Showing posts with label Allyson Felix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allyson Felix. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Golden Future for Jesus Followers - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY

Golden Future for Jesus Followers

Wednesday, August 24, 2016 |  
Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY

As the Olympic Games show increasing signs of returning to its pagan[1] roots, the humility amid personal brilliance of a few outstanding Christian competitors shines out like stars in a darkened universe.
And its promotion as a showpiece for world peace and unity was tarnished by the hostility shown to the 47-member Israeli delegation[2] – 44 years after eleven Israeli athletes were massacred at the Munich Olympics by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.
For Britain, bursting with pride after collecting a staggering 67 medals and finishing second in the table to the United States at Rio, it was an event to savour after some of our politicians had downplayed patriotism in favour of staying within the European Union.
It seems the British bulldog spirit has instead received a belated boost. But the prowess of our athletes isn’t enough; what the human body can achieve should not be an opportunity for self-congratulation, but for giving honour where it is really due as in the case of South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk, who gave glory to God just moments after his spectacular win in the 400 metres – echoing the gold medal won in the same event at the 1924 Paris Olympics by legendary Scottish athlete Eric Liddell, who went on to be a missionary in China.[3]
Holding up his running spikes, imprinted with the words ‘_Jesus I am all yours, use me_’ after breaking Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old record with a time of 43.03 seconds, Wayde told the BBC: “The only thing I can do now is to give God praise. I went on my knees each and every day and I told the Lord to take care of me every step of the way.”
His achievement is all the more amazing as he had to fight for his life when entering the world as a 2 lb premature baby in Cape Town 24 years ago.
He was congratulated by Usain Bolt, another vocal Jesus-follower, who was on his way to completing an unprecedented triple hat-trick of titles with golds for 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m in three consecutive Olympics. The two might have competed together had the South African 200m champion elected not to enter that race in his first Olympics.
Also giving praise to Jesus was American pastor’s daughter Allyson Felix after winning two golds (4 x 100 & 4 x 400m) and a silver medal in the 400m individual.
Describing her ability as a gift from God, she said: “For me, my faith is the reason I run. I definitely feel I have this amazing gift that God has blessed me with, and it’s all about using it to the best of my ability.”
But she has suffered pain and disappointment over the years, explaining: “It is with injuries my faith really plays a part because I know I’m able to look at the bigger picture and see that God has a plan for my life and that this is also part of it. I can’t imagine my life without Jesus. I can’t imagine just waking up and going through life without Him. He is my life and that’s what I live for. I have learned that track doesn’t define me. My faith defines me. I’m running because I have been blessed with a gift.”
And what about the Fijian rugby sevens team who, after winning gold by beating Team GB in the final for their country’s first ever Olympic medal, got down on their knees to praise and thank the Lord who is clearly first in their hearts!
As London vicar Andy Palmer[4] put it, they were reflecting the attitude shown by Israel’s King David in penning Psalm 104 that, whatever we achieve as humans, we are merely God’s creation and he is far greater than us – He is the one to be praised!
So let’s take inspiration from these Olympic heroes who understood that there is a bigger picture to our lives; that Jesus wants to win our hearts and a life lived without him is ultimately empty and meaningless.
The Apostle Paul was clearly familiar with the ancient Olympics, making several references to athletics in his letters to the early Christians. In a rebuke to the Galatians who had been deceived by false teaching, he scolds: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” (Gal 5.7)
To the Philippians, he encourages them to join him as he presses on “towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3.14)
To Timothy his protégé, he urges: “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim 4.7f)
And again to Timothy he declares: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim 4.7f)
Yes, there is a prize for which we can all strive, as St Paul reminds the Corinthians: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Cor 9.24–27)
And in the letter to the Hebrews, we are urged to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…” (Heb 12.2)
So we can learn from athletes of the necessity for strict training in our spiritual lives because we are not running aimlessly, but for a crown that will last forever.
Having competed in many marathons, I have been hugely inspired by these scriptures over the years, encouraging me to keep going, and not give up, even though it hurts and the road ahead seems so long and arduous.
The only occasion I didn’t finish a race – ‘hitting a wall’[5] after 22 miles in the 1972 Scottish Marathon – made me realise there was more to life than running, that God had a purpose and plan for my life. And within a week I had asked Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour.
I have never looked back. I see this as a picture of Britain, a nation that has been running away from God in a fruitless race to nowhere. But now, perhaps shaken up by the Brexit vote, we have finally run out of steam, leaving us in a position to once more consider the claims of the Jewish Messiah who has helped to make our country great.
‘Britain’s golden age’ was how one tabloid described our success at Rio. Perhaps that is stretching it too far, but if we shift our emphasis to a pursuit of discovering our true purpose instead of a relentless striving after earthly comfort and material benefits, there is a ‘pot of gold’[6]at the end of the rainbow, and it’s found in the person of Jesus Christ, who said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no-one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6) Or as a Jewish friend told me, he (Jesus) is the only one who can take us to the finish line and award us the greatest medal of all – forgiveness of sin and eternal life!

  1. We have been reminded, in a Christianity Today article by Steven Gertz, that the Olympics was lost to the world for 1,500 years after being outlawed by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 393AD for being too pagan. Not only did it involve gory violence and naked competitors, but pigs and bulls were sacrificed to pagan gods, to whom athletes swore allegiance. (Apparently Theodosius was strongly influenced by Bishop Ambrose of Milan.) Alarmingly, the current Olympian anthem calls on an “ancient eternal spirit” – clearly with no connection to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – to bless its endeavours.  ↩
  2. An Egyptian judo competitor was sent home after refusing to shake the hand of his Israeli rival Or Sasson, who went on to win a bronze medal – somewhat ironic as the two countries have been at peace for 37 years – and the Lebanese Olympic delegation was reprimanded after blocking Israeli athletes from entering a bus they were supposed to share.  ↩
  3. The subject of the film Chariots of Fire, Liddell elected not to run his favoured race, the 100m, because the heats were held on a Sunday – the Lord’s Day – and surprised everyone with his brilliant run in the longer event. He went on to preach the gospel in China and died prematurely in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. But his legacy lives on – ultimately his whole life was run as a race to complete the work to which Jesus had called him.  ↩
  4. Rev Andy Palmer is vicar of St John’s, Downshire Hill, in Hampstead.  ↩
  5. An expression used by marathon runners to indicate complete inability to go any further  ↩
  6. According to the Bible, all believers can look forward to living in a city of pure gold (Rev 21.18) ↩

Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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Friday, August 12, 2016

5 Gold-Medal Olympians Use Colossians 3:23-24 to Achieve Glory - BETHANY BLANKLEY CHARISMA NEWS

Michael Phelps (USA) of USA reacts after winning.
Michael Phelps (USA) of USA reacts after winning. (REUTERS/David Gray)










5 Gold-Medal Olympians Use Colossians 3:23-24 to Achieve Glory

BETHANY BLANKLEY  CHARISMA NEWS
Following Part One, here are the next five of 10 young American Christian Olympic athletes competing in the 2016 Olympics.
They are remarkable as athletes alone. But it's their faith that makes them stand out even more—beyond the world recognition for record-breaking accomplishments.

Allyson Felix, 30, Team USA Track and Field

Allyson Felix is already an accomplished Olympic Gold medalist. She told Beyond the Ultimate, an organization dedicated to sharing Christian athletes' testimonies, that she accepted Jesus Christ into her life at a young age, but "is still a work in progress." She says:
"I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior at a very young age. Ever since then, I have continually been striving to grow in my relationship with God. I was nowhere close to the perfect child. I had my share of difficult times along with some disappointing choices that I made, but thankfully God never stops loving me."
If she's not running on the track, she says:
"My goal is to be more Christlike each and every day and that is not an easy task. I know that I'm trying to be something different from [other Olympic runners] and after I run I hope that people can distinguish [Christlike] character in the way I present myself."

Missy Franklin, 21, Team USA Swimming

Missy Franklin qualified for the 2008 Olympic trials at the age of 13.
Then, when she tried out for the 2012 Olympic games, Franklin became the first woman in history to qualify for seven Olympic events.
Franklin told Charisma magazine that "God is present at the Olympic games." She explains:
"Once every four years, athletes, families, friends and fans come together from all over the world. I know God will be there and I hope many of the people there will also feel His presence. He will offer us the opportunity to appreciate and love our similarities and differences."

Tobin Heath, 28, Team USA Soccer

The leader of the U.S. Women's Soccer team is a rock star. Two-time gold medalist Tobin Heath is a midfielder who loves playing soccer. But she loves something else even more—expressing the love of Jesus Christ to others. She told Beliefnet:
"If you see being a role model as a platform where you can pour into others for Jesus with love, that's where I want to be. Becoming known or noticed in my sport isn't what's drives me to work hard and want to be the best I can be. It's Jesus. That's why I play. I play to glorify Him."
Heath adds that her faith helps her stay motivated both on and off the field. She says:
"I try to keep that as my motivation when I step out on the field every day whether it's practice or a game. It's to work as hard as I can in thankfulness for what He's given me and hopefully some of that can come back to Him."

Michael Phelps, 31, Team USA Swimming

No one needs an introduction to Michael Phelps who has broken every world record and Olympic record in swimming, even his own. He is the most decorated Olympian in the history of the games. What many people may not know is that Michael Phelps is a Christian who credits God with saving him from committing suicide.
After achieving international fame that comes with winning more gold medals than anyone else in history, Phelps struggled with substance abuse. He also struggled with the emotional fallout of family issues in 2014. All of the pressure and success and personal struggle avalanched to a point where he thought dying would be better than living.
But God had other plans. Phelps' Christian friend and athlete Ray Lewis gave him Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. He expressed his gratitude in an ESPN broadcast for his newfound faith. He says:
"It's turned me into believing that there is a power greater than myself and there is a purpose for me on this planet ... I think it helped me when I was in a place that I needed the most help."

Bubba Watson, 37, Team USA Golf

Bubba Watson's Twitter bio simply states: "Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer."
This is putting it modestly. Watson is the only pro-golfer to have won two Masters Tournaments in three years, "becoming the fastest golfer in history to win his second green jacket. He bested Horton Smith, who won his second Masters on his third attempt in 1936, and Jimmy Demaret (1947) and Arnold Palmer (1960), each of whom needed six starts."
Despite this, however, Watson says, golf comes after his Christian faith.
According to The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, since getting baptized in 2004, Watson is "getting more in the Word and realizing that golf is just an avenue for Jesus to use me to reach as many people as I can."
Becoming a Christian has helped him curb his temper and to be a stronger witness for Christ. Citing Christian rapper Lecrae, Watson says:
"Lecrae said it the best. He doesn't want to be a celebrity. He doesn't want to be a superstar. He just wants to be the middle man for you to see God through him."
Bethany Blankley worked in politics for over 10 years, on Capitol Hill for four U.S. Senators and one U.S. Congressman, and in New York for a former governor. She also previously taught at the New York School of the Bible and worked with several nonprofits. She earned her master's degree in theology from The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and her bachelor's degree in politics from the University of Maryland. She is a political analyst for Fox News Radio, and she has appeared on television and radio programs nationwide. Follow her: @BethanyBlankley,bethanyblankley.com.
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