About the Games...

Been planning on waiting until the Olympics were over to post some thoughts but today I replied to another bloggers remarks and thought I'd repeat my observations now.

I have been impressed more with the Bejing Olympics than the Atlanta or Athens games. The coverage has been great and I heard today that the channels not covering the games (like Fox) have seen a drastic drop in ratings. I have the coverage on almost every night while working at my computer.

Miscellaneous observations on the games in Bejing:

Why do the Jamaicans run so fast? Is there something in the water there?

I hate to say it but my favorite part of the gymnastics is when they mess up. Saw a Chinese girl fall on the balance beam last night and I relished the replays. I must be sick. She wasn't hurt and I admired her courage and determination to get back up and continue her routine.

I would have been amazed if a dude with the wingspan and huge hands and feet of Phelps had NOT won 8 gold medals.

One story that hasn't been reported in the mainstream media is worth noting. The Chinese would NOT allow foreign Christian chaplains to lead worship in the facilities on site. Many of the Christian athletes from around the world were very disappointed at this act of communistic censorship.

China is still a totalitarian regime no matter how much spin they hope to gain from this Olympic games. Choosing one little Chinese girl's voice and then choosing another girl to lipsync her song because the first little girl with the great voice was chubby and therefore did not present the image they wanted to present was just one of many examples of how hypocritical they are as a nation.When are they going to admit that capitalism is the only thing that is making them surge forward as a nation?

When There's Not a Toy in Your Cereal Box

After thinking and praying for weeks and weeks I began today writing the 40 Days campaign for the church this fall. I think God has changed my mind from what I had originally planned and now I will write on 40 Days of Hope. I'll be sharing these thoughts on this blog each day beginning the middle of October and going through late November. There will be a verse or passage of Scripture, a devotional thought, and an action step for each day. Our church family will be on the "same page" for over a month - which is one of the things that makes the effort worthwhile.

There are several reasons God has led me to emphasize hope. One big one is that, for the last several weeks and months the trustees and I have been looking for a new location for the church in earnest. Got the letter in the mail today from the landlord where we're at now, reminding us of the date we already knew about - the date we need to leave since we don't plan to re-sign our lease. We need to invest our building fund in a permanent home.

So far our offers on one interesting property for relocation have been unsuccessful. Only God knows if we can come to buying terms with the owner. Please pray about this.

So...God is re-educating me on the topic of hope. I know God will come through. He always makes a way. It's just that I am one of the world's worst at wanting to know the way He plans to make, and, I want to know right now.

Last night Deb and I went to a screening of the new movie Fireproof that will open in September. (Plan to go see it - I'll tell you more about why in a future blog.) One of the soundtrack songs of the movie talked about worshipping while we wait. I leaned over to Deb and said, "That's what I'm not always good at." (Like she didn't already know.) I love to worship, but when I'm waiting on the answer to a big need, I'm tempted to freeze and lose momentum. "Hope" helps compensate for this weakness.

The New Testament Greek word for hope is based on the verb, "elpo," which means, "to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence:--faith, hope." (From Strong's Concordance)

Instead of fear and anxiety when we're waiting on God to do something big in our lives - hope provides expectation and confidence.