Over the weekend I was asked a number of times if I saw the opening ceremony or any of the events in the Olympics. Well, I have to confess that I hadn’t seen anything yet or read much either. Guess I’ve just been too busy. Honestly, I think I like the winter Olympics better anyway, especially the snow skiing and the ice hockey. In fact, I still remember when the US beat the Soviet Union in Lake Placid back in 1980. But a big discussion about these games is China’s track record on human rights; or lack there off. Most of the persecution going on there is directed toward Christ followers. To get a picture of that you can check out The Voice of the Martyrs and their coverage of a pastor who was recently sentenced to a two-year period in a “reeducation” labor camp for sharing the love of Christ. The Chinese government has made it clear that Christian athletes are not allowed to share their faith while there for the games. So much of the buzz discussion over the summer was whether or not Christ followers should abide by that rule, not go, or just speak their minds. It seems to me that President Bush stepped in the right direction by going to the games and then talking about rights. Not going to the games just says what we’re against. Bowing to the order is to deny Christ. But by calmly and lovingly giving Christ the glory we give a better presentation of our calling as Christ followers. The biblical principle leans more toward just being salt and light wherever we’re at whether in an American church building, or on a Communist field of play. On one hand, Christians are not to be jerks and cause problems for publicity. But on the other, at the very least we are to be open and simply talk about what is important in our lives. So if a Christ following athlete (not me on the athlete part) get’s the gold, I hope they shine the light on God who gave them their ability. On our end, wherever we’re at in the world, we can give out the salt and light that Jesus has to offer.
Oh yeh, GO TEAM USA! 
