tim made a stop at Downtown Church as our Athlete in Residence. He didn't stay long enough for most of you to meet him, but he did stay long enough for us to realize that our call as a church was to nurture, encourage, and challenge people like Tim, waiting in-between what has passed and what will come. No one who dares to consider a future that's different and more whole than their present should have to walk through that scary, in-between place alone.

In addition to coaching, Tim is also filming, editing, and producing videos for his team. He sent us the one above and it's good.