Epiphany 08/01/06
Kelly Homes – modern heroine.
Desert Island Discs a brilliant and simple idea where people play their favourite music and talk about their lives:
Kelly Holmes won two gold medals at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 running the 800 and 1500 metres. She achieved her lifetimes ambition.
She was inspired by watching Sebastian Coe in 1984 and discovered early on that she had natural talent. She also had great determination to succeed.
She overcame many obstacles with great courage. Despite all her advantages, she bowed out of the 1996 Olympics due to injury. She won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics enduring acute pain due to a sporting injury.
Several times she appeared close to the end of her career due to recurrent health problems, suffered from severe depression even to the point of self harm but overcame all this to achieve her dream in Athens.
“I could have given up. I had depression, everything. But I felt in my heart one day it might happen,” Holmes said.
“All the ups and downs I’ve had, I think they’ve made me the athlete I am,” Holmes said.
“It made me stronger. I’ve had every single emotion an athlete can have.
“This is my life, what I’ve dreamt of forever. No one can ever take it away. I will always be Olympic champion.”
She was awarded an MBE in 1998 and became a Dame in the 2005 honours list. She is a true heroine. Her goal now is to inspire young people to take up the sport and work to foster the Olympic spirit in time for 2012 when London will host the Olympic Games.
It must have been coincidence that this programme was broadcast on January 6th Epiphany.
The Three Travellers
Think of the single mindedness of the wise men who followed the star unwaveringly through all difficulties.
No route planner from Google, no service stations for camel food, no motels for overnight stops.
Think of the way they achieved their goal and how their lives were never the same again.
Here we are at the start of 2006
What goals, hopes and ambitions do we have for 2006? What do you want to achieve?
Starting something new? We have four members of the congregation going to an event to think about their future ministry.
We have at least two adults being confirmed and five children being baptised in February. That’s looking at life in a new way.
We are discussing reviving our magazine ‘Look at Life’ in a new look and feel. That is part of our mission here.
We have the home groups meeting to think how to go forward this year, meeting centrally or in more dispersed groups. Who is going?
We are awaiting a report from Richard Impey who met with us to consider parish development. What are your ideas?
Some of us may have decisions to make about career paths changes, new ventures.
Perhaps life is a familiar street full of well trodden routines. Ask to look at it in a new way.
Gift of a Little book of Theresa a faithful disciple:
“Instead of wasting time, picking up little bits of straw, we can dig or diamonds.”
Isn’t that what Kelly Holmes did?
Isn’t that what Paul meant when he wrote:
“Forgetting what is behind, and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3.13
“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we and imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly….” I Cor 9 24.
Let us pray that our eyes will be opened to see afresh the glory of God, the light of His truth, and the presence of Christ here at the start of the new year.
Amen
