After becoming a Christian my snowboarding was no longer something I had to do, it was something I was made to do and could actually have fun.  (Kelly Clark, Pro Snowboarder and Olympic Gold Medalist)

Lasting Riches

Precious gold is the ultimate objective for a large number of the world’s top athletes who are currently competing at the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver.

However, for one group of Olympians someone more precious than gold medals has taken hold of their lives and they are sharing their personal testimonies with fans throughout the world via BeyondTheUltimate.org.

BeyondTheUltimate.org features stories and videos of current and past Winter Olympic athletes, such as:

• Kelly Clark, Pro Snowboarder and Olympic Gold Medalist

• Chad Hedrick, Speed Skater and Olympic Gold Medalist

• Cindy Klassen, Speed Skater and Olympic Gold Medalist (Canada)

• Brock Kreitzburg, Former Olympic Bobsledder and World Cup Gold Medalist

• Jilleanne Rookard, Olympic Speed Skater

• Curt Tomasevicz, Olympic Bobsledder and World Cup Gold Medalist

Symbolizing the highest in personal accomplishment, these sports athletes talk about not just their passion for sport but also devoted interest from which they are able to gain strength for competition – and for life.

“From the outside perspective it looked as though I had too many things working against me. People expected failure. But I had one thing going for me: God,” said Olympic Sprint Skater Jilleanne Rookard. “I’ve learned that success is not defined by the outcome, but by the courage it takes to chase God-sized dreams.”

Athletes In Action

BeyondTheUltimate.org was originally developed together with Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, as a manifesto for Super Bowl coaches Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith and their players to share the important role that faith in Jesus Christ has played in their own lives. BeyondTheUltimate.org has since expanded to reach fans of a variety of sports.

“Even though you are on the wrong path at one point in your life, it’s always possible to get going in the right direction. Life without Jesus is tough….” (Chad Hedrick, Speed Skater and Olympic Medalist)

Ultimate Prize

So, when you are watching your favorite athletes compete on the slopes, rinks, and other venues around Vancouver, some of these people with extraordinary physical talents are your brothers and sisters in Christ, athletes who have found that pursuing the ultimate prize puts everything else into its proper perspective.

Source: BeyondtheUltimate.org

Popularity: 23% [?]

A public interest law firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan is representing four Christian leaders who filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., challenging the constitutionality of the recently-enacted federal Hate Crimes Act. Under the act anyone who preaches against behaviors involving sexual orientation or gender identity could be charged with a crime. Federal law now protects people who practice these behaviors, identifying them as a protected class of people.

Four Christians

The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Pastor Levon Yuille, Pastor Rene Ouellette, Pastor James Combs, and Gary Glenn, who is the president of the American Family Association of Michigan (AFA-Michigan). The suit was filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

TMLC President and Chief Counsel Richard Thompson remarked, “There is no legitimate law enforcement need for this federal law. Of the 1.38 million violent crimes reported in the U.S. by the FBI in 2008, only 243 were considered as motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation. Moreover, Eric Holder himself testified at a Senate hearing that the states are doing a fine job in this area.”

Political Payoffs

In his statement on behalf of the pastors, Thompson noted that Holder was offering “…political payoffs to homosexual advocacy groups for support of Barack Obama in the last presidential election.”

He went on to say that the purpose of the law is to criminalize the Bible and threaten prosecution in order to muzzle Christians. Thompson concluded by stressing that Christians hate sin, but love the sinner and that the greatest threats of violence to homosexuals comes from other homosexuals, not Christians.

Commerce Clause

According to the lawsuit, the federal hate crimes law provision violates the plaintiffs’ rights to freedom of speech, expressive association, and free exercise of religion as protected by the First Amendment, and it violates the equal protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment. The lawsuit also alleges that Congress lacked authority to enact the legislation under the Tenth Amendment and the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.

By filing suit, the Christian leaders are seeking judicial protection by way of declaratory and injunctive relief so that they can freely engage in their speech and associated religious activities without being investigated or prosecuted by the government or becoming part of official records because of their Christian beliefs.

TMLC Advocacy

The Thomas More Law Center describes its work as defending and promoting “America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.”

Popularity: 16% [?]

Franklin Graham, who heads up Samaritan’s Purse as well as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a pair of Christians organizations based in North Carolina, USA, is in North Korea this week to meet with high-level government officials and visit his ministries’ humanitarian assistance projects.

“I believe it is important to make visits like this to help improve better relations and to have better understanding with each other,” said Graham.  “I’m going as a minister of Jesus Christ with a message of peace and that God loves each one of us regardless of our borders or politics.”

Ruth Bell In Korea

The Graham family has a long history with the Korean people dating back to 1934 when a young Ruth Bell (Graham) attended mission school in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. Ruth was the wife of Billy and mother of Franklin who went home to be with the Lord in 2007.

In 1992 and again in 1994 Billy Graham met with Kim Il Sung who was the country’s leader at that time. In 2008,  Franklin Graham brought aid for the North Koreans and preached at a newly constructed Protestant church in Pyongyang.

Medical, Dental Assistance

Since 1997, Samaritan’s Purse has been active in North Korea, initially with medical and dental programs as well as providing relief worth $10 million. Next week, Mr. Graham will be making a presentation totaling $190,000 in equipment and supplies for a new dental center being built in Pyongyang.

He will also visit a provincial hospital in the countryside where a generator system installed by Samaritan’s Purse, in conjunction with USAID, is now providing electrical power where none previously existed. Mr. Graham hopes that additional opportunities to visit hospitals and dental centers where Samaritan’s Purse has provided aid will present themselves during his stay in North Korea.

Previous Assistance Rendered

Responding to destructive flooding in North Korea in 2007, Samaritan’s Purse hired a 747 cargo airliner to present $8.3 million in medicine and other emergency materials, for what proved to be the first direct flight from the United States to North Korean since the Korean War armistice in 1953.

Following his visit to North Korea, Mr. Graham will head to China to check up on Samaritan’s Purse supported initiatives there.

See Also — Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Popularity: 5% [?]