Ben Wilson

Husband. Father. Pastor. Friend.

[Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump]

Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin – watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@LanceMcAlister @EnthusiAdams Hey Lance! Love the show! Have you connected before with Mark’s partner on the call, @TheEricRothman ? He’s a Cincinnati native and graduate of Amelia High School. It could be cool to have him on the show!

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@DrGladd YES!

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@DJJenkins Right there with you, brother!

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

I’m seriously concerned the Bengals are going to pick Shemar Stewart at 17. How worried should I be? @JoeGoodberry

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@griffingulledge 2 or 3

[Garrett Kell ن @pastorjgkell]

Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

One silver coin was a working man’s wage.

In modern terms, a worker getting $15/hr for an 8-hr day would make $120.

30 days’ wages = $3,600.

Sin tempts us to see Jesus as worth less than an old car.

Don’t fall into the same trap.

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@DrSampler @hoopersnook @CornerstoneRG1 Long time listener, first time caller…
*hilarious

[Cincinnati Bengals @Bengals]

GAME WORN @JoeyB CLEATS!!!
RT to win 👀

#ProBowlVote + Joe Burrow

[Cincinnati Bengals @Bengals]

Starting of STRONG with the NFL sack leader... RT for a chance to win some Trey signed gloves!!!

#ProBowlVote + Trey Hendrickson

[Rachel Joy Welcher @racheljwelcher]

Men and women who want to get behind the pulpit have always unnerved me because being a pastor involves so much more than preaching, being heard, and being an "influencer." As a pastor's daughter and now a pastor's wife, I can tell you: it's sitting by the bed of the dying, it's

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@ryantland *Revelations

[The Gospel Coalition @TGC]

In 2004, Chinese athlete Liu Xiang won Olympic glory for his nation as the gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles. After his victory, he was acknowledged as the first male Chinese-born track and field Olympic champion. From the standpoint of his nationality, that may be true. If you were to go to Weifang in Shandong, however, you’d find a monument to another son of China who won track and field gold 80 years earlier.

That monument marks the burial site of Eric Liddell. Liddell was the son of Scottish missionaries who competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics for the United Kingdom. But Liddell was born in Tianjin, China, and later died in a Japanese internment camp near Weifang during World War II. His picture is mounted there on a lamppost, and a large granite stone is inscribed with his achievements. In Duncan Hamilton’s excellent biography of Liddell, he calls it “a Communist homage to a Christian, a man China regards with pride as its first Olympic champion.”

𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻

There are a host of reasons to remember Liddell. As this summer marks the 100-year anniversary of the 1924 Paris Olympics, we look back on his triumphant victory there in the 400 meters.

That story begins in his rivalry with fellow British sprinter Harold Abrahams, the two entering the Olympics as favorites in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. However, Liddell dropped out of a heat for the 100 meters because it was run on Sunday (a race Abrahams later won). Liddell’s decision to skip those races for his religious convictions was immortalized in the movie Chariots of Fire.

I grew up loving that movie, the glimpse of a man who stood firmly on his faith and still emerged a champion. Liddell’s character famously says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. When I run, I feel his pleasure.” Many a young Christian has been inspired by the fact that, for Liddell, even athletics was a place of worship.

𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮

Perhaps an even greater reason to remember Liddell is his decision to lay aside his athletic career for a higher calling. After returning from Olympic triumph in Paris to overwhelming popular adulation, he shocked everyone by announcing his intention to return to China as a missionary.

In an age when sports was becoming ever more popular in Britain, many argued he could reach more people at home than abroad. Indeed, the Sunday after he returned from Paris to preach in a Scottish church, the pews were filled with people. Liddell preached on Psalm 119:18: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (KJV).

It was plausible that staying in Britain and continuing his athletic career might fit hand-in-glove with Liddell’s desire to preach the gospel. When asked why he’d give up such an opportunity, he’d simply reply, “Because I believe God made me for China.” The next summer, he traveled the Trans-Siberian railway overland from Europe through Russia and down to China. He would serve there for 20 years as a missionary.

𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯-𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤. . . . 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘖𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦—𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴.

Liddell was able to minister for many months until finally he was rounded up with more than 2,000 others and taken to an internment camp in Weixian (the modern city of Weifang). Even there, his ministry flourished. Despite appalling conditions and death all around him, he poured himself into ministry with the young people of the camp. Langdon Gilkey writes,

The man who more than anyone brought about the solution of the teen-age problem was Eric. . . . It is rare indeed when a person has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he came as close to it as anyone I have ever known. Often in an evening of that last year I would pass the game room and peer in to see what the missionaries had cooking for the teenagers. As often as not Eric would be bent over a chessboard or a model boat, or directing some sort of square dance—absorbed, warm and interested, pouring all of himself into this effort to capture the minds and imaginations of those penned up youths.

This is a snapshot of a missionary faithfully at work. At this point, Liddell was already physically suffering from the brain tumor that would eventually take his life. But he was still engaged in ministry to others—leading Bible studies, counseling others, doing physical labor to meet practical needs. Thus he continued until February 21, 1945, when he died.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗲

The apostle Paul wrote about the end of his own life as the finishing of a race: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). In doing so, he exhorted Timothy—and all of us—to give everything we have until the finish line. The Christian life is a race not just to be started but to be run with perseverance all the way to the end. The way we finish speaks the most loudly of the object of our faith.

When you watch the Olympics this summer in Paris, think back not just on the Olympic glory Liddell won there 100 years earlier. Think about his love for China that led him to leave athletics behind for his calling there. Most of all, think about his love for Christ that carried him all the way to the end of his race.

("𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬𝟬" by Mark Collins. Only have time for the best-of-the-best from TGC? This weekly email includes an editor’s pick for the one newly published resource you shouldn’t miss, as well as a list of the six most popular pieces of content from the week. Sign up to stay in the loop at https://t.co/TH71JEFY0Q!)

[Tom Gelehrter @Tommy_G]

Last night was bonkers. On the pitch, in the stands and in the booth.

Don’t fret, the booth cam was rolling.

How it looked and sounded on @fccincinnati radio last night. 🔊

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@DrSampler Isn’t this just the CBN under a different name? Same people from what I can tell…

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@JoeGoodberry Starting Lineups! Still have mine!

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@AdamSchefter

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@JakeLiscow In your opinion, is Moss a better fit in our offensive scheme than a younger (and probably cheaper) Clyde Edwards Helaire?

[Ben Wilson @RealBenWilson]

@ByJayMorrison Is Moss a better fit in our Offense than a younger (and probably cheaper) Clyde Edwards Helaire?