obsessed

i have an obsessive personality.

for proof, just ask anyone who has had a conversation with me in the last two months and i guarantee the words "women's soccer" and "olympics" have come up multiple times. when i said i'd have olympic induced insomnia, i wasn't joking. i had myself on a stricter regimen for viewing the olympics than i had when i was in preseason training for Carolina. obsessed.

[i apologize in retrospect for the volume of tweets and facebook updates related to the olympics. athletic greatness and history being made was just too hard to resist.]

or ask my roommate. i made cheese quesadillas for dinner one night. and then i proceeded to make them for dinner 5 times a week for at least a month. obsessed.

or let's go back a little further to the fact that the high schoolers who worked at andy's frozen custard in branson, mo knew my order and also knew me as "the girl who works for kanakuk." if i was going to eat andy's every day, i was going to get my kamp employee discount. maybe every day was a bit much, so i eventually toned it down to 2-3 times a week. obsessed.

or how about the fact that i finished Hope Solo's book in less than 48 hours this weekend. i did nothing but read (and eat occasionally). obsessed.

all that being said, my challenge is to at minimum be as obsessed with the Word of God as i am with these other things. they will pass. only the Word of God will stand. shouldn't that be my obsession? a deeper, richer relationship with my God above all else? as steven curtis chapman would say, may He be my "magnificent obsession."

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

love what you do

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Those are the faces of a few someones who love what they do.

There’s something special about watching someone do what they love to do. Maybe even what they were born to do. But it’s even more special when history is being made in the process.

I’ve admitted several times during the Olympics that I’m more hyped about watching women’s soccer than I am about watching beach or indoor volleyball. That says something, especially when you consider that Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings are in final pursuit of some gold medal history of their own.

I know that I have a mildly obsessive personality and that's certainly the case with the Olympics. Although admittedly, I’m more than mildly obsessed with our US Women’s National Soccer Team. I’m a freak about them. I faithfully stalk the US Soccer website for new videos, articles, blogs, etc. And then I scour the web for more. It’s easy to get sucked in because it’s obvious that our US women love the game and love each other. A lot. That and they want another gold. Real bad.

But more than anything, I’ve fallen in love with the players and want to see them succeed every time they step onto the pitch.

[You like that? I’m even using soccer lingo now.]

There are some great players who love Jesus a lot and are loud and proud about it. And there are some great players who need Jesus a lot. And I can’t help but think that the Lord is doing something awesome on this team every single day. That excites me even more.

And let’s not forget how fabulous it is to have the world’s eyes on a women’s team. They’ve captured hearts and fans across the world. Well done.

On a side note: I don’t think I’ve ever been so confident in a team where I have no influence. I mean, even when they went down 2-0 against France within the first 15 minutes of the Olympic opener, I had no doubt they’d come back in style. And they did. 4-2 to be exact.

[There was a lot of fist pumping during that one. I fist pump every time they score. Don’t mock me.]

It’s weird how confident I am that they will maintain control and dominate each time they play. Maybe it’s because they’re just that good.

Gold or bust.

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

gabby douglas: a win-win situation

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I think it's safe to say that most of America (and possibly the world) is captivated by a little 4'11" ray of joy otherwise known as Gabby Douglas. Or more affectionately known as the "flying squirrel." Not only does the girl have one of the most contagious smiles I've ever seen, but she loves Jesus loud and proud. Mad props to her.

After winning the team gold and then the individual all-around gold, the girl is literally on top of the world. Moments like these are when I brace for awesomeness, hoping that the athlete loves Jesus and will broadcast it loud and clear. And not in a cursory, flippant way. In a heart-felt, I-wouldn't-be-here-without-Him kind of way.

Gabby did just that.

"Being the Olympic Champion is definitely an amazing feeling. I give all the glory to God, and it’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me.”

“It means so much. All the hard work and dedication, and effort put in the gym...and hard days. Hard days are the best because that’s where champions are made. So if you push through the hard days, you can do anything.” 

Well said, Gabby. Well said.

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live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

raising an olympian

if you haven't spotted them already, there are some fabulous videos out there by P&G called Raising an Olympian...all about the impact moms have in the lives of their kids. i'm putting a few of my faves below so you can enjoy them and get the Olympic spirit flowing through your veins too. enjoy!

Lolo Jones

Jordyn Wieber

Kortney Clemons

Kerri Walsh-Jennings


Ryan Lochte

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

olympic induced insomnia

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i have a feeling i won't be sleeping much between now and august 12th. as much as i love watching sports on tv, i make an absolute fool of myself with how much i stalk the olympics. i'm a sucker for a good personal story behind an athlete and will promptly become anyone's #1 fan if i see a documentary on them. or a team for that matter. i mean, i don't even like soccer that much (if you ask me, it's too much running and work for 1 or 2 goals when it's all said and done), but i'm more than a little obsessed with our women's soccer team. and our gymnastics team. and lolo. and misty & kerri...yep, i can't think of many things that could top the two weeks that consume my entire existence every four years.

if we're being honest, the olympics are partially responsible for willing me through preseason my freshman year of college. it makes it hard to complain about the pain, soreness, and exhaustion in your own life when you're watching history and sheer greatness play out before your eyes every day. athens 2004 was better than any icy hot or pool recovery workout.

that being said, if you haven't done your homework on a few members of Team USA who are not only the best in their sport, but also love Jesus a whole lot, let me enlighten you. i love [read: obsess over] watching Jesus peeps do their thing on the biggest athletic stage in order to create opportunities to bring Him glory.

so by all means, if you know of some other solid Jesus peeps i should stalk, let me know and i'll promptly add their event to my london 2012 master list. yeah, i'm not joking. i actually have a master spreadsheet with event times listed. like i said, i obsess.

so, in no particular order, here are some of Team USA's Jesus peeps who are boldly speaking His name every chance they get. [take a minute and read the articles. they may be a little long, but they're worth it. i promise.]

[Lolo Jones] : @lolojones

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/lolo-jones-virgin-olympics-training-video_n_1539056.html

[Lauren Cheney] : @laurencheney8

http://www.sharingthevictory.com/vsItemDisplay.lsp?method=display&objectid=3CB2609C-C296-6C1A-72C1148468328492

[Tobin Heath] : @TobinHeath

http://blog.beliefnet.com/inspiringathletes/2011/12/a-conversation-with-u-s-womens-world-cup-soccer-team-member-tobin-heath.html

U-S-A!! U-S-A!!

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.