Olympic Woes

I don't usually do a post like this, but I need to have a word with NBC and their Olympic coverage. So if you're from NBC please read this; if you know someone at NBC, please pass it on to them.

I love the Olympics. Our whole family does. The children got to stay up late to watch the opening ceremonies. Most nights of the last two weeks we've watched at least a little of it.

Admittedly, the Olympic coverage hasn't garnered our full attention. There have been plenty of exciting moments and interesting behind-the-scenes stories. We did see some exhilarating new sports with the slopestyle events in skiing and snowboarding. But frankly we got a little tired of seeing mainly skating and skiing night after night.

And I know that the Winter Olympics don't have the wide variety of sports that the Summer Olympics have, but the prime time network coverage has dropped the ball on showing us the full experience. I haven't seen any curling. And maybe it's not as action packed as snowbaord competitions, but is 15 minutes to much to ask from a network that will willingly show golf and bowling tournaments?

We didn't see any hockey at all. There was an amazing Russia vs. USA game that was referred to as "Miracle on Ice II." We only heard briefly about it. Again, I understand if we don't get to see a full three periods of the game, but give us something, please.

Even if it's a sport that the USA isn't excelling in, please give the country a chance to experience that sport--even briefly. Exposure is a good thing. Despite the lack of network exposure, curling is becoming more popular here in the Twin Cities (I've played before--it's tougher than it looks, and it's a good time with friends and strangers). With a little more exposure those kind of sports gain interest. And that's part of what the Olympics are about: exposing the world to new things, whether it be a sporting event, cultural awareness, stories of human triumphs, or just new places and people.

So I hope someone from NBC Sports reads this. I enjoy watching skating and skiing, but not every minute of the coverage. Show us some hockey. Show us some curling. Don't keep sports like the biathalon out of prime time. Expose us to athletes from some of those nations we hardly hear about. Keep teaching us, keep inspiring us, keep entertaining us.

Winter Olympics

Our family has been watching TV like crazy the last few days (though I think we're probably still below the national average of hours of television viewing). We've had trouble because we don't usually watch it and something is apparently on an energy-saving timer so it turns off after a while. The Winter Olympics are to blame. It's honestly been the first time we've watched television in a long time. 

I've said it before, but I don't watch a lot of sports on television. I generally just don't take the time to do so. But the Olympics is my exception.  Our children are both old enough to enjoy it this year. We didn't get out our world map like we have in the past, but they've both done work on the flags of the nations in school so they have an idea of where the countries are. 

The games started on Thursday this year. We had a family from school over for supper and to watch the games (their washing machine was broken so I had offered the use of ours--I had made some lasagna to cook the night before and I knew the games were starting, so it all fell into place nicely). 

We let the boys stay up late on Friday night to see the torch being lit. They enjoyed the parade of nations and seeing all the countries and their outfits.

The winter sports are something we enjoy in Minnesota. We have to. We have almost half the year with below freezing temperatures (okay, maybe not that long, but close!). You have to enjoy outdoor winter sports to survive winter here. At least our family does--it's too depressing to stay indoors all winter.

So we sled (though we've only gone once this winter). The boys have been enjoying ice skating and hitting around a hockey puck, especially Nils. We've done a little cross country skiing (thanks to a very affordable family pass at a nature center in the Twin Cities). We even (kind of) tried curling at the Art Shanty Projects last weekend.

No matter what debates there are around the Olympics and it's politics, I appreciate that the nations of the world come together to compete and have fun. The conflicts of the world seem to fade away for a few days. We learn about places in the world most of us know little about. We hear the stories of overcoming challenges and triumphs. We can cheer on the athletes no matter where they're from or what politics, religion, or ideology they stand for; we cheer them on because they're good and this is their chance to do their nation proud. 

Ice, snow, and bitter cold is no reason for lack of exercise (but poor clothing is). I recognize the irony that we're spending more time in front of the television because of the Olympics, but they're also encouraging my sons to spend more time skating and skiing and playing outside. That's a good thing in my book.

Olympics!

We were camping in Illinois last week on our way to the family reunion, so we missed the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games. I didn't get to watch any events until late Thursday night after we returned home, so the last few days the television has seen more on time that it has all summer.

As most of you know, I don't put a lot of time into watching televised sports. The Olympics is the one exception. I watch as much of the Olympics as I can.

I love the events--especially some of the ones we don't get to see very often. It's fun to see something like water polo, kayaking, or archery, rather than the usual professional sports.

The sportsmanship in the Olympics is laudable. While everyone is cheering for their home country, they still cheer whole-heartedly for the other competitors. One of my boys commented on how they were surprised to see the athletes who "lost" congratulate the winners. And the medal placers congratulate the "losers." There is seldom any jeering. Spectators as well as competitors encourage and support everyone alike. Especially the underdog.

And possibly one of the most compelling parts of the Olympics is the stories we get to hear behind the athletes (and thank you, Visa, for getting Morgan Freeman to narrate your inspirational commercials which briefly highlight some of those stories).

Who will forget this year seeing a double-amputee from South Africa run a race--and do so well? Or a legally blind archer from Korea helping his team receive a medal? Or a former refugee who used to run for his life, now running for the enjoyment of the sport.

Prince and princess are on the same playing field as the commoner. Every participating country had a female competitor for the first time ever. And while the smaller, less developed nations usually don't have the financial backing for training their athletes, often an athlete from an underdog country ends up in a medal-winning heat here and there.

I know there is plenty of controversy behind parts of the Olympics, but there is much I can appreciate. So, thank you world, for coming together for a couple weeks, putting aside our political differences and cheering each other on. We need more moments like this to celebrate and encourage one another.

Of Prophets and Their Awkward Lives

At church this last Sunday our text was from Ezekiel, when God takes him to a valley filled with dry bones and has Ezekiel tell the bones to come together, putting flesh on them and finally to come to life. It's a somewhat familiar text, but that's probably all most of us know about Ezekiel.

For the most part, we don't know much about most of the prophets outside of Jonah and Daniel. We're familiar with parts of Isaiah and Jeremiah, but if we're reading the Bible the prophets (minor and major) tend to get skipped over. Prophets are tough to read, that's granted. To understand them, we have to understand the historical situation they were speaking to (contrary to popular belief, prophets generally spoke to their contemporary situation, not to future events).

The prophets are also hard to read because we find that God sometimes asks people to do crazy things. Things like marrying an unfaithful prostitute as an object lesson for the nation. Or walking around naked for three years. Or lying on your side in the middle of the city for over a year. I mean, if this is what following God could lead to, don't sign me up!

Yet, if you want to hear the voice of God, listen to the prophets. Most of the time they are speaking the words God has told them to speak. And some of the time it is tough words--usually of impending doom. But only if the people (or nation) don't change their ways. Only if they continue ignoring God. Only if they keep living in sin.

But they also often end with hope. With a promise that God will forgive them. That even after exile, God will bring them back home. That God will work through their consequences to make His love known. That God will bring hope into hopelessness.

And for us, the words of the prophets remind us to not turn from God. Not because bad things will happen to us, but because life is so much fuller when we're living in obedience and in the center of His love. And the words are also reminders for us to speak hope into hopelessness, life into death.

O Canada - The Olympic Scene

We're watching the parade of nations during the Winter Olympic opening ceremonies.. We thought we'd still be living in BC during these games. But things changed, and we're not there right now. Which, we're glad we don't have to deal with the added traffic and the craziness of the border crossing. We were excited to see a more "cosmopolitan" viewing of the games (the US tends to only show competitions which they are good in).

It's fun to see sights from our old backyard again. And it's hard to see the sights we hoped to see, but didn't get a chance to do so. We never drove on the Sea to Sky highway to the Whistler area or got out to Victoria Island. We never really spent much time in Vancouver itself.

Yet Canada was a part of us for a year. We enjoyed it (while, of course, there were parts we didn't enjoy). We sing along with the anthem. We know that it's called "bobsleigh" instead of "bobsled." I've been curling.

Maybe that's why I enjoy the Olympics so much (especially as a person who seldom watches televised sports)--because it brings the entire world to our door. We learn about the history, culture and traditions of people from other countries.

It's tragic that the games have to begin on a tragic note with the death of the Georgian luger (and I'm a bit alarmed at how often the video was played). There is much tragedy in our world, of course. Yet, the world comes together and puts aside their differences to play. Yes, competition is involved, but it's for the sake of pride, not of conquering.

I don't necessarily care about who wins how many gold medals (though I like to see a country win their first medal ever). For the next couple weeks, I'll be watching with the rest of the world as Canada hosts the Olympics and we all come together, cheering on the best in us all.