White Knuckles and Gold for U.S. Bobsled Team

The sports switch did not worry Steve Holcomb. When his son, Steven, changed winter sports allegiances from Alpine skiing to bobsled, he knew both were inherently dangerous and vastly time consuming and offered little return. It was the timing that irked Steve Holcomb. Holcomb had just sent a tuition check to the University of Utah shortly before Steven made the decision. With a shrug, Steven told his father he was leaving for Europe the next day to fuel a passion and chase a dream. Then, Steve Holcomb fumed. Now? “Probably a good investment,” Holcomb said, watching his son compete from near the finish line at the Whistler Sliding Centre. “It was money well spent, poorly.” On Saturday, long after bequeathing what turned out to be a friendly donation to the college, Steven Holcomb can offer a refund in gold. Holcomb piloted USA-1 to the first gold medal for the United States in the four-man competition in 62 years. How could this sports story from the 2010 Winter Olympic games be used as a parable to teach a spiritual truth or moral lesson? For more on how sports can be used as a parable, download this week's Sports In Focus lesson here.

Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony

The 2010 Winter Olympics began with dazzling performances by a star-studded cast of Canadians. The Wall Street Journal estimated the cost around $40 million to produce the opening ceremonies. Canada was the last country to march and 50,000 people erupted as the ”athletes” emerged. Can you imagine the thrill? By contrast, the entrance of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem for his coronation was without pomp, splendor, and pageantry. For more, download this week's Sports In Focus study here.

THE SERVANT PREPARES HIS FOLLOWERS

Mark 9:33-35 • Lesson Seven

Due to the time restraint some huddles have for bible study, here is an abridged study that you can print out along with a more complete bible study that you can download at the end of this lesson.

Read and discuss:

Mark 9:33-35

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Discuss this statement on servanthood by Pastor John MacArthur.

“The cost of true greatness is humble, selfless, sacrificial service. The Christian who desires to be great and first in the kingdom is the one who is willing to serve in the hard place, the uncomfortable place, the lonely place, the demanding place, the place where he is not appreciated and may even be persecuted. Knowing that time is short and eternity long, he is willing to spend and be spent. He is willing to work for excellence without becoming proud, to withstand criticism without becoming bitter, to be misjudged without becoming defensive, and to withstand suffering without succumbing to self-pity.” — John MacArthur

Why do you think Christ’s teaching of the “first shall be last; last shall be first” is so hard to swallow for most athletes and coaches?

You can download the entire lesson here which includes chapter 9 and 10 of the Book of Mark.

Tiger Woods’ Buddhist Confession

As part of his public confession last Friday, Tiger Woods discussed his religious background. He said, "I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."

This week's lesson shows the difference between Buddhism and Christianity. You can download the lesson here.

Sacrifice before Reward

China’s Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo became the first Chinese figure skaters to win gold in the 2010 Olympics. In their fourth Olympics, Shen and Zhao, two-time bronze medalists, finally won their first gold. Skating together for the past 18 years and married three years ago after winning the 2007 world title, Shen, 31, and Zhao, 36, were the oldest skaters. Few Olympic athletes have made such great sacrifices. How does this example relate to the topic of sacrificial discipleship?

The New testament makes it clear that there must be a cross before the crown, suffering before glory, sacrifice before reward.
The heart of Christian discipleship is giving before gaining, losing before winning. For today's Sports In Focus lesson click here.