The Olympics

The Olympics have come and gone and my thoughts about it keeping coming back to speedskater Joey Cheek (I know... being from Bemidji it's hard to believe that any other events occured besides curling). Who is Joey Cheek? Joey won the gold medal in the 500 meter sprint but that is just a minor part of the story. Each gold-medalist earns a $25,000 bonus from the United States Olympic Committee. Joey donated all of his bonus to "Right to Play", an organization that works in parts of the world devasted by famine, war, and natural disastors. Athletes and others use sports and play to improve the lives of children in these areas.

I have always felt if I ever do something big like this I want to be able to give something back. I love what I do; it's great fun, but honestly, it's a pretty ridiculous thing, I skate around in tights. If you keep it in perspective, I've trained my whole life for this but it's not that big a deal.

He especially wants to help children who are living in refugee camps in Chad. These children were driven out of their homes in Darfur, Sudan. Ok... so I'm not asking you to donate to Right to Play. How about we look at our lives and see where we have been abudantly blessed and figure out how we can share that with others. Sometimes, Lent shouldn't be about given something up but should be about giving.

"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with a bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." Luke 6:38