Well, the Winter Games are coming up soon enough, and this is the sort of thing that gets a few of us all excited, even more than any football game. Of course, I'm probably not talking about the majority with this football talk. But the Super Bowl is coming up soon, and we honestly don't really care that much. This year, the NFL sort of took some hits for not jumping on a few issues right away, and it's my understanding that this hasn't helped them financially. It is merely additional fuel for our complete apathy about the sport. Some time ago, Daddy went with the guys of the family to go see a Falcons game, just because they were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a pirate team. That was my big interest. Anyway, we saw the game in the Georgia Dome. Uncle Dave's car was dented in the Marta parking lot, the additional price of going to such a game. Atlanta won the game, but everyone around us was drunk, and shouting all kinds of vulgar things at players and referees. And as I sat there, I realized I was paying a good bit of money to actually go to something like this. It's just not my thing. Baseball and ice hockey, yes. And anything else obscure. I'd love to take Madison to a lacrosse game, actually, maybe the Georgia Swarm.
But the ultimate is the Olympics. Daddy was so incredibly blessed to go to so many Atlanta Olympic events. It was a two-week vacation, each day going to different events. Some day, hopefully Madison can get to see some things like that, although I imagine the prices will be astounding. There were ways around that though, the end result being some pretty choice events we got to see. The highlight was the swimming finals for the men's 4X4, where we won the gold medal at the Georgia Tech pools.
This sort of enthusiasm Daddy was tapping into when he watched the movie "Eddie the Eagle" tonight with Mommy. This message below is based on that, one where we'll show clips from that movie, and talk about using resistance to soar. It should be fun!
The Winter Olympics are upon us again, and this is always an incredible time filled with so many amazing inspirational stories. Some people give it all to get to the Olympics, training hard despite setbacks and more, and just to get there and represent your country is a huge achievement.
Today we're going to learn about one such guy, who wanted to be an Olympian more than anything. He just wanted to be there - to him, that was worth a gold medal in itself. The guy who founded the modern Olympic Games once said this, "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in Life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
And that's the thing about these games, why they're so great to watch. All these athletes have "fought well" to get there. And here they are. Back in 1988, there was one athlete that fought very hard. His name was Eddie. And by the end of the Olympics, he had a new nickname: Eddie the Eagle.
Now generally, athletes have a certain look about them. Think of the Super Bowl stars, or the soccer players or baseball all stars. Eddie Edwards did not have that look.
CUE SLIDE: EDDIE the EAGLE
This guy really wanted to be in the Olympics. But he just wasn't as good at those games. But one day, he got an idea.
CUE VIDEO CLIP 1: Eddie wants to be a skier
He wasn't too bad at all. And can you see that enthusiasm he has? He's going for it! But didn't have the exact training he needed, and there weren't too many people really in his camp yet. His glasses kept fogging up, and his vision was somewhat limited. Perhaps that's why he didn't make the cut on the ski team. He worked so hard, and here he was, on the edge of giving up. But then he thought of an idea.
CUE VIDEO CLIP 2: Eddie is going to ski jump
"You name me one - one - British ski jumper."
"Me!"
Eddie had a dream to go to the Olympics, and nothing was going to stop him! And that's where we land on point one. Let's take a look!
1. You might as well jump. You might picture yourself crashing, or you could just see yourself soaring to new heights. Don't forget that you were designed by God to do something big - you'll never get there if you don't take that leap of faith. Look at this scripture here:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways obey him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 NIRV
You can make the jump. If God has called you to make a leap like that, the only thing that's stopping you is you. It sure seems scary up there. Let's look at the stats for a ski jumper:
A ski jumper goes up to sixty miles an hour down that ramp. If you went that fast down McEver Road here, you'd get a speeding ticket for going fifteen miles an hour over the speed limit!
The world record distance for a ski jumper is 832 feet. That's the length of around thirty school buses, one after another.
When they're up there at the top of that ski jump, they're 300 feet off the ground... at the top of the mountain. Could you imagine looking down from there, knowing you're about to fly sixty miles an hour down a hill and launched into the air? That's quite a leap of faith!
But that's what it feels like for all of us sometimes. Fear sets in, and holds us back from our dreams. We know God wants us to do something, but we're afraid of falling, and afraid of embarrassment or getting hurt.
That's what is so great about Eddie's story. He fell, sure. He probably was embarrassed. But he never gave up. Even when his own people tried to stop him from jumping. They heard he was going to do this ski jump at the Olympics, so they tried to block him. They said, "In order to make it to the Games, you have to jump 61 meters officially in a competition." And they made up that rule on the spot to try and stop him. And it was discouraging. But did he give up? No, of course not. Watch:
CUE CLIP THREE: Eddie trains to get to 61 meters
"Personal best... and we're a disgrace!"
I love it when champions overcome the mocking voice of the enemy. There's a voice that says "GIVE UP!" It's the voice of resistance. But you know something? Ski Jumpers need resistance. That's our second point.
2. Resistance helps you fly. It's a basic principle of physics: resistance can be used to help birds, airplanes, and even ski jumpers fly higher. If you're encountering challenges, don't let them sink you. Change your approach, and use those very things that resist you as a fuel to fly higher. Look at this scripture here from the book of Romans:
"And that’s not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never bring us shame." Romans 5:3-5 NIRV
A guy in the Bible named Zacchaeus was so small. Definitely not athlete material. Yet he went high up, higher than most. He was blocked from seeing Jesus. His height was so small. But he found another way around the resistance. He climbed a tree, just to see Jesus. Up, up, up he went. And you know something? Let's see what happened as Jesus came by.
"Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was. He looked up and said, 'Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay at your house today.' So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed him gladly." Luke 19:5-6 NIRV
Zacchaeus used that resistance. Sure, there were others with better spots close up to Jesus. They had a better standing, and had it all worked out. But we don't know any of their names, do we? Zacchaeus' name, however, is forever in the Bible.
That's the sort of thing that drew us all to Eddie the Eagle. He wasn't the greatest athlete in the world by a long shot. Each time he was up there, you weren't quite sure if he was going to crash or not. He came in last place. But this is the thing: he became the very spirit of these games. He overcame, and his joy was contagious. He had a spirit that just would not give up, but he also had a great coach who got him there. Let's look this last point, and I'll show you who I'm talking about.
3. Soar like an Eagle. It's not just your strength that launches you off to your dreams. Never forget that it is God's grace and power that lifts us to new heights. Serve Him, Trust Him and Spend time with Him, and then you'll mount up with wings like eagles! If that last phrase sounds familiar, it should. You can find it in the book of Isaiah.
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
You will soar. You just have to trust in God, and never give up. Lean on Him, serve Him, talk with Him. And then you will soar with Him!
Eddie's big moment came in the 90 meter jump, something he had never tried before, ever. We all watched him - would he crash? He'd already jumped in the 70 meter, and that's all he ever knew. Why would he go on and do something even bigger and better? I'll tell you why: because this was his moment, and he was going to keep climbing higher. Because that's what he was created to do.
CUE CLIP FOUR: The Flight of Eddie the Eagle
Like with Zacchaeus, not many people remember who got the gold medal that year in ski jumping. Not many remember who got the silver or bronze. But we all remember Eddie the Eagle's name. Even though he wasn't the best at what he did, I believe he was doing what it was he was designed to do.
And that's the same thing we were designed to do: fly like eagles.
But the ultimate is the Olympics. Daddy was so incredibly blessed to go to so many Atlanta Olympic events. It was a two-week vacation, each day going to different events. Some day, hopefully Madison can get to see some things like that, although I imagine the prices will be astounding. There were ways around that though, the end result being some pretty choice events we got to see. The highlight was the swimming finals for the men's 4X4, where we won the gold medal at the Georgia Tech pools.
This sort of enthusiasm Daddy was tapping into when he watched the movie "Eddie the Eagle" tonight with Mommy. This message below is based on that, one where we'll show clips from that movie, and talk about using resistance to soar. It should be fun!
**********
The Winter Olympics are upon us again, and this is always an incredible time filled with so many amazing inspirational stories. Some people give it all to get to the Olympics, training hard despite setbacks and more, and just to get there and represent your country is a huge achievement.
Today we're going to learn about one such guy, who wanted to be an Olympian more than anything. He just wanted to be there - to him, that was worth a gold medal in itself. The guy who founded the modern Olympic Games once said this, "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in Life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
And that's the thing about these games, why they're so great to watch. All these athletes have "fought well" to get there. And here they are. Back in 1988, there was one athlete that fought very hard. His name was Eddie. And by the end of the Olympics, he had a new nickname: Eddie the Eagle.
Now generally, athletes have a certain look about them. Think of the Super Bowl stars, or the soccer players or baseball all stars. Eddie Edwards did not have that look.
CUE SLIDE: EDDIE the EAGLE
This guy really wanted to be in the Olympics. But he just wasn't as good at those games. But one day, he got an idea.
CUE VIDEO CLIP 1: Eddie wants to be a skier
He wasn't too bad at all. And can you see that enthusiasm he has? He's going for it! But didn't have the exact training he needed, and there weren't too many people really in his camp yet. His glasses kept fogging up, and his vision was somewhat limited. Perhaps that's why he didn't make the cut on the ski team. He worked so hard, and here he was, on the edge of giving up. But then he thought of an idea.
CUE VIDEO CLIP 2: Eddie is going to ski jump
"You name me one - one - British ski jumper."
"Me!"
Eddie had a dream to go to the Olympics, and nothing was going to stop him! And that's where we land on point one. Let's take a look!
1. You might as well jump. You might picture yourself crashing, or you could just see yourself soaring to new heights. Don't forget that you were designed by God to do something big - you'll never get there if you don't take that leap of faith. Look at this scripture here:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways obey him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 NIRV
You can make the jump. If God has called you to make a leap like that, the only thing that's stopping you is you. It sure seems scary up there. Let's look at the stats for a ski jumper:
A ski jumper goes up to sixty miles an hour down that ramp. If you went that fast down McEver Road here, you'd get a speeding ticket for going fifteen miles an hour over the speed limit!
The world record distance for a ski jumper is 832 feet. That's the length of around thirty school buses, one after another.
When they're up there at the top of that ski jump, they're 300 feet off the ground... at the top of the mountain. Could you imagine looking down from there, knowing you're about to fly sixty miles an hour down a hill and launched into the air? That's quite a leap of faith!
But that's what it feels like for all of us sometimes. Fear sets in, and holds us back from our dreams. We know God wants us to do something, but we're afraid of falling, and afraid of embarrassment or getting hurt.
That's what is so great about Eddie's story. He fell, sure. He probably was embarrassed. But he never gave up. Even when his own people tried to stop him from jumping. They heard he was going to do this ski jump at the Olympics, so they tried to block him. They said, "In order to make it to the Games, you have to jump 61 meters officially in a competition." And they made up that rule on the spot to try and stop him. And it was discouraging. But did he give up? No, of course not. Watch:
CUE CLIP THREE: Eddie trains to get to 61 meters
"Personal best... and we're a disgrace!"
I love it when champions overcome the mocking voice of the enemy. There's a voice that says "GIVE UP!" It's the voice of resistance. But you know something? Ski Jumpers need resistance. That's our second point.
2. Resistance helps you fly. It's a basic principle of physics: resistance can be used to help birds, airplanes, and even ski jumpers fly higher. If you're encountering challenges, don't let them sink you. Change your approach, and use those very things that resist you as a fuel to fly higher. Look at this scripture here from the book of Romans:
"And that’s not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never bring us shame." Romans 5:3-5 NIRV
A guy in the Bible named Zacchaeus was so small. Definitely not athlete material. Yet he went high up, higher than most. He was blocked from seeing Jesus. His height was so small. But he found another way around the resistance. He climbed a tree, just to see Jesus. Up, up, up he went. And you know something? Let's see what happened as Jesus came by.
"Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was. He looked up and said, 'Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay at your house today.' So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed him gladly." Luke 19:5-6 NIRV
Zacchaeus used that resistance. Sure, there were others with better spots close up to Jesus. They had a better standing, and had it all worked out. But we don't know any of their names, do we? Zacchaeus' name, however, is forever in the Bible.
That's the sort of thing that drew us all to Eddie the Eagle. He wasn't the greatest athlete in the world by a long shot. Each time he was up there, you weren't quite sure if he was going to crash or not. He came in last place. But this is the thing: he became the very spirit of these games. He overcame, and his joy was contagious. He had a spirit that just would not give up, but he also had a great coach who got him there. Let's look this last point, and I'll show you who I'm talking about.
3. Soar like an Eagle. It's not just your strength that launches you off to your dreams. Never forget that it is God's grace and power that lifts us to new heights. Serve Him, Trust Him and Spend time with Him, and then you'll mount up with wings like eagles! If that last phrase sounds familiar, it should. You can find it in the book of Isaiah.
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
You will soar. You just have to trust in God, and never give up. Lean on Him, serve Him, talk with Him. And then you will soar with Him!
Eddie's big moment came in the 90 meter jump, something he had never tried before, ever. We all watched him - would he crash? He'd already jumped in the 70 meter, and that's all he ever knew. Why would he go on and do something even bigger and better? I'll tell you why: because this was his moment, and he was going to keep climbing higher. Because that's what he was created to do.
CUE CLIP FOUR: The Flight of Eddie the Eagle
Like with Zacchaeus, not many people remember who got the gold medal that year in ski jumping. Not many remember who got the silver or bronze. But we all remember Eddie the Eagle's name. Even though he wasn't the best at what he did, I believe he was doing what it was he was designed to do.
And that's the same thing we were designed to do: fly like eagles.
*************
Madison had ballet tonight, the long night with jazz and ballet put together. The kids are dancing a new song for jazz, and it's actually from "The Greatest Showman," which has easily become the soundtrack of January/February 2018. No doubt about it. This is playing over and over again, with all the kids knowing every word of every song, and every parent too. It's currently playing in the car, and it's on Madison's MP3 player. And it's a dance routine now, as the girls are doing a jazz dance to "The Greatest Show."
We're finished with the messages for "Legends," by the way. We'll have about ten of them, which is pretty epic, actually. This series will go deep into May. The stage presentation - the skits - will be the challenge, but it should be fun. We'll have more on that later though!
Thursday nights are a bit of a rush, mainly because the dancing portion of the night takes up so much space on the schedule. Add to that the driving to and fro, and it's quite a full night. Still, we get home and play some games. Madison does some of her homework in the car, all while listening to "Never Be Enough" or "Rewrite the Stars." Piano is done before leaving, and that leaves a bit of a space for eating, and then a tiny stretch when we get home.
Tonight, we continued a game that Madison and Daddy tried a few years ago. She's Lara Croft, another famous English creation. The game is called "Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light." It mostly features jungle temples and giant bugs or creatures. And flame throwers. Madison likes the flame throwers. We started it earlier this week, and she's a bit hooked on it. It's a co-op game, so it's just fun to have Daddy along for the quest. It's easier to understand now, and it's more fun for her to play. We've been moving right along on this one, completing one level after another in the jungle.
But it was a short game play session, as bedtime was looming. We read from the Elevate devotional, read from our recent book, and said our prayers tonight. Tomorrow is a vocabulary test, but Madison knows all those words really well. We're moving right along through the school year, aren't we? The fact that it is February already is quite shocking!
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