Read Time: 4 min 25 sec | Reading Level: 7th Grade

SPORTS

The Big Game(s)

Grab your flags and your foam fingers—it’s a big weekend for sports fans. 

Tomorrow, the 2026 Winter Olympics begin in Italy. Hundreds of athletes will compete for more than 110 gold medals across 16 sports, including fan favorites like figure skating, alpine skiing, ice hockey, and snowboarding. The Milan Cortina Games will take place across northern Italy over two and a half weeks.

The Stars and Stripes are hoping for more medals after finishing fifth in Beijing’s overall medal count in 2022. A strong women’s figure-skating trio and the return of NHL hockey players may give Team USA the boost it needs. See more storylines to watch here.

Stateside on Sunday, nearly 100 million Americans are expected to tune into Super Bowl LX (that’s 60). The Seattle Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots at 6:30 ET in Santa Clara, CA. The big game is expected to be tight—both teams rank near the top of the NFL in scoring on offense and defense.

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny will take the field at halftime, but he’ll have competition. Turning Point USA, the organization founded by late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is hosting an “All-American Halftime Show.” Kid Rock is headlining, promising “great songs for folks who love America.”

Humor and celebrities are expected to dominate commercials, which cost as much as $10M for a 30-second slot. Preview some ads here (we recommend the mayonnaise). 

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Sports are a beautiful picture of the Christian life. Elite athletes practice with focus and discipline, orienting their entire lives around their sport. For Christians who run with endurance on Jesus’s narrow way, there’s a golden prize on the other side of the long, grueling, sometimes mundane discipline. 

“Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.” 
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (CSB) (read full passage).

What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
Our kids will see and hear things at the Olympics and the Super Bowl that don’t line up with godly values… and it shouldn’t surprise us that the world is worldly (1 Corinthians 5:9-10). Values like modesty, humility, and self-control are distinctly countercultural. 

Instead of becoming frustrated when your kids are confronted with the ways of the world, use these moments as opportunities to disciple them. Share how a life with Jesus is different and why it’s so much better. 

Contrasting life in the Spirit with life in the flesh not only teaches our kids how to relate with God; it teaches them how to relate with people who don’t know Him. When we look behind the worldliness and see broken, hurting people rather than enemies to confront, we’re positioned to love our neighbors.

What gospel lesson can be taught through this story?
Athletes experience disappointment and failure more often than victory.

For every Olympian who gets the gold, there are dozens who trained their hardest and didn’t make the podium. For every football player who gets a Super Bowl ring, there is another who came this close and missed it (plus thousands more who couldn’t make the big game).

Believers in Jesus find purpose and meaning beyond what we’re able to achieve. Our identity is not wrapped up in what we do; it’s found in seeking and knowing Jesus: “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more… But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:4-8, ESV).

• Read this story about the end of a Christian athlete’s Olympic dreams to your kids, then discuss: What did you think of her story? Is there anything you’re disappointed about? What could you learn from Vera about responding to disappointment?
   

• Memorize Philippians 3:7-8, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (ESV).
   

• Pray that God would help you share the gospel with your kids when you’re confronted with worldliness, that He would grow your love for hurting nonbelievers, and that He would give you endurance and faith to respond to failure.

CREAM AND SUGAR

Gen Z Word of the Week: Olympic curling is my Roman Empire.

Family Fun: Cook together! Sports are nothing without good snacks. Here’s some menu inspo.

Whipped Cream on Top: Watch this bubble freeze...

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