But Everyone Else is Doing It...

Am I starting to hear this statement more and more? "Everyone else is doing it". Does it really matter whether it's right or wrong? Or does the fact is that everyone's doing it make it fine? Yesterday an Olympic gold medalist admitted to cheating in his race and his justification was that everyone else was doing it. Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Cameron van der Burgh said yesterday, "If you're not doing it, you're falling behind. It's not obviously — shall we say — the moral thing to do, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my personal performance and four years of hard work for someone that is willing to do it and get away with it." What are your thoughts on this? Unfortunately I sometimes hear this same attitude when it comes to Christianity. When the actions of others around you pull on you, at times it's easy to give in and justify it. The Bible is full of direction when it comes to living your life, and when you decide to serve the Lord, many things will attempt to get you off track and sin. It's easy to think we can do something we shouldn't and get away with it, however the Lord sees everything and even knows our motives. Don't take the easy way and justify your actions because everyone else around you might be doing it. Living as a Christian will often mean walking the less travelled road. Don't be surprised that if at times you're walking a lonely path, because many great men and women of faith have walked that road before you :) Read more at www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-08-07/Gold-medal-swimmer-admits-to-cheating-at-Games/56854568/1

Life Will Never Be the Same

Before the Olympics began just over a week ago, we knew some of the athlete's names, but not much more. How things can change after a few days of Olympic competition. The lives of some of these athletes will never be the same because of their Olympic success. People like Gabby Douglas and Missy Franklin have already become household names and the post-Olympic journey to stardom hasn't even really begun for them. Their lives will now be lived out in a fishbowl for the world to see. A major change and shift took place and their lives will never be the same. It reminds me so much of a person who is living their own life, doing what they want to do, and then they meet Jesus Christ as their Savior. They become a Christian and their life will never be the same (in a good way). I can't help but think of Ephesians 2:1 which tells us, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins..." I was once dead and yet Christ made me alive. Talk about a dramatic turnaround and change in a person's life. This is exactly what happened to me and happens to everyone who chooses to be a Christian. I not only wonder whose life will be next to change because of the Olympics, but whose life will change today because they choose Jesus? Will it be you?

True Champions Don't Need to Win Gold

Does an athlete have to win the gold medal at the Olympics to be a champion? With certainty I can say no. One person who fits into this category is 400m sprinter Oscar Pistrorius from South Africa. His story is simply amazing and you can see some of it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3yZxCMoIf4. What captivates me so much about this man is his tenacity and determination. The fact he was born with no bones in the lower parts of his legs couldn't stop him from running in the Olympic Games. I think of some of the men and women in the Bible who had this same tenacity and determination. They ran the race of faith. When adversity came their way they endured. When disappointment was knocking on their door they chose not to open it. Oscar Pistorious may have finished last in his 400m semi-final, but to the world he won his race. He's inspired millions around the world. He's broken down the walls of excuses. He chose to finish his race. If we as Christians chose to have the same determination to run our race, can you imagine how incredible that would look like? There's so much we can learn from Oscar Pistorious. His courage, strength and passion are so encouraging. In my eyes he's a gold medal winner. Thank you Oscar for not letting anything stop you from finishing your race :)

My Mum

I know what you're thinking. No I didn't spell mum wrong. I know in the USA it's spelled mom, but just about everywhere else in the world it's mum. I guess things like that are hard for me to change :) Early this morning I saw my mum off at the airport after being with us for over 3 weeks. It's been great having her with us and she's enjoyed every minute of it too. I guess a true grandparent just can't get enough of their grandkids. We've been blessed seeing her almost every year over the past five years. What's so amazing about family is that even though you may not have seen them for a long time, you can easily pick up as if it were yesterday. When you don't see a family member very often, as is our case, you really need to make the most of it, cherishing every moment. Whether your family member lives in the same city or half way around the world, don't take anything for granted and stay connected. It's sad to me seeing grandparents who live in the same city as their children and grandkids, and yet never spend time together. Especially in electronic age with things like Skype, Facetime, email, texting and phones, don't let anything stop you from cherishing each other. I appreciate my mum's efforts to come and visit us, and her frequent phone calls. Thanks mum, we love you so much :)

Million Dollar Smile :)

If you've watched any of the Olympics up to this point you probably seen a huge spectrum when it comes to personalities. There are some athletes who are stone faced, not knowing whether they've won the gold medal or finished last. There are others who have such spunk, excitement and are so much fun to watch. Some of my favorites to watch are Missy Franklin, John Daley and John Orozko. But my favorite up to this point is gymnastics all around gold medal winner Gabby Douglas. Not only is she an amazing gymnast, but she has a million dollar personality and smile. I'm sure she'll have endorsements and deals waiting for her upon her return to the US, including her picture on boxes of Wheaties. And she is no doubt well deserving of these. She bubbles with joy and exuberance and is so fun to watch, whether she's competing or not. People are intrigued and captivated by her and are trying to figure out what it is about her. The answer is very simple. It's her faith. She loves the Lord and it's obvious. Here's a great link to a clip of her sharing before her church just before heading to London to compete http://www.ktis.org/2012/08/gabby-douglas-talks-about-her-faith/. Watching her love for Jesus should be an encouragement to every Christian. We should be just as excited about what He's doing in our lives as Gabby is about what He's doing in hers. Gabby is pretty stoked about winning the Gold, but she's even more stoked about following Jesus. You just have to love it :)

Disqualified!

One of the low-lights of these Olympic games so far was the disqualification of eight badminton players for intentionally trying to lose, in order to set themselves up for a better draw in the elimination rounds. One of the teams was the number one ranked team in the world expected to win gold. Their efforts were so bad that the thousands watching were consistently booing them. To many people what these athletes did may come as a shock, but trust me, it happens more than you think. In tennis it was known as "tanking" a match. A player who wanted a better draw or who just didn't want to play, simply tanked. Sometimes tanking can be very hard to detect, yet at other times, such as with these badminton players, it's pretty obvious. Now think about this for a moment. Can tanking actually take place in the life of a believer? I think it can and does. There are many Christians who simply go through the motions with their walk with the Lord. Colossians 3:23 encourages us by saying, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men..." Doing something heartily means doing it "without constraint, exuberantly or vigorously." Obviously these Olympians didn't compete heartily compared with most of the other Olympic athletes. But as a Christian do everything heartily! Do everything as unto the Lord! Don't let it be said that you were disqualified as a Christian because of your lack of effort and tanking. Live as we're called to live, full of live, exuberance, excitement and passion :)

Redemption!

After blogging yesterday about Jordyn Weiber and her collapse in the women's Olympic gymnastics competition, I couldn't be more excited to blog about her today after what she did last night. As an athlete Weiber did something extraordinary, which very few people have the ability to do. Following the most devastating moment of her life, 48 hours earlier, she lined up with the same apparatus in the same venue, before 20,000 people, and did what she knew she was capable of doing. Jordyn Weiber experienced redemption! She was given a second chance and made the most of it. I don't think people realize how difficult it was for Weiber to do what she did. It took strength, courage, humility and trust. Each one of these played their part in Weiber's performances, and now everyone around the world knows the result. When you think about redemption and what happened to Jordyn Weiber, it's hard not to think about mankind's redemption through Jesus Christ. He redeemed us because of His incredible love for us. I can't help but think of verses such as Ephesians 1:7 which says, "In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His (Jesus) blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His (Jesus) grace..." We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus. He has given you a second chance at life, this time living for Him. When you see the pictures of Jordyn Weiber and her gold medal, don't forget that about your redemption through Jesus Christ.