Olympics Splink! - Welcome Wednesday

I wanted to share this great resource as well as these great ideas about learning faithfulness through the olympics with you. Don't miss the website at the end with stories about God-glorifying athletes.

Splink is a great family fun resource from D6 (Deuteronomy 6) Ministries. I would highly recommend signing up for this free weekly           service at d6family.com

August 5 - 11 Faithfulness

Finishing Well Pick a job or chore the whole family can do together; one you may have been putting off all summer (clean garage, organize family room, clean a closet and get rid of clothes that don't fit, wash the deck, etc.). Work together until the job is done and then reward yourselves. Go out for lunch or for ice cream, go on a picnic, play mini-golf; do whatever your family enjoys. Talk about it: How do you feel now that the big job is completed? How did you feel while we were still working? Why is it important to keep going, to stay with a job until it is done? (It will never get finished if we quit; it feels good to be faithful even if it is not easy, etc.) Why is it important to stay faithful to God? (He deserves our best, He is faithful to us, it feels good to know that we are pleasing Him, He will reward us someday, etc.) Staying the Course Invite the neighbor kids or friends to have an Olympics celebration. Play some of the following games: Discus throw--–see how far you can throw a paper plate or Frisbee Trike race—line up at a starting point and see who can cross the finish line first Races—three legged, egg and spoon, relay races, etc. High jump or long jump Javelin throw—with pool noodles Hit the ball—put a tennis ball in the toe of a sock or pair of tights, attach it to a kid's belt or waist and run a relay to see how quickly the team can make the ball in a sock swing (without using hands) to hit a second ball toward the finish line Hockey—choose two teams and try to be the first team to hit the potato with the hockey stick to a designated point and back Swimming activities if a pool is available   Don't forget to make or buy some medals. Make a winner's grandstand and give out the medals. A healthy snack idea: make barbells by sticking grapes (if you have older kids) or marshmallows on each end of pretzel sticks. Have plenty of water or juice on hand. In order to win, one has to stay the course—stay faithful. One cannot win by quitting. Cheer each other on to stay with it! A Medal of Worth Watch the Olympic events together, and talk about athletes that are faithful to God. Share the stories of some of the Christian athletes. Look for more stories at http://beyondtheultimate.org Sanya Richards-Ross, a Christian athlete who may be the fastest female runner in the world, is representing the United States for a second time in the 2012 Olympics. Sanya became a Christian when she was 12 years old. She desires to be faithful to God and she recently committed to reading through the entire Bible. One verse she says frequently to herself is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). She says that her faith encourages her to give her best. She says, "I know that my talent is God's gift to me, and how I use it is my gift to Him." Ask: What do you think athletes need to do to compete in the Olympics? (Talent, work hard, and to stick with it even when they don't feel like it) Many Olympic athletes practice all day every day so they will be ready to compete. They give their best to win a medal. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Why do athletes run or compete? (To get a prize that will eventually fade away) What qualities do athletes need to win? (Self-control, determination, willingness to practice and work hard, etc.) What do we need as we live for Jesus? (Self-control, determination to do what is right, faithfulness to follow Him, etc.) Paul says we should run the Christian life with the same determination and self-control an athlete has when he or she competes for a medal that fades away. We will receive a reward from God some day if we are faithful to do what He has asked us to do.