With the 2008 Olympics winding down, I thought I would go with an OLYMPIC THEME for this week’s Quick Takes.

Did You Know?

• City officials fired 1,100 rain rockets Friday afternoon and evening to fend off any rain clouds before the Opening Ceremony. The rockets contained silver iodide to disperse rain and clouds before the event.
• Ever wonder how they get the camera to follow the Olympic divers so perfectly from the diving board to the pool? It’s easy – they just drop the camera. Basic physics at work; Isaac Newton would be proud. (I dropped my wife’s camera once. It didn’t work out so well.)

Rick Phillips affirms Shawn Johnson’s graciousness in her second place finish for the women’s all-around. “She’s only spent her whole life dreaming of winning that gold medal. Then she comes in second to her roommate, Nastia Liukin. During all of the interviews she conducted herself with cheerful dignity and grace. In particular, she clearly recognized that it was Liukin’s night to shine and did everything possible to make it a dream night for her friend. She didn’t talk about herself, she didn’t talk about her disappointment, but only how proud she was of her deserving friend … I don’t know if she is a Christian or not, but she certainly has conducted herself in the way that Christians should.”

And, speaking of gymnastics, here are a couple quick takes from previous Olympic years.

First Perfect 10 in History (Video length: 0:51)

Nadia Comaneci’s 1976 Compulsory on the Uneven Bars was the first perfect 10 awarded in Olympic gymnastics. You will notice the scoreboard reads 1.00 instead of 10.0. That’s because the scoreboards were not yet designed to display the number 10 (it had never happened before!).
 

Nadia Comeneci’s 1976 Uneven Bar Routine Perfect 10
(Video length: 0:40)

 

Nadia Comaneci’s 1976 All-Around Balance Beam Perfect 10
(Video length: 3:14)

 

And here is a neat performance from Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympics.
(Video length: 0:40)

I shared the following story about Olympic runner Derek Redmond in my sermon Sunday as an illustration of the Holy Spirit’s encouragement in the believer’s life. (“Encouraged by the Holy Spirit,” taken from Acts 9:31).

The Greek word for encouragement is “paraklesis.” It literally means “to be called to one’s side,” and so it is the picture of someone coming alongside you to give you help, comfort, encouragement and strength. Jesus used a related form of this word as a name for the Holy Spirit in John 14:16: “Parakletos,” which means “a helper, comforter, encourager or advocate.”

This story of Derek Redmond and his father is a beautiful illustration of someone coming alongside another to help and encourage.

(Video length: 3:21)

Derek Redmond was running in the 400-meter race in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He already held the British record in this event. In the previous Olympics he had been forced to withdraw 10 minutes before the race because of an Achilles tendon injury. Now four years later he was here, ready to compete, determined to win a medal in the 400. His father was in the stands watching.

During the semi-final heat, Redmond was only 175 meters away from the finish line, when his right hamstring suddenly popped and he fell to the ground. As all the other runners raced past him, Redmond knew that once again his Olympics dream had been snatched away from him. But Redmond was determined to finish the race, so he got back on his feet and started hobbling towards the finish line. He was in visible pain with each step, and it was unclear whether he could even make it.

Suddenly, his father gets out of his seat and jumps onto the track, running around the security guards, and comes alongside his son on the track. He puts his arm around his son’s waist and encourages him to keep going. And as 65,000 people in the stadium rise to their feet in applause, father and son make their way around the track to the finish line together. Redmond did not win his Olympic medal. But with the help of his father, he finished the race.

NBC has been very protective of any online video of the Olympics this year. As fast as people can post the videos on YouTube, NBC keeps pulling them down. But you can see the official video of the lighting of the torch at NBC’s site. You will have to give them your zip code and cable provider in order to view the video, but no other personal information is required. If you like fireworks, you will definitely enjoy this video. (Remember, the Chinese invented fireworks!)

After you view the video, come on back here and leave a comment! Here is the link (opens in new window): Video of 2008 Olympic Torch Lighting at Opening Ceremony in Beijing

Steven Curtis Chapman and his family share with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America how their faith has helped them cope with the tragedy of losing their 5-year old daughter, Maria Sue, last May.

(Video length: 9:46)

 

See related posts:

• Maria Sue Chapman Memorial Service
• Steven Curtis Chapman’s Daughter Killed

Why so serious? If your kids are too young to go see The Dark Knight, sit down and watch Little Batman with them instead. These are just too cute. Of course, you know your kids are going to want a little Batmobile of their own.

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF LITTLE BATMAN

This fan film is based on the 1966 Batman TV series where a very young Bruce Wayne takes on the famous, pint-sized villains of Gotham City. Directed, shot and edited by Joe Valenti of Valenti Vision Films and produced by Jordan Wachtell.

In Part 1, the Dynamic duo discover Gotham’s latest jailbreak!
(Video length: 9:48)

 

In Part 2, the Dynamic duo discover the criminals’ secret hideout!
(Video length: 7:16)

 

In Part 3, the Dynamic duo are about to be finished off!
(Video length: 8:46)

See related posts:

• Batman Gets Rid of a Bomb
• Batman The Dark Knight Lego and 1966 Trailers

Why so serious? Here is a classic scene from the 1966 Batman movie starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin.

“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”
(Video length: 2:33)

See related posts:

• Little Batman
• Batman The Dark Knight Lego and 1966 Trailers

E. B. White writes about living in the country. “Just to live in the country is a full-time job. You don’t have to do anything. The idle pursuit of making a living is pushed to one side, where it belongs, in favor of living itself, a task of such immediacy, variety, beauty, and excitement that one is powerless to resist its wild embrace.”

Jim Martin has been blogging about what he has learned at 30 years of marriage. “During those years of being a family and being a married person, I probably tended to think that marriage was primarily about personal happiness. In particular, I wanted to make sure my spouse was happy. It would be many years before I realized that God was using our marriage to shape us into a certain kind of people.”

Scott Nehring gives a great tip on discerning a movie’s message. “All movies give the audience a message. This message can be, ‘crime never pays, ‘war is hell’, [etc.] … The way a film delivers this message is by posing a question at its opening and answering it at its very end. Within the first 3-7 minutes you will find a question, a conflict, is established – will the boy get the girl, will the treasure be found, will the hero learn to love, etc. At the end of the film, the last 3-7 minutes, you will find that question is answered.”

Sinclair Ferguson believes that the church is God’s greatest evangelistic tool to reach the lost. “That is perhaps the single greatest need we have as a community of God’s people. That there might be something about the very atmosphere of our fellowship together in the unity of the bonds of the Holy Spirit that makes people ask the question ‘Where on earth, or in heaven, did that come from?’ And if they’re not compelled to ask that question about our church, it’s an almost certain sign that there’s very little that’s heavenly about our community.”

J. C. Ryle asks the all important question, Do you pray? “It is essential to your soul’s health to make praying a part of the business of every twenty-four hours in your life. Just as you allot time to eating, sleeping, and business, so also allot time to prayer. Choose your own hours and seasons. At the very least, speak with God in the morning, before you speak with the world: and speak with God at night, after you have done with the world. But settle it in your minds, that prayer is one of the great things of every day. Do not drive it into a corner. Do not give it the scraps and parings of your duty. Whatever else you make a business of, make a business of prayer.”

Got an itchy back? Grab the nearest tree. This so reminds me of Baloo the Bear from the movie The Jungle Book. (Video length: 1:44)
 

I have been a Batman fan for as long as I can remember, so I am really looking forward to The Dark Knight, the follow-up to the Batman Begins movie from 2005. The Dark Knight comes out in theaters July 18. Here is the two-minute trailer for the movie, masterfully re-created with Legos. (Video length: 2:09)

And here is the trailer re-created with clips from the 1966 Batman
movie starring Adam West. (Video length: 2:07)

HT: Neatorama and Looking Closer

See related posts:

• Little Batman
• Batman Gets Rid of a Bomb
• 15 Movies to See in 2008

I didn’t see much about this in the news. On this Independence Day, let us remember the sacrifice and service of those in our military who willingly risk their lives to defend our freedoms.

From Bob Krumm: Baghdad Reenlistment and How did you spend Independence Day?:

While most Americans probably slept, 1,215 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines raised their right hands and committed to a combined 5,500 years of additional service during the largest reenlistment ceremony in the history of the American military. Beneath a large American flag which dwarfed even the enormous chandelier that Saddam Hussein had built for the Al Faw Palace, members of all services, representing all 50 states took the oath administered by Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq.

Here are six video vignettes starring WALL·E the robot from the upcoming Pixar film, WALL·E.  WALL·E comes out in movie theaters on June 27.

                                            Magnet

 

                                          Headphones

 

Click below for four more WALL·E video vignettes (Hula Hoop, Bouncy Balls, Fire Hydrant, and Vacuum Cleaner).

(more…)

It’s a girl! This amazing video of a beluga whale giving birth comes from the Vancouver Aquarium.

(Video length: 1:09)

Qila the beluga gave birth to her first calf at 4:28 PM Tuesday, June 10, 2008. The newborn beluga is about 1.5 metres long and weighs more than 50 kilograms (at birth). The beluga will be wrinkled for the first few weeks. Its color is slate grey, which will gradually lighten as it matures. You can view Qila and her new calf live on the aquarium’s Beluga Web Cam.

Here are a couple C. S. Lewis clips I found on YouTube. The first clip is from Lewis’ March 21, 1944 radio address on BBC. This is the only surviving footage from Lewis’ 1941-1942 broadcast talks (which later appeared in book form as Mere Christianity). In this clip Lewis talks about prayer.

Lewis on BBC (Video length: 9:16)

This is just a portion of the surviving footage. You can listen to the
full audio clip at the BBC website.

The second clip is an excerpt from a lecture where Lewis talks about the novels of his friend and fellow member of The Inklings — Charles Williams.

Lewis talks about Charles Williams (Video length: 1:56)

HT: A Place for the God Hungry
Click here for Narnia related posts.