Hello ICC Family!
As I am writing this… there is a ray of sun coming through the window. I am a little surprised and relieved that I can write that! At one point during the past few days we were forecasted to have rain through the weekend. Since we woke up Tuesday morning with water coming through the floor in one of the bedrooms, that was a very scary thought! We spent two hours digging a couple of trenches from the side yard under the backyard fence, but not knowing if that was going to work or not. It seemed to be draining the water from the mini-pond that had formed next to the house, but it was hard to tell. Praise God the worst of the rain had already gone through, though, and we didn’t have to do any more impromptu landscaping.
With as gloomy as it has been, I thought it would be good to mention a few encouraging stories - all from the Olympics the past couple of weeks. After a controversial opening ceremony, I have greatly enjoyed watching highlights of the various events. The United States has done incredibly well this year, and I find the Olympics brings out the best kind of patriotism - being incredibly proud of your country without having to denigrate or hate your opponents.
Even better than rooting on incredible athletes like Katie Ledecky and Cole Hocker and Amit Elor, who are using their God-given talents to excel in their sports, is seeing athletes giving God the glory whatever the results of their competition. I read about the Fiji rugby team who sang hymns in the courtyard of their hotel every morning, with lyrics that said, “Put your trust into the Lord and he will guide your way.” There were also the judo opponents competing for the bronze medal, in women’s 52 kilograms. The Brazilian, Larissa Pimenta, and Italian, Odette Giuffrida, knew each other well and were overcome with emotion when Larissa won the match. But it was not only because of the victory and loss of the medal. Larissa had actually led Odette to Christ after the latter had spent time in Brazil. Larissa felt bad that her medal came at her friend’s expense, but her disciple told her it was all good and that all honor and glory should be given to God.
Now there is a lot of misplaced glory at the Olympics as well. I am sure that some people see it as the height of human achievement. And there are a lot of athletes strutting and peacocking and making much of themselves after a hard-fought win. We will take a long look at that kind of idolatry this Sunday as we see the Israelites fashion a golden calf and dance around it. But I choose to watch the Olympics with the same lens as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who just now won the gold medal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles and who broke her own world record while doing it. A strong believer, after her win she said, "Records come and go; the glory of God is eternal."
It’s already raining a little yet again. And if you don’t care at all about sport or the Olympics, this little note probably has done little to cheer you up. But I encourage you to look for the rays of sunshine that God is sending your way. There is always something to be thankful for. So, let’s be prepared to gently and respectfully give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have.
Please don’t forget that we are kicking off our next Sunday discipleship series this Sunday. Come to church at 9:30 AM and join us as Brother Steve leads us. By the way… thanks once again to everyone that helped make the Refresh worship night an incredible blessing last Saturday. I can’t wait for the next one!
Blessings to you all. And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
Comments