As the 2024 Olympics are underway in Paris, why isn't THIS incredible story about the 1924 Olympics in Paris blanketing the news coverage? At the last minute, I scheduled a guest from Paris, and of course there ended up being a Montana connection.

Have you heard of the "YouVersion" Bible app? Well, on Wednesday morning I knew we had an Olympic medalist from Montana joining us in studio, so for some reason a Bible study plan titled "A Life Laid Down: True Faith" caught my eye. Wow.

Derrick Rhayn is with a Christian missions organization called the Kingdom Impact Network. He was the source of the study that caught my eye. What a story. Instead of me just sharing the story on the radio, I figured why not have Derrick share the story on the air?

It's the story of "the Flying Scotsman" Eric Liddell from the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Derrick Rhayn: "I live in Paris. I've been doing lots of different events and evangelism and outreach during the Olympics, but when I first heard the story of Eric Liddell, there's something that has touched my heart. And so yeah, 1924 was the last time the Olympics was in Paris. 100 years ago. He was the fastest man on the planet, and he was widely predicted to win the 100 meter gold medal, but he was a Christian, and his his race actually fell on a Sunday, so he- staying true to his convictions, decided to take a Sabbath on that Sunday, and instead of running the race, he decided to preach at a local church here in Paris. So he was disqualified.

Derrick Rhayn: "The extraordinary thing is that he ended up entering into the 400 meter race, which is not really common for 100 meter athletes to compete in 400 meters. But he ended up not only winning the gold medal, but he broke the world record. And so really, truly, God does honor those who honor him. And not only did he win this incredible moment in this feat, but he ended up actually turning away from the fame. Because it was all over the world that this feat of breaking the world record was front page news in different areas. But he ended up being a missionary in China, which is where he was born, and so he ended up going there, and spent several, several years there, but ended up dying in an internment camp during the Second World War. So his story has been a huge inspiration to me, personally, and has just really challenged me to say- what is it that I'm able to do with the faith that God has given me to lay my life down?"

Check out this website to hear more about Liddell's story and the movie "Chariots of Fire." https://www.ericliddell2024.com/

As it turns out, Derrick was born in Great Falls, Montana and talked about how doctors gave his life no chance. His lungs were failing. They told his parents he would be a vegetable. As you can hear below, God's been breathing life into his lungs ever since.

Here's the full chat with Derrick Rhayn: 

Liddell Chaired