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In the recent Summer Games (2012), Kim Rhode won the gold medal in skeet shooting making her the first American to win 5 olympic medals in 5 consecutive olympic games. That’s a span of 20 years and not her only distinction. In the 2012 games, she hit 99 out of 100 skeet setting a new Olympic record and tying the world record for the event. Also, her first medal was in the 1996 Summer Games making her the youngest female gold medalist in Olympic shooting. How does one so distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd?
In an interview with the New York Times, Rhode firmly answers the question of how. She shoots anywhere from 500 to 1,000 rounds every day of the week year around. To save you the math, this is 3,000,000 plus shots with a shotgun. That’s 600,000 rounds per medal. When you step back and look at that number, the medals and accomplishments really are not that surprising.
It would be interesting to know how much other Olympian medalists have invested in their training? How many calories have they burned? How much money have they spent? How many other things have they rejected so that it would not interfere with their training? Of course, there is the occasional rare, natural talent, but I imagine, in most cases, if these numbers were lined up, the favorites will have distinguished themselves well before the race ever began.
In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul indicates that life is a race and its a race that we are all entered in so we might as well compete. We can choose to sit the race out but it is to our own demise. Our entry fees are paid, the starter has fired the gun, and our finish will still be recorded. Only those that complete the race get to advance to the next event.
Run to win. Run to finish first. At the very least run it in such a noble, honorable, and faithful manner that you are allowed to finish. Compete so that even if you do not win all of life, you will not be ashamed of how well you finished. And remember, the race isn’t won on the track, its won in the training and preparation.
There are roughly 775,000 words in the Bible. If we read one word ever day for every round Kim Rhode practices, we would complete the Bible every few years. These days, a person that has read through it completely just once has already distinguished themselves from the pack. How much more dominant would we be if we had read through it 5 times or a dozen times?
I conducted a personal survey for an evangelism course in seminary, examining the ways people come to faith in Christ. The single most influence in leading people to Christ? By far, it was the parents. Behind parents came pastors, youth pastors, Sunday School teachers, adults of the church. The influence of the adult members of the church upon our youth cannot be over-emphasized. In the Methodist church, we even have it built into our baptismal rituals. Each time a baby or young child is baptized, we all commit together once again to take an active part in their nurture and spiritual growth.
Have you ever thought seriously about your influence upon others? What would be your highs and lows?
The Church & Education: The average Protestant church offers classes, or education on 4.6 different topics in a typical year. The most common topics taught are for new members (60%) followed by basics of Christianity (47%) how to study the Bible (43%), evangelism (39%), spiritual growth/renewal (37%) and effective prayer (35%). (Facts & Trends 11-12/05)
George Gallup says “North America is the only continent where Christianity is not growing.” The American Society of Church Growth reports that in ’98, half of churches in America did not add one new member through “conversion growth.” Fuller Seminary has discovered that “It takes 3 people in a church that is 1-3 years old to lead one person to Christ. In a church 4-7 years old it takes...
Biblical Cinema Growth: The Passion of The Christ movie (earned more than $370 million in North America alone) may be the forerunner of a ‘renaissance’ in Christian film. Several new Bible-based blockbusters are on their way claims Richard Gazolwski, President of WYSIWYG Filmworks. They are The Chronicles of Narnia (based on the book series by C.S. Lewis), The Visitation (based on the Frank Peretti best-selling novel) and One Night with the King (from a Tommy Tenney book. Also Michael W. Smith has his first leading film role in soon to be released Second Chance. T.D. Jakes released Woman Thou Art Loosed in October to solid box-office response. In early 2006, Gravity: The Shadow of Joseph releases. Gazowski notes that in the last few months, there have been over 12 Christian film festivals, with each one displaying an average of over 40 new video productions. Only a few years ago just 4 or 5 new Christian products was typical. (Christian Retailing 12/13/04)
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Biblical Cinema Growth: The Passion of The Christ movie (earned more than $370 million in North America alone) may be the forerunner of a ‘renaissance’ in Christian film. Several new Bible-based blockbusters are on their way claims Richard Gazolwski, President of WYSIWYG Filmworks. They are The Chronicles of Narnia (based on the book series by C.S. Lewis), The Visitation (based on the Frank Peretti best-selling novel) and One Night with the King (from a Tommy Tenney book. Also Michael W. Smith has his first leading film role in soon to be released Second Chance. T.D. Jakes released Woman Thou Art Loosed in October to solid box-office response. In early 2006, Gravity: The Shadow of Joseph releases. Gazowski notes that in the last few months, there have been over 12 Christian film festivals, with each one displaying an average of over 40 new video productions. Only a few years ago just 4 or 5 new Christian products was typical. (Christian Retailing 12/13/04)
1. George Barna notes, “In the 1970’s “seeker churches’ made a strong theoretical argument for the importance of encouraging people to feel no obligation to toe a Bible to church. Their goal was to make visitors feel welcome and comfortable by alleviating the need to locate a Bible, by diminishing the stressful expectation that they will have to use that Bible during the church service, and by softening the negative image that may be associated with a Bible-toting congregation. Two decades later, it is clear that this experiment had a more sinister consequence; people don’t even know where their Bibles are anymore! In many churches, the core membership-not just the visitors for whom the tactic was originally embraced-began to lose its familiarity with the Bible. There has been a trade off; changing the rules to help some has impaired the spiritual health of others. Sadly, the shift away from promoting the personal responsibility to bring along a Bible has sent a signal to many people that the Bible is not important. As the church has abandoned the Bible, knowledge of scriptural content has declined, personal Bible reading has declined, the image of the Bible as sacred literature has declined, and the ability of people to comprehend biblical principles has declined. In fact, when it comes time to discuss what the church ought to be, biblical exhortations do not even enter the discussion” (The Second Coming of the Church, 26, 27).
Four Key Reasons kids become more committed to Christ. (1) Parents: 36% of youth report parents are their top influence (or at least 2nd or 3rd influence) when it comes to helping them grow in Christ. (2) Struggles: 1 in 7 kids claim a difficult struggle stimulated spiritual growth. Another 10% identified crises as catalysts. Youth need strong, Christian adults who will help them face their life struggles and crises. (3) Friends: Almost 14% of youth point to friendships that encouraged them to grow deeper in their Christian commitment. Another 19.6% say friends are “their #2 or #3 growth influencer.” Parents often have a more powerful influence on teens’ fundamental values, but friends dictate how those values will be lived out. (4) A Leader: Youth point to a youth pastor or other adult leader as impor...
i. Barna notes “Our most recent surveys indicate that about half of all adults listen to preaching or Bible teaching in a typical week; one out of three read the Bible; one out of ten study the Bible during the week; fewer than one out of every twenty-five devote themselves to memorizing at least one new Bible verse during a typical week. Less than 2 percent are committed to all four of these practices on a weekly basis. It’s no wonder that Americans have tremendous spiritual hunger, but no consistent spiritual growth” (135).
Sales Of Religious-Themed Products grew 28% from 02 to 05 and are expected to reach $9.5 billion by ’10, reports The Religious Products Market in the U.S. from Packaged Facts. Books, inspirational gifts/merchandise, and audio/video /software sales reached $7.5 billion in ‘05, up 9% over ‘04. Books commanded 52% of the market. “Blockbuster books, GRAMMY-winning CDs and films, such as The Passion of The Christ, have ignited an unprecedented national interest in and acceptance of religious fare. The plethora of products readily available in a variety of retail venues has caught the eyes of consumers of all ages and denominations, making this a growth market, which should continue to expand well over the next 5 years. (Christian e-Tailing 4/10/06)
