"Highlights of the Week"

I have watched the Olympics all week. What a amazing event. Here are the highlights of my week

* Watching Tomescu Dita from Romania (38 years old) win the women's marathon. There are several things I noticed.

1. She won the race in stages. Some people start too fast, She paced herself understanding that big things come in small stages. There came a point when she broke away from the pack. This is called a moment of separation. There comes a time when you have to kick it in gear and separate yourself from everybody else if you are going to win.

2. Winners have to many times run alone. For many miles there was nobody even close to her. There are times you have to be able to encourage yourself and be confidant that you can win.

3. She never looked back (not even once). When you look back, this gives the people behind you confidence that they can catch you. It gives your opponent confidence. By keeping your focus on where you are going, your confidence increases.

4. The moment she could see the desired goal (stadium), a second wind (amazing energy) kicked in and though she was tired and pain gripped her body, she was able to finish. It is the ability to see your desired goal, that enables you to persevere and finish.

5. The most amazing thing was when she entered the stadium and the fans in the stands began to go crazy. It made tingles go up my spine. One day you will run into the stadium of eternity and the witnesses in the stands will cheer your ability to finish.

6. Celebrate your successes before you go onto the next thing. She didn't stop running once she won, she savored the moment by running victory laps. When God does something great in your life, you need to take a moment to celebrate. Why? Because it is in the celebration of the completion of one goal that gives you the strength for the next thing.

* Dara Torres winning two silver's. She is 41 years old. You are never too late to be great!

* U.S.A Basketball crushing Spain. A few years ago they kicked our butts. This time we focused on getting the job done. Every setback in your life is a set up for a comeback. Come back with a vengeance!

* Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals. Two were won by a second or less. In a interview Michael stated that there was a piece of paper that him and his coach had before the Olympics began. It had listed on it, identically every goal that Phelps had. If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there. 75% of success is determining your desired end and writing it down. If you shoot for nothing you are guaranteed to hit it every time. It was a honor to be part of history of seeing arguably the world's greatest athletic accomplishment. The thing is he expected to do it. What are you expecting? What are you aiming at?

Haley's 11th birthday arrived. Man, they grow up so fast. It seemed like yesterday that she was born prematurely as a tiny baby in Ft. Myers Florida. I held her in the palm of my hand she was so small. The chords had wrapped around her so they had to bring her out early. She was in the hospital for two months before we could take her home. Tara had to stay in for almost three months. The hospital bill was almost a million dollars. The hospital staff called her a miracle baby. She has been such a blessing to our family. She is my precious little girl.

People tell me all the time how excellent our 5 girls our. I can only attribute it to the glory of God. They all make A honor roll and represent the Sloan name very well. Haley, you are my champion. You never cease to amaze me with your maturity, giftedness, leadership ability, smile that lights up a room, pure heart. God's hand is on you, and you are going to do some amazing things. I can't wait to cheer you on, go for it, the sky is the limit.

* How precious life is. I prayed for a 47 year old man that has one week to live (cancer). I could smell the aroma of death and disease in his body. Man, do we get our priorities out of whack and take life for granted. It caused me to realize how precious my time is, and that material things mean almost absolutely nothing. The debate I had in myself was to I release him in peace to God, or do I speak life into his body and believe for a miracle?

Blessings,
Craig

PS - I have to go watch the Olympics. Go U.S.A