Posts Tagged ‘Sammy Tippit’

The Race Parallels Christian Faith and Running

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The Race by Sammy Tippit The Race is Written by Sammy Tippit with Foreword by Gov. Mike Huckabee

For immediate release: Sammy Tippit started out his ministry walking across America, handing out Bibles from a wheelbarrow. Forty years later he found himself running his first marathon, collapsing at the finish line. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital where he learned he was the second man that day to have the same thing happen—only the other man died. “If I had called the shots, I would have said run when I was young and walk when I was old. But God’s ways are not our ways,” says Tippit, a resident of San Antonio.

The 60-something cancer survivor is not your typical runner. Once 60 pounds overweight, Tippit decided to share his story of transformation in a new book along with the stories of Ryan Hall, American record-holder for the half marathon, Charles Austin, the Olympic and American record-holder for the high jump and others. Tippit’s book The Race: Run Like a Champion, chronicles his journey into a healthy lifestyle, using God’s word as his source of inspiration. The Race highlights metaphors and wisdom for athletes from the Bible including:

  • The endurance metaphor isn’t in the Bible to say you need more hardships– it shows us how to live by God’s grace and power in the midst of adversities.
  • When you run according to your gifting, you may encounter problems along the way, but you feel a sense of joy and peace in the midst of the race.
  • A runner doesn’t become a champion overnight, and neither does a Christian become a spiritual giant instantly. We begin weak and grow strong. We start slow and develop speed.
  • Hills display God’s glory at a distance. But for a runner, those same hills produce a need for God.
  • God wants us to finish life’s race as winners, not losers. He longs to award us the crown of victory at the end of our lives.

 

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee wrote the foreword for The Race. As longtime friends, Tippit watched Huckabee lose nearly 100 pounds and was inspired by his commitment to get in shape through running and healthy living. “It showed me the roadmap of how I could do the same thing,” explains Tippit. “So when it came time to write a book I knew there was no one better than Governor Huckabee to write the foreword.”

To learn more about Tippit and The Race, visit HERE.

How Books Can Help You Live Like an Olympian

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AI_runningSome Olympic athletes seem to be designed to go for the gold. Take swimmer Missy Franklin– she has size 13 feet and a 6-foot-4 wingspan. But others are shockingly successful given what appear to be physical limitations. Forty-five year old Dana Torres narrowly missed competing in her sixth Olympics games, getting beaten out by swimmers 20 years younger. According to the Washington Post, in the past three Summer Olympics, 64 of the U.S. team’s 1,707 athletes have been age 40 and older — and they won 23 medals.

These inspiring stories are why I love the Olympics so much. I’m a runner, and although I probably won’t ever compete for the gold (or silver or bronze for that matter!) I am inspired and challenged to strive to improve my own personal bests. There is a lot that we can take from the Olympics and apply to our Christian lives.

One of the primary ways we can live like Olympians is through powerful, and often transformational, books. Of course we believe that the Bible is the best guidebook for being all that God calls us to be. And at Ambassador International we have many great biblically-based resources available to help you champion different areas of your life:

  • The Race by Sammy Tippit will help you to read the Bible through the eyes of a runner, building your character, strength and endurance, preparing your heart and mind for this life.
  • You can bring the gold standard to your marriage with the principles laid out in Marriage Triage. Author Stephen Goode will teach you to bring the dedication of an athlete to your relationship.
  •  If you wish to better your appearance we have What Is Beautiful — author Tica Tallent teaches the reader from years of experience on how to dress appropriate for their body type while giving glory to God.

If you’re aiming to better your personal best we have the titles to help get you in shape. Let us know what books have been game changers for you.

 

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Randall Murphree’s Review of Sammy Tippit’s The Race

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Randall Murphree has written a review of Sammy Tippit’s The Race.

 

“Evangelist Sammy Tippit has hit the mother lode. And now, at the risk of using too many metaphors too close together, I’m going to do it anyway: It is hard to imagine that anyone — seminarian, pastor or Bible scholar — could mine such a wealth of wisdom from the picture of running a race as a metaphor for living a Christian life.”

 

You can read the entire review here.

Author Sammy Tippit Interview with Friedeman Show

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Listen out for an interview with Sammy Tippit author of The Race on The Matt Friedeman Show (http://inthefight.wbs.edu/). Matt will be broadcasting live from the Heart-Cry for Revival Conference in NC. Sammy’s interview will be that Monday, April 4th, 8:15am ET. Be sure to tune in and remember if you miss the live airing you can download the podcast.