Point of Life Quote...

Isaiah 60:1 (NLT)...

As we read these promises, we long for their fulfillment.  But we must patiently wait for God's timing.  He is in control of history, and He weaves together all our lives into His plan.  

Luke 12:40 (NLT)...

Footnotes from NIV Life Application Bible:

Christ's return at an unexpected time is not a trap, a trick by which God hopes to catch us off guard.  In fact, God is delaying His return so more people will have the opportunity to follow Him.  Before Christ's return, we have time to live out our beliefs and to reflect Jesus' love as we relate to others.

People who are ready for their Lord's return are 1) not hypocritical, but sincere (12:1), 2) not fearful, but ready to witness (12:4-9), 3) not worried, but trusting (12:25,26), 4) not greedy, but generous (12:34), 5) not lazy, but diligent (12:37).  May your life be more like Christ's so that when He comes, you will be ready to greet Him joyfully.    

Proverbs 31:30 (NLT)...

Matthew 16:24 (NLT)...

 

Footnotes from NIV Life Application Bible:

(16:24)When Jesus used this picture of his followers taking up their crosses to follow Him, the disciples knew what He meant.  Crucifixion was a common Roman method of execution, and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses thought the streets to the execution site.  Following Jesus, therefore, meant a true commitment, the risk of death, and no turning back.  

Matthew 10:39 (NIV) says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  

(10:39)This verse is a positive and negative statement of the same truth; clinging to this life may cause us to forfeit the best from Christ in this world and in the next.  The more we love this life's rewards (leisure, power, popularity, financial security), the more we will discover how empty they really are.  The best way to enjoy life, therefore, is to loosen our greedy grasp on earthly rewards so that we can be free to follow Christ.  In doing so, we will inherit eternal life and begin at once to experience the benefits of following Christ.  

2 Year Anniversary @ Athletic Lab Weightlifting Club...

This is Athletic Labs Motto!

2 years ago today Tim began his Elite Olympic Weightlifting journey @ Athletic Lab Weightlifting Club.  He hasn't looked back at the TKD sparring world that he left behind except to see how his old teammates are doing in their competitions.  Everything has been full steam ahead from day 1 of changing sports.  He's the happiest we've seen ever him and that warms mine and his dads heart to no end.  He has such an amazing relationship with his coach, Jarrod Nobbe, too.  It's the best coach relationship he's ever had.  

To this date since making the change to Olympic Weightlifting he's gotten 2 Youth Gold medals/1 Junior Gold medal/1 Open Gold Medal/1 Best Youth Male Athlete Plaque @ States (WSO Carolina's Championships),  2 Youth Gold medals @ Athletic Lab's local Meets, 1 Junior Gold Medal at Barbells-N-Sprinkles local Meet, 3 Youth Silver medals @ The Arnold/VWS1 meet.  His Meet PR's to date are 90kg/198# in Snatch and 117kg/257# in Clean & Jerk.  His has had a great two years in the sport so far and he's still loving it.  

Now we are working on time management (making sure he's getting enough recovery time) and diet (eating the right things - lots of protein - is key to his future in this sport) so that he can be at his optimum level going forward because he moves to Juniors January 1, 2026.  

It's so wonderful that he gets to eat now but eating the right things is what he needs to be doing (he's been making up for lost time when he couldn't be a kid eating what he wanted to eat...LOL!!). Being able to eat and make gains has been huge for Tim.  He's gained so much muscle mass in the two years he's been in this sport that he doesn't even look like the same kid that was doing TKD sparring.  That's mostly because he's not having to cut weight all the time now and be so skinny just to be able to compete with competitors that are closer to his size in height.  

What a huge difference two years makes when you make a switch that makes better sense for your kid and makes them happier than they've ever been😱😊😱😊.  Of course it was totally Tim's decision to move on when we did and he was very ready for the change.  

As parents (hindsight is 20/20), we see our failure in keeping him in a sport (TKD sparring) longer than he should have been.  It's a tall persons sport and Tim at 17 is only 5'4" and to be competitive in that particular sport he would have had to stay in the 51kg weight division for like forever (which in the long run he wouldn't have been able to do) and that just wasn't what was best for his health so cutting the sport loose and moving on was the right call.  I just wish we had done it way earlier.  He was ready for a change a long time prior to us actually doing it.    

Now though, we are all so happy that we made the switch to Olympic Weightlifting when we did because he's been 5'4" for two years now.  He's in the 65kg weight division in this sport and as he gains more muscle mass doing Olympic Weightlifting he will continue to move up weight divisions.  It's just how this sport works.  It's a wonderful sport and everyone is so supportive of one another + they genuinely want to see one another doing their best.  At the end of the day they all understand and get that as a collective group we want our best athletes representing America on the International stage because we want to bring home wins for our country.  I can't say enough about how great this sport is and seeing Tim this happy is just so freaking awesome!  He's right where he wants to be and that makes all the difference in the world.  

Commitment in sports can sometimes,

Take you where you don't want to go,

Keep you longer than you want to stay,

Cost you more than you want to pay! 

(Be sure that it's a sport that #1 - you love and #2 - that you have the capability/body type for rising to the level you want to be a success at.  Being the right fit for what you are wanting to do/accomplish matters.) 

HAPPY 2 YEARS TIM!!!

"New" Barbell...

Tim has a new barbell because the one we bought almost 2 years ago started rusting.  We contacted Rogue about the quality issue we were having and they were so quick with their response to send out a replacement that I didn't have a chance to ask them could we upgrade it.  I got in contact with them quickly and they called back what they had set up to send out and allowed us to pay the difference and upgrade the bar.  We just wanted to be certain that the issue we had with the old bar wouldn't happened with the new bar so we paid the higher price for an all stainless Steel bar.  Tim is loving it too.  Rogues customer service was, bar none, the best customer service that I have ever experienced!  They were amazingly Patient with me through the whole process and so incredibly helpful as well.  

Romans 5:8 (NLT)...

Footnote From NIV Life Application Bible:

While we were still sinners - these are amazing words.  God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but because he loved us.  Whenever you feel uncertain about god's love for you, remember that he loved you even before you turned to him.  if god loved you when you were a rebel, he can surely strengthen you, now that you love him in return.

Tim's Physical Results...

As more time goes by and the memories of what was fades into what is now I am more thankful than ever that Tim switched sports when he did.  it was the absolute best change for Tim.  The results from his physical this past Friday prove that.  just check out the comparisons from last year and this year below.  What you will see is that he's not gained in height but he's gained in mass because of how much muscle he's been gaining in weightlifting.  He would have never been able to fight and win and the level he needed to with the giants in the land.  his competitors would tower over him.  we are so so glad that Tim changed sports.  best change ever!!!

Stay Close...

This quote I'm about to share with you is one that we encourage our son to do all the time because it's what his dad and I already do.

When you make this your life practice you will have people close to you that really matter & they will forever be in your life.