Going for the Gold, Why Not a Crown?

Daily Truth:   “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”

 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Olympic gold medal

The Winter Olympics have been enjoyable to watch and when the athletes receive their awards it is a memorable moment.  In the first Olympics crowns of olive leaves were given as the awards. To receive an award for your efforts sets one apart from the others.  Why do we enjoy hearing the medal count for each country at the end of each broadcast? There is a competitive aspect and achievement recognition that interests us. It is good to see those who have worked hard be recognized for their efforts.

These elite athletes have overcome many obstacles in order to compete in this year’s Winter Olympics.  Some of the athletes have fought through injuries that most of us would still be recuperating from and in some sort of physical therapy.   Other athletes have overcome great grief of the death of loved ones. A bobsled was broken and there was a team working through the night to repair it so the athletes could compete the next day. What about Nick Goepper who learned to snowboard in the hills of southern Indiana?   He and his parents found a way in which he could perfect his skills to the point of becoming an Olympian and medalist.

What characteristics do these elite athletes have in common? Can we apply these characteristics to Christian parenting?

  • The Olympians fight through setbacks and injuries while becoming the elite athlete they each are today.  Do we focus on the situations in our life or do we focus on the prize? (Eternity with Jesus Christ and laying crowns at His feet.)  Prayer is important for the Christian.  Keep a family journal of prayer requests and answered prayer so children can see God.  Come back to those answered prayers in time of difficulty and remind children that God helped in the past and will help in the future.
  • The Olympic athletes must eat well in order to fuel their bodies to perform at this elite level.  As Christians we must feed on the things of God. Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word are imperative if we want to finish this life well.  In order to teach our children to love the Lord we must spend time with God first and then share that love with our family.  Pray with your children before school. Have Bible fact night at the dinner table once a week.  Pray for a missionary before dinner. If your hear an ambulance pray for all concerned.  Be creative and see how many ways you can point your children toward God in a day.
  • Practice is imperative in order to become an Olympic athlete.  Have a time of Bible teaching with your children.  Memorize Scripture as a family.  Use teachable moments in nature to teach the things of God.  Practice is repetition and adding creativity to the repetition is key.  Make learning the things of God repetitive, fun, and creative.
  • Encouragement from mothers has been a theme of many advertisements during the broadcast of the Olympics.  As mothers we have a great responsibility to encourage our children in the things of God.  Just think of Hannah in the Old Testament and her son Samuel.  She brought him a coat each year he was growing up with Eli as an act of love and support.
  • The medal winners are very thankful for the people who have helped them on the arduous journey toward perfection of their specific sport. As Christians do we provide encouragement to others? Do we praise God for His Word that imparts so much and are we thankful for the Holy Spirit that wants to guide us in all things?  Let children see your praise and thankfulness of God and others. Help your children think of  “random acts of kindness”  to bless others.

We may never earn an Olympic medal but we all have the ability through Christ to earn a crown that we will want to lay at the feet of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown but we for an imperishable crown.”         1 Corinthians 9:24-25

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicingIs it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?”  1 Thessalonians 2:19

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”  James 1:12

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away”. 1 Peter 5:4

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  2 Timothy 4:8

As this year’s Olympics come to a close and the medal count is posted consider the importance we are placing on the rewards God gives to us.  Are we teaching our children about God’s rewards?  Our we teaching them to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind?   Let’s run this race well and teach to our children what counts for eternity.

Until the next “Truth” sharing moment,

Cathy Jo Johnson

 

 

 

 

Winter Olympics: Past and Present

Daily Truth:   “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  Hebrews 13:8

OlympicRings_360

Sochi Olympics 2014

Did you know that the first Winter Olympics were in held in 1924 at Chamonix, France?  A lot has changed since that first game.

1.  The attendance at the games in Chamonix was 10,004 paying spectators.  Sochi has plans to sell 1.1 million tickets, according to the International Olympic Committee marketing document.  “Bloomberg Businessweek”

2.  There were 16 events in the first Winter Olympics.  Today there are 15 sports with 98 events in the Winter Olympics.

3.  In 1924 there were 258 athletes participating. This winter there are 2,871 athletes competing.

4.  Technology has come a long way since 1924.  To see a video of the first Winter Olympics click here.  “This year NBC Universal has 40 percent more capacity, including 19 broadcast/cable networks and more than 60 websites to promote the upcoming Winter Games than it had in Vancouver 2010” according to TV News Desk.

5.  According to Olympic.org, “In the opening parade of delegates [Chamonix] many athletes marched with their equipment on their shoulders (skis, hockey sticks, etc.).  Indeed, according to the rules in place at the time, the athletes had to march in their sportswear, and the skis or hockey sticks were part to their equipment.  Today, the delegations no longer wear their sportswear, but they try to outdo each other in terms of imagination to appear in all their finery.”

6. Canada won the ice hockey event by scoring 122 goals, with only 3 scored against them in that first Winter Olympics.  Beginning in 1998 a women’s ice hockey team was added to the Winter Olympic events.   Twelve teams will compete this year in the men’s tournament, eight in the women’s.

The Olympics have grown and changed in many ways.  Technology, rules, culture, and  society  have contributed to the change of the Olympics.

Celebrating the accomplishments of the athletes in this year’s Winter Olympics is fun. Watching all the countries around the world coming together in a symbol of unity is wonderful.  Every four years provides us with new faces, new rules, new venues, and new stories.

It is good to know that there is one thing that never changes and that is Jesus Christ.  While watching the Olympics this winter I challenge you to discuss some of the changes in the Olympics and then discuss how Jesus Christ never changes.  He is eternal (Hebrews 13:8), good (James 1:17), holy (Isaiah 6:3), and He is sovereign (Matthew 10:29) to  tell of just a few of His unchanging attributes.

There are teachable moments all around us.  Do we use those moments to just teach current events or do we teach for eternity?

Until the next “Truth” sharing moment,

Cathy Jo Johnson

 

 

Sochi Winter Olympics Fun

 Daily Truth:  “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
I Corinthians 9:25

 olympic logo

The Winter Olympics start this week in Sochi. I love watching the Winter Olympics – especially the opening night.  I suddenly feel even more patriotic watching the U.S.A team march into the arena.  Never mind that they usually are the best dressed team there. Maybe it’s always in the back of one’s mind what it would be like to be an Olympian and an Olympic champion. The year the Summer Olympics opened in China also happened to be my oldest daughter’s birthday.  So, of course we had shirts made with 08-08-08 on them.

Here are some ideas to make the Winter Olympics fun even for your little guys.

1.  Indoor Ice Skating – If you have hardwood or linoleum floors, have the kiddos put on “slippery” socks and ice skate around the room.  Have the kids perform their own figure skating routines complete with music. 2.  Slalom Skiing – Put a piece of tape on the floor.  Have the kids jump back and forth over the line with their knees together.  See who can do the most jumps in 20 seconds. 3.  Bob Sledding – Cut a wrapping paper tube or paper towel tube in half length wise.  These are the bobsled tacks. Have two cars race down the tracks to see who is the fastest. 4.  Snowball Toss – If you have snow, have the kids make snowballs.  Then see how many snowballs they can throw through a hula-hoop.  Do an indoor snowball toss with the same idea.  If you don’t have indoor snowballs make them out of wadded up newspaper. Here are some other extra’s you can do to make the Winter Olympics more fun for your kiddos. 1.  Make your own Winter Olympics medals out of streamers and aluminum foil or out of ribbon and construction paper.  You can also make them edible by getting plain donuts and stringing a ribbon through the center. 2.  Pull out your American flags and decorate an area for the “award ceremony” for the winners of your own Winter Olympics. 3.  Get some American Flag paper plates at your local party store and eat your dinner on them the night of the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. 4.  Play the Olympic theme song.  (Summon of the Heroes by John WIlliams) 5.  Since the Winter Olympics are being held in Sochi, find a recipe for a Russian dish. My sister spent a summer in the Ukraine and said she loved the stuffed cabbage rolls.  So, we are going to try that and make a Russian Tea Cake.  There are tons of other ideas out there including beef stroganoff. 6.  Have the kids decorate their own Winter Olympic wear by having them paint white shirts with the Olympic colors. 7.  Wear red, white, and blue that day or if you can find your Fourth of July shirts, where those to show your team spirit. Paul refers to the training and rewards that athletes of his time would face in I Corinthians.  The athletes in Paul’s day didn’t receive a gold, silver, or bronze medal.  Rather they received a crown made out of olive branches.  We all know how long those survive.

Today’s athletes train hard, keep all things temperate (I’m sure very few chocolate chip cookies are consumed during training), work to keep their bodies under control all for a moment of glory and the possibility of obtaining a medal. Yet, as Paul states, it is corruptible. We as mom’s are in training as well.  Oh, we most likely are never going to get our moment of glory and receive a medal like the Winter Olympians.  However, we are striving and training for much more.  We are striving for an incorruptible crown. As we train and teach our children, remember that our crown is incorruptible. Until Next Week, Rebekah klink