Youth Ministry Lesson: Bible Lessons from the Olympics: Determination

Johnny Fulton was run over by a car at the age of three. He suffered crushed hips, broken ribs, a fractured skull, and compound fractures in his legs. It did not look as if he would live. But he would not give up. In fact, he later ran the half- mile in less than two minutes.

Walt Davis was totally paralyzed by polio when he was nine years old, but he did not give up. He became the Olympic high jump champion in 1952.

Shelly Mann was paralyzed by polio when she was five years old, but she would not give up. She eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

In 1938, Karoly Takacs, a member of Hungary's world-champion pistol shooting team and sergeant in the army, lost his right hand when a grenade he was holding exploded. But Takacs did not give. up. He learned to shoot left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.

Source: SermonIllustrations.com, February 2000

God has called each of us to fulfill a purpose in life.  Whatever tragedy you have gone through, whatever trial you have faced, whatever obstacles have stood in your way, the key to moving ahead is to never give up.  God has not called you to something he will not equip you to accomplish.  God has not called us to fail, but to trust in Him for victory.  You cannot fail if you are fulfilling God's will for your life.  God doesn't call us to results, but to obedience to the tasks he has set before us.

“One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:1-21)

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Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about "Go for the Gold"

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on "Running the Christian Race"?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about "Destined to Win"

Youth Ministry: Bible Lessons from the Olympics: Sports' Highest Honor

A String of Ducklings

In the 1992 Olympics Henry Pearce of Australia was competing in the single scull rowing event at the 1928 Olympics. He was leading when a duck and her string of ducklings came into view up ahead. They were on a collision course and Pearce reckoned that his scull would cut the string in two and sink a few ducklings in the process, so he pulled in his oars. When the ducks passed, Pearce again bent his back to the task. There's a happy ending to the story. Pearce won. Usually, acts of sportsmanship result in defeat. Remember Leo Durocher's pronouncement, "Nice guys finish last"?

Broken Rudder

It happened a couple of years ago in the marathon tandem kayak racing event at the world championships in Copenhagen. Danish paddlers were leading when their rudder was damaged in a portage. British paddlers, who were in second place, stopped to help the Danes fix it. The Danes went on to defeat the British by one second in an event that lasted nearly three hours. But there's a happy ending to this story too. According to The Wall Street Journal, the British kayakers won what many people regard as the highest honor in sports. They became the winner of the Pierre de Coubertin International Fair Play Trophy.

The trophy is named for the founder of the modern Olympic Games, and it has been awarded annually for the past 28 years to people in sports who have demonstrated nobility of spirit. It is big news in Europe, but it has not been given much recognition in the United States. In the past, the trophy has gone to a Hungarian tennis player who pleaded with officials to give his opponent more time to recover from a cramp, and to a high school basketball coach who forfeited the Georgia (US) state championship after he found out that one of his players was scholastically ineligible.

A Broken Bolt

The first trophy went to an Italian bobsledder named Eugenio Monti for a gesture that exhibited a touch of class. In the two-man bobsled event at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics, Monti was the leader after his final run. The only one given a chance to beat him was Tony Nash of Great Britain. As Nash and his teammate got ready for their final run, they discovered that a critical bolt on their sled had snapped at the last moment. Monti was informed of the problem and immediately took the corresponding bolt from his own sled and sent it up to Nash. Nash fixed his sled, came hurtling down the course to set a record and won the gold medal.

Source: Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, Page 4-6

As a Christian, our Highest Honor is to appear before God and have him proclaim, "Well Done, my good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23)

Other related Bible Verses

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21)

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:28-29)

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)

For More Youth Ministry Lesson, Visit us on Youth Ministry Ideas

Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about "Go for the Gold"

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on "Running the Christian Race"?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about "Destined to Win"

Youth Ministry: Bible Lessons from the Olympics: Champions Never Quit

"Let me win.  But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
Special Olympics Oath

"Champions are not those who never fail, they are those who never quit...Men love winners.  They want to be identified with winners. Men open a newspaper and turn directly to the sports page because it features winners, while the front page usually features losers...Champions are the right man, in the right place, at the right time.  Timing is all important.

God has an eternal clock which was started from the beginning of time to make you become a champion for Him.  To become a  champion, you must see yourself  as a champion.  Hanging on to the fear of failure, the sins of others and past mistakes will keep you from becoming a champion.  Champions are made, not born.  Many champions start with severe handicaps in life, but in making the effort to overcome, they find the ability to continue until they have excelled beyond those even without handicaps.

The athlete, the farmer and the soldier all have different ways of winning.  Each of them does his training, plowing or exercising in private, and they show their abilities in public...The fainthearted never win, they wilt.  They start well, but fade before they finish...

Joshua was a member of the championship team.  He could hardly stand to see other men who didn't feel the way he did, and finally issued the challenge that lives on forever:

'Choose this day whom you will serve,
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord'

I'm proud to be on Joshua's team!"
Source: Edwin Louis Cole,  "Courage - Winning Life's Toughest Battles"

For More Bible Lessons for Youth, Visit us on Youth Ministry Ideas


Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about "Go for the Gold"
Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on "Running the Christian Race"?
The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about "Destined to Win"

Youth Ministry Ideas: It's Not Easy

by Joshua Goh

This is the first in a series that I want to dedicate to all the musicians, artists, vocalists, dancers, sound engineers, lighting crew, and every other creative individual in church; the church would never be complete without you.

I'll be the first to admit that it's not easy being an artist in church. Just like Kermit the Frog sang, "It's not easy bein' green," we sometimes feel different from the other people in church, that no one quite understands us, or can't seem to relate to us. Other times, it feels like there's so many people far more talented, more spiritual, more appreciated, more deserving, or more favored than we are.

One thing's for sure, you're not alone if you've ever felt this way. In fact, I haven't met one musician who hasn't struggled with these thoughts and emotions at one time or another, myself included. My first tendency would be to retreat, wallow in my own inadequacies, feeling like I'm not good enough. I've found this response never solved anything, and all it did was make me feel much worse and feel like quitting.

I guess the first step to wholeness is to acknowledge what we're feeling and be honest to God about it. The Psalmists knew this. They were musicians and artists, just like us. They shared the same struggles in their day. Their songs of worship were born out of their real struggles to understand God. They didn't hold back what they were feeling from God, instead, they cried out to Him freely and openly. Whatever we're personally struggling with, we all need to experience the freedom of releasing our angst, pain, resentment, insecurities to a God who surrendered the glory of Heaven to identify with us, His creations.

Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, [16] your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

That's right, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God makes no mistakes and even though you may see others far more creative than you are, there really isn't anyone else on this planet that was meant to fulfill the role created you for. He custom-made you for His service even before you were born. He gifted you with the unique skills and talents you have. And that's the truth.

Let's take our cue from Kermit, he may have started out questioning why he couldn't have been created more special, more spectacular but he ended up coming to his senses in the turnaround but the third verse and by the the end of the song, there is true wisdom in what he says,

"When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful And I think it's what I want to be"

There's no need to question why God made us the way He did. After all, His creation - you - are beautiful. Looking back, I've always returned from what I call my "honest times with God" feeling refreshed, assured of His plans and purposes for me in church as a creative person and believing, "Yes, thank you God for making me the way I am, I think it's what and where I want to be".

"Bein' Green" It's not that easy being green Having to spend each day the color of the leaves When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold Or something much more colorful like thatIt's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green's the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like an ocean, or important
Like a mountain, or tall like a tree
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be

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Youth Ministry: Youth in 1982 vs 2012

Description

Interesting look at the differences between youth in 1982 and youth today. I was a youth and graduated from High School in 1984 so interesting to see the differences between my generation and today's generation of youth.

 

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