Olympic Champions & Growing in the Faith

I love watching the Olympics. I love seeing the dedicated passion of the athletes, the loving support of their parents, and the competitive fire of those who come out on top. The people who make it to the Olympics are the best-of-the-best. They are the greatest at their sport from around the world.

NBC has done a good job making the sports-viewing experience even more entertaining. They've been running back stories on some of the more interesting athletes to help create a cheering attachment. I've only caught a few stories in my sporadic viewing, but they've included the stories of a Canadian gold medalist Alexandre Biloeau, who grew up with a handicapped brother. I also enjoyed a story about a cross-country extreme skier who struggled with debilitating alcoholism. In different ways, both athletes had stories full of drive and determination that helped them achieve their dreams of competing in the Olympics.

I was reminded of how much the Christian life is like this. If we want to grow and mature and become more like Christ, we have to work at it. Just like an athlete disciplines her body, you and I also have to engage in disciplined activity to experience spiritual growth. For some of us, the kind of training we need to engage in is Bible reading, prayer, fasting and more of the classical Christian disciplines stuff. But for many of us, we just need to rest and reconnect. We're busy and we're isolated. We need to slow down and get some new friends with deeper connections. That's the best recipe for growing in godliness.

If that's you, consider taking a sabbath this week. Slow down and intentionally take some time to rest -- do something that is re-creative and restorative for you. Or, if you feel isolated, join us for an event that helps you connect with other people.

We had our first Connecting Group last week and it was a blast. We had a great turn out and even better discussion around the topic of our internal longing for justice in the world. Our next gathering is on March 2nd at 7:30 at John and Mary's house.

4705 School Rd.
Edina, MN 55424

For more info check out the connecting group page. Also, there's another way to meet new people and just have some fun...

Korean Cooking Class February 24th @ 7:15pm
Mary will host a Korean cooking class this Wednesday, Feb. 24th, from 7:15-9:00 pm. The lesson will focus on cooking some of her favorite Korean dishes: Kimbap (Korean sushi) and Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef). Space is limited so be sure to sign up soon. Check the web for more information.

Photo from Flickr