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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

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Walk, Run, Soar: Run not just for exercise but also to worship

By Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

One of my favorite running heroes is a man named Eric Liddell (known as the Flying Scotsman). Eric was a sprinter who inspired the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire. He won the gold medal in the 400-meter dash during the Paris Olympics in 1924, and he also went down in history for refusing to run an Olympic race on a Sunday because of his religious beliefs. He’s famous for this quote from the movie: “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”

Eric understood that running was not just for his personal glory and to win medals; he felt God’s pleasure when he ran because he was doing what God designed him to do. Liddell was also a missionary to China.

Romans 12:1 urges us to take our everyday, ordinary life and place it before God as an offering. Eric offered up running to God as his spiritual act of worship. We don’t have to go to a church building to experience worship. The English word worship means “to ascribe worth to something.”

Worship is an invitation to commune with our Creator.

-Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Worship is a way we can individually and collectively ascribe worth to God and bring Him glory. God invites us to worship in a diversity of ways.

The Message describes it this way: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him” (Romans 12:1). In other words, we can worship God while we sing, cook, wash dishes, drive, work, rest, and yes, even while we run.

Worship has the power to lift our spirits, to turn us toward hope, and to change the landscape of our hearts. When I take time to notice God’s glory in the midst of hard days, I can’t help but respond in worship.

Worship music and running helps lift me from heart-heaviness. Somehow my heart feels lighter when I am out on a trail or when I’m singing. Sometimes I do both.

Running (and walking) is a physical activity where we can offer up our bodies in worship and experience God.

Running (and walking) is a physical activity where we can offer up our bodies in worship and experience God.

-Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

I find myself breathing in His presence as my footsteps lead me on a winding trail through the forest or along a hillside. As I run, there is space for my soul to sing and express my gratitude to God. I see glimpses of His glory in the lemon-yellow wildflowers swaying in the breeze and billowing cotton-candy clouds drifting in the distance. This is all part of worship.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul exhorts us, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (ESV). His point was that we can worship God in everything we do to the best of our ability. Eric Liddell adapted this idea in his own life and training: “In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best,” he said. Whether in his running or his mission work, Eric was always intentional to give the glory back to God.

Friend, are you facing some dark circumstance today? Are you traversing a valley? Are you navigating through grief and loss? Run to worship. It can change the landscape of your heart. God will meet you there.

*This is an excerpt from Walk, Run, Soar, a 52-week devotional on the theme of running life’s race and learning to soar. Connect with Dorina and find out more about the book at www.DorinaGilmore.com If you’re a runner, take our fun running quiz and find out which Biblical runner you are most like!

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October 8, 2020 Categories: Featured, General, RunningTagged: WalkRunSoar

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Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

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✈️ This year our family is traveling the world from the comfort of home. We are sharing stories, recipes, and resources in case you would like to ...

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Jan 20

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✈️ This year our family is traveling the world from the comfort of home. We are sharing stories, recipes, and resources in case you would like to join us and explore a country and culture along with us. The goal is simply to make memories and explore the world through food, books, music, and movies. You have freedom to make this experience your own! 🌎
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This week we would like to invite you on a “trip” to Armenia. My mother-in-law’s family is originally from Armenia so we invited Grandma Chris and Grandpa Larry to join us for this adventure. We picked out a few recipes to try making from scratch and Grandma picked up some favorites from Nina’s Bakery, which is one of the top spots in Fresno for Armenian delights.
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My late husband Ericlee Gilmore’s great-grandpa was Garabed Bedrosian. He was born in 1883 into extreme poverty in Armenia. His father died when was 9, and he helped his mother to care for the family of five children. Three years after his father’s death, Garabed witnessed the Armenian Genocide. Many were killed. His own village was set on fire, but the family managed to escape to the home of an uncle in a different village.
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When the crisis passed, they returned to their home to see what was left. Through that winter, Garabed watch his brothers and sister pass away. He and his mother were the only survivors. {For the full story of how Garabed and his family immigrated to the United States, check out my blog at www.DorinaGilmore.com}
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For our Armenian feast, Grandma Chris made her signature pilaf. I made chicken kebabs, hummus, and paklava with my girls. The rest we ordered from Nina’s Bakery. As Grandma Chris describes it, this is a legit Armenian bakery complete with the grandmas in the back rolling the dolma. Yummy!
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👉🏽Do you know your family’s story of coming to the United States or landing where you live today?
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#foodie #globalfamily #goodeats #armenia #armenian #paklava #dolma #yum #worldtravel #familytime #glorychasers #makingmemories #multicultural #pandemiclife #immigration
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🏃🏽‍♀️Hey, friend! If you are a walker or a runner who has a hunch that running and faith are intricately connected, you’re in the right ...

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Jan 19

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🏃🏽‍♀️Hey, friend! If you are a walker or a runner who has a hunch that running and faith are intricately connected, you’re in the right place.
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If you’re a runner who wants to accomplish your physical goals, but also longs for a more personal connection with God, then we
need to chat.
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If you’re a runner who deep down wants your training to engage the body, mind, soul, and spirit, I am with you.
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If you have ever felt out of breath or stuck in life, I am here to help you find new strength to press on. I can certainly relate.
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My heart is to run alongside you this year and help coach you to connect with God, develop muscle memory, and catch a second wind to soar to the finish line. Whether you are a walker or a seasoned
runner, my new book Walk Run Soar was designed with you in mind.
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In this 52-week experience, I encourage you to read one devotional at the start of each week, and then spend time journaling and taking the faith steps throughout your week. Let’s walk, run, and soar together in 2021!🏃🏽‍♀️
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👉🏽More details at www.DorinaGilmore.com
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#walkrunsoar #christianrunners #runnersofinstagram #runnerslife #runningmotivation #runningismytherapy #runforgod #bookreview #devotional @bethany_house_nonfiction
75 0

“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’
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Jan 19

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“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’
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...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. 
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I have a dream today!
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I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
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I have a dream today!
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I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
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💬Tonight before bed we listened to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech again with our girls. We talked about the context and history behind these words. We talked about the things Dr. King stood for and believed. We talked about how he was a man of God who led from Scripture.
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My youngest had lots of questions: “Where was he when he said this?” “Why were people against him?” Why did they kill him?” “Have things changed?” They were good questions and hard questions. And together we searched for answers.
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👉🏽We remember these words today. We honor this dream. We must wade into the water and do the hard work together for this dream. In 2021. And always.
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#mlk #glorychasers #mlkday #mlkquotes #mlkweekend #justice #justicejourney #letjusticeroll
111 13

Five years ago today, our family stood at the altar and said “I do” to a redemption story only God could craft. We chose love in the midst of our ...

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Jan 16

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Five years ago today, our family stood at the altar and said “I do” to a redemption story only God could craft. We chose love in the midst of our deep grief.
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People talk about the “dumpster fire of 2020,” but our dumpster fire was in 2014. That was the year my beloved received a devastating diagnosis. Four short months later, the girls and I stood at the graveside surrendering him to Heaven. That year I walked away from a ministry and work that we had built together over a decade in Haiti. The loss was unimaginable. Not only had I lost my husband, but I also lost my community, any sense of normalcy, my confidence, and my livelihood. I buried many dreams in that dumpster fire.
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But God promises to bring beauty from the ashes. And we stand a testimony today that He is faithful to His promises. For five years now, Shawn and I have been a couple. Two became one at that altar. And defying all math, five became one. For five years, my girls have experienced a new earthly father. We have stepped into a new sense of family.
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God has planted new seeds in our garden of ashes. We watered these seeds with tears and laughter through the years. Our family has cultivated new rhythms and watched new life spring from the grave. 
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Friend, I know you have walked through the fire this last year. I know you are worn and weary, broken and bruised. I know your loss is unimaginable. Today I want to give you permission to grieve. I also want you to know that hope is always on the horizon. Even in darkness there is a glimmer of glory. May you and I be like phoenix that rises from the ashes and spreads her resilient wings. May we sing in our loudest voices the redemption story God composes over and over again.
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Happy 5th anniversary, @shawnyoungruns  I’ve said it all year, and I’ll say it again. I’m so grateful to walk through the dumpster fire with you. 🔥 
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#beautyfromashes #redemption #redemptionsong #hopewriterlife #newsong #phoenix #widow #grief #griefjourney #anniversary #fiveyears #allthingsnew #chosen2021 #glorychasers #flourishingtogether #walkrunsoar #weareincourage #1000gifts
515 75

We're ba-ack! We just kicked off Season 2 of the Walk Run Soar podcast this week with an interview with Dr. Ray Winter, who is the head Track ...

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Jan 14

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We're ba-ack! We just kicked off Season 2 of the Walk Run Soar podcast this week with an interview with Dr. Ray Winter, who is the head Track & Field and Cross Country coach at Fresno Pacific University. 🚶🏻‍♂️Ray shared about his story of coaching now at his alma mater. 
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🎙 We also chatted about:
-coaching through the challenges of Covid times
-connecting with God through nature and running
-how Scripture and mantras can be used to augment workouts
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We love how Ray talked about running as his "soul food" - where He goes for spiritual and physical nourishment regularly. 
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🎧 Listen in here: https://anchor.fm/.../Walk-Run-Soar--Season-2--Episode-1...
🍎 Or on Apple podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../walk-run.../id1493567998...
📺 on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/7zEfh4Rtvvg
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#runnersofinstagam #runners #christianrunners @FresnoPacificUniversity #runningmotivation #glorychasers #runforhim #runners #runningcommunity @the1protagonist
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