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Christian US Gymnastics Team Wins Gold, but Chooses To “Give All the Glory to God”

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“The Final Five” as they’ve nicknamed themselves, have done it! They edged out Russia and China by a few tenths of a point, leading the team to a tremendous Olympic victory. But with athletic success of such heights comes immense pressure. The athletes have talked about how God has remained central to their competing, reports CBN.

“I take my Bible with me, sometimes two of them, when I travel…I always pray at every competition, when the judge’s hand goes up I am praying, and there are little Scriptures I like to quote,” said star gymnast Gabby Douglas in her memoir “Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith.” Another of the team, Simone Biles, talks openly about her Christian faith on twitter.

“God put you there. Be confident. Be humble,” she tweeted. As well as “If you’re praying about it, God is working on it.” Another of the team, Laurie Hernandez, uploaded this image to Instagram earlier this year.

Hernandez says that prayer often quells the pressure she feels before a performance. “Usually, before I salute the judge I’m able to just grab the event and I pray on it and that really grounds me. For some reason, once I do that, I am able to think clearly and I’m able to calm down right before I compete,” she said. (Read more from “Christian US Gymnastics Team Wins Gold, but Chooses To “Give All the Glory to God” HERE)

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Little Girl Abandoned by Father and Drug-Addict Mother Is Adopted by Christian Texas Family, Becomes Best Athlete in the World

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“The best ever.” “The perfect 10.” “The best gymnast in history.” “Unbeatable.” “Stunning.” “Breathtaking.” “A Legend in the making.”

These are some of the ways Simone Biles has been described by her competition, even before her Olympic debut. Biles, a 19-year-old gymnast for Team USA, is already the most decorated gold medalist in gymnastics world championship history. In Rio, she is on the fast track to becoming the best in the world, again, being an odds-on favorite to bring home as many as five gold medals . . .

[Simone] Biles and her siblings were born into a fatherless, drug-abusing home and eventually were placed in foster care. According to Texas Monthly:

Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1997 to drug-addicted parents who struggled to care for their children. Biles and her three siblings were shuffled back and forth between their mother’s house and a foster home. (Biles’s father had abandoned her mother and was never present in his daughter’s life.) . . .

Her upbringing was chaotic. Biles bounced back and forth between state and foster care until she was six years old. In 2001, her grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, officially adopted Simone and her sister and moved them to Spring, Texas. (Read more from “Little Girl Abandoned by Father and Drug-Addict Mother Is Adopted by Christian Texas Family, Becomes Best Athlete in the World” HERE)

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Rio Olympics Ceremony Pushes Global Climate Change, Ignites Controversy

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The opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Friday featured a video focusing on the controversial issue of climate change.

Discussion over whether or not the Olympics were an appropriate forum for political topics like climate change or race relations has been ongoing for months, with former Olympic medalist Caitlin Jenner — who was a man known as Bruce Jenner when he won a gold medal in 1976 — telling HBO’s Bill Simmons “absolutely not” when asked that question on Wednesday.

The opening of the summer Olympics disregarded Jenner’s objections, including fireworks, musical acts, costumed performers and a climate change themed video narrated by Oscar winner Judi Dench, with maps and graphics showing climate data and demonstrating potentially harmful scenarios that climate change activists say could happen if action isn’t taken to prevent further damage to the planet.

With roughly 30 percent of the world’s rainforest and more than half the Amazon rainforests within the country, Brazil seems to be a logical place for a discussion on climate change to occur since if there are any negative effects, Brazil would be uniquely harmed by them.

The climate change portion of the opening ceremony spurred plenty of reaction on social media, with many showering praise upon the Olympics for tackling what they perceive to be such an important subject.

However, the controversial nature of the issue meant that a lot of people were not complimentary. Skeptics have said that the climate change issue has been exaggerated by alarmists and dispute the idea that it is a catastrophic problem.

Many of these people likewise took to social media to show their displeasure with the opening ceremony.

(For more from the author of “Rio Olympics Ceremony Ignites Controversy” please click HERE)

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US Olympians to Pay Insane Penalties for Winning

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Tomorrow, the 2016 Summer Olympics will begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Americans have participated in the summer Olympic games since 1896, and have won more summer gold medals than any other country.

How do you like them apples, world?

Americans should be proud that we athletically kick butt. This year, our nation will root for 554 Americans competing in 27 different sports. As we cheer in support of our athletes donning the red, white, and blue, the government has a different message: win – and you’ll pay.

That’s right, our government levies a tax on every Olympic medal won. Currently, the U.S. Olympic Committee (no, not part of the government) awards cash prizes to accompany medals won. A gold medal comes with $25,000, a silver $15,000, and $10,000 for bronze.

That may sound like a lot of dough. But, in the world of international competitiveness and sport, that’s reasonably low compared to some countries. In 2012, Russian and Italy paid substantial sums to their Olympic winners. Russia, for example, pays $135,000 per gold medal, $81,600 for silver and a bronze will fetch $54,400.

Yet, the cash awards won by Americans – and the value of the medals themselves (valued at $600 per gold, $315 per silver, and $3 per bronze) – are considered “earned income from abroad” from the IRS’s perspective. The amount of tax each athlete would have to pay depends on the amount of other income that athlete earns, in addition to the medal and cash prize.

Take America’s most decorated Olympian of all time, swimmer Michael Phelps. In 2014, he received lucrative endorsements from companies including Under Armour, Visa, Subway, and HP, just to name a few. It was expected that such endorsements brought him a yearly income in the millions.

Therefore, assuming that Phelps makes at least $400,000 each year, he likely pays the top marginal income tax rate, or 39.6 percent. So, one could reasonably assume that if Phelps wins more gold for the U.S., he’ll have to pay the government roughly $10,000 in taxes – per gold medal.

Some congratulations, right?

Sure, Phelps can afford $10,000 per gold medal. But Phelps is a bit of a phenomenon. Most Olympians aren’t necessarily rich, and many live off meager stipends or wages while they train. Others must take on part-time jobs. U.S. Olympian wrestler, Jared Frayer, worked, for example, as a teacher; Gwen Jorgensen, a U.S. tri-athlete, works as an accountant. The list goes on.

If anything, it’s the principle that should matter. I mean, really, upon the glorious return of those who represent America, should we really be so eager to slap them with a tax bill? It’s as Hillary Clinton said in 2009 in Pakistan, “We (the United States) tax everything that moves and doesn’t move …” Apparently, moving too fast in some aspects (swimming, track, biking, etc) gets you taxed even more!

I agree that the U.S. taxpayer should not subsidize our Olympic athletes – and the government doesn’t. In fact, the U.S. is only one of three countries that avoids offering financial help to Olympians; and as successful as we have been in those games, perhaps we’re all the better for it.

To be fair, the IRS doesn’t merely just pick on U.S. Olympians. They tax anyone who is awarded a monetary prize. As their website claims, prepare to pay a tax penalty if you’ve been awarded, “in a drawing, quiz show program, beauty contest, or other event.”

Surprisingly, these screwy tax laws have even convinced certain individuals to forfeit great achievements over the years. One Forbes article states:

Most people just pay the tax, but you could avoid taxes by declining an award. One famous example was George C. Scott, who declined a Best Actor Academy Award for Patton. You can even decline a Nobel Prize, and six Nobel laureates have done it.

Even Obama, the lover of taxes, avoided paying a chunk of taxes on his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize (eye roll) by donating it to charity.

In the end, I don’t believe in just giving Olympians better tax treatment. Instead, this is the perfect anecdote in how truly unpatriotic our tax code is for all Americans. Our tax code is littered with 2.4 million words that most of us don’t understand. It’s a tax code that demands 8.9 billion hours of our time to comply; and costs the economy $409 billion annually. So, when our Olympians win this year for America, just remember, we all lose to our government. (For more from the author of “US Olympians to Pay Insane Penalties for Winning” please click HERE)

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Cold War Echoes: Sochi Not Thawing US-Russian Relations

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Photo Credit: APThe Olympic Games, created to bring countries together around sports, appear to be having the opposite effect on U.S.-Russia relations.

Rising animosity between the former Cold War powers was on full display Friday when Russia chose a former figure skater who tweeted out a racially charged picture of President Obama for the symbolic lighting of the Olympic cauldron…

To be sure, there are hard feelings in Russia toward the U.S. and the Obama administration, too.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped hosting the first Games since the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the U.S. boycotted, would showcase a “new Russia” emerging from the ashes of the Soviet Union as he enters his 15th year in power.

Instead the U.S. and its western allies have consistently painted the picture of a corrupt autocracy.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska Sends Dozens to Evangelize Sochi Winter Olympics

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SOAR International Ministries, an Alaska-based organization dedicated to missions and outreach in Russia, has partnered with local Russian churches during the Sochi Winter Olympic Games to spread the Gospel to tourists and communities converging on the event.

The ministry sent 40 volunteers to Russia to establish a number of “fun zone” hospitality centers in local church buildings. They will also go out into parks and other public venues to invite others to partake in their activities.

“The team will assist the local church in introducing the community to Christ and who they are in Him,” said Greg Mangione of SOAR, according to Mission News Network. “They’ll do that through Gospel magic shows, somebody making balloon animals and face paintings, and just a variety of activities and entertainment. The primary goal is to reach out to the people. We pray it’ll be a beginning of a long-term relationship with the local churches.”

During the two weeks of the Games volunteers will divide their time between the coastal and mountain cluster areas of Sochi while each hospitality center will have the Olympic events projected on big screens along with evangelistic videos.

Read more from this story HERE.

American Sage Kotsenburg Wins First Gold Medal at Sochi Olympics in Slopestyle

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Photo Credit: APSage Kotsenburg of the United States won the first gold medal of the 2014 Olympics on Saturday, soaring to victory in the men’s snowboarding slopestyle final.

Kotsenburg had a score of 93.50 to edge Staale Sandbech of Norway. Mark McMorris of Canada, who barely made the finals, took bronze.

Canadian Max Parrot, who topped qualifying on Thursday, missed the podium. He washed out at the end of his first run and his second run wasn’t quite crisp enough. Parrot finished fifth.

Kotsenburg needed to navigate the semifinals early Saturday but seemed to find his stride. He placed second in the semifinals then rolled with a medal on the line. The 20-year-old clasped his hands over his head in disbelief after his score was revealed.

The laid-back kid from Couer d’Alene, Idaho — nicknamed “second-run Sage” because of his tendency to come through at the last minute — didn’t waste time putting together the run of his life. He tamed the treacherous course that chased away teammate Shaun White earlier in the week and sent several other contenders to the medical tent.

Read more from this story HERE.

Olympic Threat: US Warns Airlines About Toothpaste Tube Bomb

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Photo Credit: Wong Maye-E/AP PhotoThe Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to U.S. and some foreign airlines traveling to Russia for the Olympic Games to be on the lookout for toothpaste containers, which some intelligence indicates may actually hold ingredients that could be used to construct a bomb aboard a plane, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.

The official did not provide further details about the warning or the intelligence that prompted it, but an official with the Department of Homeland Security, while declining to discuss the specific warning, said the department “regularly shares relevant information with domestic and international partners, including those associated with international events such as the Sochi Olympics.”

“While we are not aware of a specific threat to the homeland at this time, this routine communication is an important part of our commitment to making sure we meet that priority,” the official said. “As always, our security apparatus includes a number of measures, both seen and unseen, and DHS will continue to adjust security measures to fit an ever evolving threat environment.”

A federal law enforcement source said the information is largely intended for foreign carriers and the generic threat is not directed at the U.S. homeland. The Russian government has been informed, the source said.

Still, Rep. Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Sub-Committee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, said he has been briefed on the threat and said it should be taken seriously by American travelers, the airlines and officials at the Olympic Games.

Read more from this story HERE.

Top Hill Lawmakers Concerned About Olympic Security, Amid New Terror Threats and Attacks

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Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

Top Capitol Hill lawmakers on Sunday expressed concerns about terror attacks at the upcoming Olympic games in Sochi, Russia, amid nearby terror attacks and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assurances that his country will “do whatever it takes” to protect athletes and visitors.

“The threats are real,” Texas GOP Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC’s “This Week.”

McCaul is among those who think an attack during the games next month will most likely occur outside of the Olympic city and that terrorists will go after “soft targets” such as roads and transportation systems.

McCaul, who is in Moscow this weekend, declined to directly answer the question of whether he would tell Americans they would be safe to travel to the games, saying only that he will “do everything I can” to make sure the games are safe for everybody, including the estimated 15,000 Americans who will attend.

His comments were preceded on the show by an interview with Putin, who said the job of the Olympic host is to provide security and “we will do whatever it takes.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Mitt Romney Says That if it Were His Choice, Russia Would Not Be Hosting the Olympics (+video)

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Former Gov. Mitt Romney said today “were it my choice,” Russia would never have been awarded next month’s Winter Olympics — let alone any future Summer Olympics — because of the political message it sends.

“But it’s not my choice. They are a player on the global stage. They have a right to make their bid. But, they do strain the view of people like myself as to their leadership and their characterization of the Olympic spirt,” Romney told FOX News Sunday host Chris Wallace.

Russia got the green light to host the games from the International Olympic Committee in 2007. Romney indicated his concerns are more the political message that was sent rather than the logistical success of the games, though he also questioned the cost.

Pointing out that the 2014 Winter Olympics’ $51 billion pricetag is more money than was spent on all previous winter games combined, and that Putin signed a law last summer empowering police to arrest anyone who shows tolerance toward gays, Wallace asked Romney, “At some point, does the country hosting the Olympics … does that country’s values undercut what the Olympics are supposed to be all about?”

Read more from this story HERE.