I just love the Olympics, I always have. Linda and I sat at home, and ate our dinner in front of the t.v. while we watched the opening ceremony of the games in Rio this past weekend. The music, the lights, everything about it was great. I even learned a little bit about the history of the host country, Brazil.
I’ve always liked the parade of nations where all the countries competing parade through and are introduced. Some countries have many many athletes like America, we have the most with 554 delegates. But there are other countries like Tuvalu, who have only one delegate. Then there’s the way all these countries dress up in their native attire. I still think it’s kind of weird that Bermuda always wears Bermuda shorts! (Is that the best they can do?) But this year in the parade of nations, there was something I had never seen before! A new category was introduced, and it wasn’t a new country, but a category called “Refugees!”
These were athletes who for one reason or another were forced to leave their native country, and given the opportunity to compete under the Olympic flag. One announcer put it like this… “Before it was like they were running away from evil that seemed to be everywhere! This gives them the chance to run toward a finish line that they can actually see!
All this made me start thinking how Peter said, “we don’t belong here, we are strangers in a hostile land” (1 Peter 1:1-2.) We may not like the way it sounds, but we’re nothing more than refugees ourselves, who’ve been given a temporary place to stay. And as Paul said while were here we’ve been asked to run the race to the best of our ability. To do the best we can, for the Glory of Christ! There will be many distractions, and the race will be long. But if that’s what we’re called to do… so we need to do it!
By the way, that sportscaster also said that none of these refugees had a real chance of getting a medal. But their satisfaction would be in competing and doing what they were meant to do! So maybe we won’t become famous or get any medals for practicing our faith and running the race. But like the man said our joy should come in doing what we were made to do! And that is to love and serve Him. And by the way, that closing ceremony will be like something we can never imagine!
I was having lunch the other day with Terry Corbitt, the Director of Pace Preparatory Academy. For those of you who don’t know… that’s the pre-school located on our church campus which teaches 2-4 year old children. We eat lunch together about once a week to catch up and discuss the latest activities. While we were eating she was telling me about the chapel service she had led for the kids, which took place earlier in the week. She said she told the story, about Jesus turning the water into wine. She went on and explained how she had taken 2 pitchers, one full of water and one empty. Well almost empty… there was red food coloring hidden out of sight in the bottom of the empty pitcher. So when she filled that empty pitcher, it turned dark red, right in front of their eyes! This was a great way to show these young children, how Jesus turned the water into wine. Every one of these young kids were amazed… their eyes lit up… it was incredible! When Mrs. Corbitt asked them what they thought. One young boy, shouted out “This is great… Jesus can do magic! Then Mrs. Corbitt explained the difference between a miracle and magic, but afterwards, all she was really sure of was that the kids walked out of there believing Jesus could do some really cool things.
I love our neighborhood at Christmas time! The minute you turn into our little subdivision, it seems like something magical happens. Almost every house is lit up, the trees are wrapped in lights, and there are blow-up Santa’s and snowmen in people’s yards. Now some houses don’t have extravagant light shows, but most have something on their doors and windows that is a unique expression of the Christmas spirit for their family. And every night when I drive home from the church, I take a deep breath when I see all these lights and decorations, and realize how very much I enjoy this time of year.
from the secretarial position at the end of the month to become a full-time Mommy.
Oaks Notes 