Winter Olympics Lesson #2: Unity Matters

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After coming off stage in the 10:30AM service yesterday, the guys on the worship team huddled around a phone to see the US men’s hockey team win.

Exactly 46 years ago to the day, the US pulled off the Miracle on Ice.

I was the only worship team member in the huddle who was alive in 1980.

Since then, over 5 billion people have joined the world.

370,000 join daily.

The world is not the same.

But the needs are the same.

The Olympics always remind us.

As the guys talked about the games throughout the morning, one comment was how athletes feel pressure or choose on their own to use the stage to make political statements. Much more rampant than 46 years ago. Before the internet. Before instant news awareness. Before bloggers.

The same guy then shared why he loves the Olympics by telling the story of an athlete who, on her way to winning the gold for the French biathlon team, chose not to lap the Ukrainian team so they could finish the race. View it.

It’s a story of fair play, sportsmanship. One that says, “I’m not against you as much as I am for you. I’m with you. Your dignity matters more than my dominance.”

To all the Olympians, thank you for so many reminders. In the remainder of 2026, may we all live as if unity matters.

Winter Olympics Lesson #1: Have Faith

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They are over. As always, lots of inspiration.

First, a few facts:

  • 93 countries participated
  • 116 events held awarding 348 medals
  • 29 countries won medals

Lots to takeaway just from those facts:

  • The athletes from the 64 countries who didn’t take home medals came with the same hopes and desires.
  • They can say they competed against the best.
  • They had faith to start and finish.

Looking at the medal tracker, I noticed the largest number of countries (6) who won the same amount of medals won just one medal. In that list was Brazil. That’s right. A Brazilian won a medal at the Winter Olympics. And it was gold.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil on Feb. 14, 2026
Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP via Getty

To read others more qualified to capture his story, follow these links:

https://www.aol.com/articles/skier-not-even-able-grasp-161206518.html

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/14/winter-olympics-brazils-pinheiro-braathen-sambas-down-slope-for-south-americas-first-medal

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/15/nx-s1-5715075/brazil-braathen-gold-south-americas-first-winter-olympics-medal

Reading Lucas’s quotes following his historic accomplishment, this one said it best:

“It’s a moment that’s hard to grasp, even though it’s crystal clear that you are officially the Olympic champion. Even though I had such faith and I knew that this was written for me, it is still so incredible to live that dream turned reality. I couldn’t quite grasp it.”

Faith.

  • That you were created for a purpose
  • That you can represent what it looks like to pursue that purpose
  • That following your faith can be inspirational to others

We won’t all be Olympians. Yet, we all have purpose…that can be pursued…that requires faith…that can inspire others.

A Good Reminder About Love

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Thanks to Publix bogos and Valentines, I’m enjoying quite a bit of chocolate.

Doves are fun because of what you see in this picture…the quote inside the wrapper.

This one struck a chord.

For many reasons, our love gets tangled. That entanglement seems to produce forgetfulness.

Forgetfulness creates missed opportunities. One I’m guilty of is believing that someone I love can turn, can adjust, can choose good after a long wrestling.

Thanks for the reminder today, Dove.

Forgive Them…They Don’t Know Who They Are

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On the way home from church a couple of hours ago, the radio DJ talked about the parenting challenges of getting kids ready in the morning, particularly families who go to church on Sunday.

She said it’s natural for the parent to get frustrated with their “uncooperative” child and ask, “Why are they giving me a hard time?” She suggested parents reframe both their minds and the situation by saying, “They aren’t giving me a hard time; they are having a hard time.”

Guess what? This isn’t only about parent child relationships. This seems to apply to a vast number of relationships.

The “giving me a hard time” framework easily leads to frustration, arguments, harsh and regretful words, anger, and potentially complete breakdown. Then comes the work, if chosen, of forgiveness.

When I consider society’s landscape, it’s in need of mounds of forgiveness. Ideally, parties in any conflict would reach this conclusion together and pursue it. From my experience, that’s not a realistic expectation. If I’m desiring forgiveness to start, I have to take the lead.

I’ve been in awe for years of Jesus’ words when he was dying, “Forgive them. They know not what they do.” In this line of thinking recently, I’ve found it useful to reframe that prayer to something like, “Forgive them. They don’t know who they are.”

Those words are not from an elitist, judging, or dismissing wrongdoing view. I believe many people who are hurting others are doing so while they are trying to answer their own questions. Often in blindness. Often in the comfort of what they know. Often in ways that seem right, based on an unchallenged view of themselves and their world.

Like the parent who has to find a way to church with a hurting child in tow, I have to find a way to be present with those who don’t know who they are. Why? I am one of them. I continue to realize how I didn’t know who I was in relationship to others, even in the last year. And many of them forgave me, often without me knowing it.

The power of forgiveness seems immeasurable. I’m working on giving it as much as I’ve received it. Especially to those having a hard time. They’re figuring out who they are.

Original Song Based on Word(s) of the Year

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I started choosing a word for the year several years ago. The week before Christmas I was meditating on a list of potential words for 2026. One morning while reading through Matthew 5, a word, actually two words, not yet on the list jumped off the page based on this verse:

Matthew 5:41 “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”

Two Miles.

Literally or figuratively.

Either way, that’s a challenge to accept. Any step of obedience is, right?

I decided to attempt a melody based on these two words. Not sure it’s exactly right, but here’s what came to me.

Four Lifegiving Messages Following Four Sadness Journeys

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One final takeaway from Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things was this: Sadness is a journey to be embraced and valued.

Rohr’s connecting sadness as the avenue the prophets took to move from anger to compassion painted this reality. Sad is not something to “not be.” Instead, sadness is a normal, valid, and, therefore, valuable emotional journey to be completed, to be processed. If the journey isn’t taken, a compassionate life may never be found.

Following Rohr’s teaching, here are four lifegiving outcomes from the sadness journeys of four Old Testament prophets:

Isaiah wrote this after a sadness journey over social injustice:

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31

Jeremiah shared this after his sadness journey over covenant breaking:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Habakkuk declared this after his sadness journey over suffering caused by evil:

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. – Habakkuk 3:19

Zephaniah promised this after a sadness journey over abandonment of God’s ways:

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

CHALLENGE: Think back to the completion of your sadness journey. What lifegiving message do you now have? Where could you share it? Who might be in need of it while they go through their sadness journey?

Photo by Ingo Doerrie on Unsplash

How Anger Can Lead to Compassion

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My biggest takeaway from Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things is an overall view of the Old Testament prophets that looks something like this:

Anger>Tears/Sadness>Compassion

Each prophet had a thing they were angry about, either themselves or on God’s behalf. Just that thought alone is oddly comforting. Anger is normal. No matter whose, mine or God’s. Being angry is part of being human. And for those who believe in being created in the image of God, that equates to it’s part of being God.

However, by the end of their writings, or at least woven in them, is a message of the loving nature of God. The prophet, speaking from their heart or God’s, shares the truth that their audience is loved. Somewhere along the way, anger has turned to compassion (more on that journey in the next post).

How? How does an angry person become compassionate?

One way the prophets do this is by letting truth step into the anger. Such as…

  • God’s heart is for all people, not just those that look or act like me (Jonah).
  • People’s actions don’t have to dictate my reactions to them or God (Jeremiah).
  • Disorder is normal. It’s in need of some holiness, which can start with me (Ezekiel).

Once the prophets embrace the truth of the situation from God’s viewpoint, they are moved to pursue the available redemption. They show compassion by…

  • Not withholding love from anyone (Jonah).
  • Forgiving and living peacefully with those who wrong them (Jeremiah).
  • Breathing life everywhere they go, even in places that appear lifeless (Ezekial).

Easy? No

Possible? Yes

If you’re stuck in anger, consider asking God for truth to enter your heart that could make way for redemption.

Photo by Trnava University on Unsplash

2 Temptations that Keep Us from the Dive of Love

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I’m listening to Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things.

In chapter five he discusses the writings of Jeremiah. One aspect Rohr pulls out is Jeremiah’s challenge to not be attached to the exterior works of religion and to choose the inner transformation found in a relationship with the one being worshipped. Be more in love with God instead of the rituals that supposedly bring you closer to him.

This particular statement stung me:

Church loyalty is commonly substituted for the love of God. Loyalty is actually a form of codependency giving a warped sense of control and safety while love is a dive into perfect freedom.

Loyalty – I have wrestled with this value most of my life. I’ve come to the realization that the temptation to be loyal to what or who I can see is a great tool of the enemy. So yes, it’s easy to understand how one could substitute it for the real thing.

Codependency – This is a good possibility of why we choose that substitution. This temptation to be in control and to pursue safety is the oldest tool of spiritual warfare. It’s not a reason to run from the church; it’s a worthy awareness to maintain church health.

Love of God – I’ve been challenged several times over the last five years by those speaking into my life that my dive into perfect freedom needs more attention. That’s why this quote resonated. That is how I avoid yielding to these two temptations.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

25 Books in 2025 Library

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For an eighth year I have followed a self-developed reading strategy with the objective to read broader. The goal: read books falling under diverse headings. This strategy is still working for me, probably the richest year yet.

For the curious, here is the library of 25 books including avenue of reading:

  • Attached to God by Krispin Mayfield (hoopla)…2nd read
  • Becoming Rooted by Randy Woodley (hoopla)
  • Beyond the Third Door by Maria Heckinger (hoopla)
  • Bone Songs by Andre Gregory (hoopla)
  • Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault (hoopla)
  • The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris (hoopla audio)
  • Courage Doesn’t Always Roar by Mary Anne Radmacher (hoopla)
  • Deliver Me by Dawn Van Beck (hard copy)…most recommended Christian life book on the list-several “I needed this book” responses
  • Dream Weaver by Jenny Jing Zhu (hard copy)
  • From Beneath the Ice by Todd Arkyn Crush (audible)…most compelling book on the list-leading to a new friendship
  • Fully Alive by Timothy Shriver (audible)…favorite read of the year
  • The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan (audible)…most practical book on the list–bought hard copies for coworkers
  • Hello Darkness, My Old Friend by Sanford Greenberg (hard copy)…most engaging book on the list
  • In the Shelter by Padraig O Tuama (hoopla audio)
  • Ladder to the Light by Steven Charleston (hoopla audio)
  • The Lord Is My Courage by K. J. Ramsey (hoopla)
  • A Loving Life by Paul E. Miller (hoopla)
  • Resurrecting Jesus by Adyashanti (hoopla audio)
  • Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart by Adyashanti and Cynthia Bourgeault (hoopla audio)
  • Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang (audible)
  • A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller (hoopla)
  • Single at Heart by Bella Depaulo (hoopla)…most thought-provoking book on the list
  • The Third Door by Alex Banayan (audible)
  • Unlimited by Jason Dunn (hoopla)
  • The Wisdom of Stability by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (hoopla)…the best big idea book on the list–a fresh take on the definition of and need for stability

NOTE: If you’re not familiar with hoopla, check it out: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

Hard, Shadowy Love

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(A final word from Paul E. Miller’s book A Loving Life)

Part three, “Learning To Think in Love,” contains the most challenging yet helpful direction, particularly chapter 19. In describing discovering God on the journey of love, Miller digs into two main thoughts: the shadowy presence of God in our lives and the need to embrace the hard things in life to live out love.

God’s presence in the book of Ruth mirrors his presence in our lives. It is subtle. He doesn’t leap out like he did with Moses and the plagues in Egypt. If God regularly showed himself like he did at the Red Sea or the resurrection, there would be no room for relationship…By staying in the shadows, at the edge of the story, God creates the need for faith and thus intimacy. The hiddenness of God builds our faith muscles.

A practical illustration of how we live this out is in conversations. Living in the shadows looks like staying small, deliberately on the edge so others can emerge and come alive facilitated by our humility.

Not easy. Particularly in conflict or when things aren’t going as planned or expected. Ruth and Naomi’s journey was filled with hard.

Ruth discovers God and his blessing as she obeys, as she submits to the life circumstances that God has given her. So instead of running from the really hard thing in your life, embrace it as a gift from God to draw you into his life.

May we discover God on our 2026 journey of love.

Photo by Semyon Borisov on Unsplash