Olympic swimmer puts God first; Religious liberty leader calls on Olympic leadership to evaluate closing ceremonies; Group are vital in the local church
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His Instagram account proclaims “GOD FIRST!” and U.S. Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong tries to be faithful to that description whether he’s winning gold medals or not.
“That’s the first thing I want people to see and know about me,” Armstrong told Baptist Press. “As we grow, we have to make sure we have our priorities in line. I keep God as a priority. I can’t really live without him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”
Armstrong captured one gold medal in the Paris Olympics as part of the men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay team with Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano that held off Australia to win the title on Saturday.
While Armstrong is delighted to have the gold medal, he says he is honored to be representing the U.S.
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Religious liberty advocate Brent Leatherwood is asking the Olympics planning committee to take a look at the closing ceremony following a scene in the opening ceremony that many Christians found offensive.
A group of LGBT activists mimicked the scene from Leonardo DaVinci’s painting The Last Supper.
Dismay and disappointment rang out over the weekend.
Leatherwood is asking the Olympic leaders to invite faith leaders to look over plans for the closing ceremonies to ensure they honor all involved and watching around the globe.
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Whether your church calls them small groups, Sunday School classes or by some other name, church leader Thom Rainer says groups are vital to the life of the local church.
Rainer says it’s also important for church leaders to think about the purpose of the group. The aim of the group dictates the size and purpose of the group.
You can read an article from Rainer about how to get the most out of small groups in your church at our website Baptist Press.com.
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