To celebrate the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, I decided to read a book about a real Olympian. Not just any Olympian, but a gold medalist Olympian. And trust me, I did not regret my decision.
Check it out.
“For much of my life, my heart was consumed with the earthly treasures that did not and could not satisfy the deepest longings of my soul. The ultimate satisfaction and joy in life is much greater than gold: it’s found in those treasures in Christ that last forever.” - David Boudia, Greater Than Gold
For me, that final paragraph of the book (see above) sums up everything that David Boudia, 10-meter Platform Diving Olympic Gold Medalist (circa 2012), wrote about in his auto-biography, Greater Than Gold. As the subtitle so simply put it, From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption, this is a book about a self-consumed man as he breaks free from the bondage that sin had him in.
From a young age Boudia loved winning. Being a champion was engraved in his brain since as long as he can remember. No matter what he was doing, (gymnastics, soccer, diving) he wanted to be the victor. Boudia wanted to come out on top. Most of his childhood was dedicated to conditioning and preparing his body to be successful in sports. Selfishly, Boudia demanded that his life be the first priority. His sports practices reigned over his sisters. His family’s schedule revolved around his sports schedule. Boudia wanted to win, and this was how he was going to do it.
During the 2008 Olympics, hosted in Beijing, Boudia was met with devastation. After a lifetime of training, him and his synchro diving partner came in a heartbreaking fifth place. Boudia turned to the things of the world to satisfy his desires (drugs, alcohol, smoking).
In 2009, Boudia had a life-altering experience. After much talk with his diving coach, Adam Soldati, and his wife, Kimiko Soldati, Boudia gave his life to Christ. That’s when he determined that his life path needed to change. He made a commitment to turn his life around. And because of that promise that he made (and kept), God blessed Boudia.
In 2012 at the London Olympic games, Boudia became a gold medalist. He got his life in sync with God and his commands, and he was blessed because of it. Boudia used his platform as the best diver in the world to tell others about Christ and what Christ did in his life, to change him from a broken man to a healed man through Jesus’ sacrificed life.
This book is a real-life, on-your-level story of redemption. You know that the words were God-breathed and God-ordained when goosebumps crawl up and down your legs and a chill inches its way up your spine. This is a real story about a real man and his real struggle and how God used that struggle in a radical way.
And that right there, folks, is greater than gold.
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Author: David Boudia (with Tim Ellsworth)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2016
Genre: Christian Living, Inspiration
Summary:
One of America’s most heralded young divers, David Boudia twice went for Olympic gold, training obsessively and whole-heartedly for success. In his first Olympics, he failed miserably, not winning a single medal. Four years later saw a different story: he mounted the podium twice, winning both gold and bronze. The difference? In the intervening years, he’d changed the focus of his quest from seeking glory for himself to giving glory to God. In Greater Than Gold, Boudia provides a behind-the-scenes access to the rarefied world of world-class athletics while also showing readers that when they place their hope in God, they receive what they’ve been seeking all along.
This book is available for purchase on Amazon (www.amazon.com), LifeWay (www.lifeway.com), Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), and Christian Books (www.christianbook.com).
Sincere thanks to David and the publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes. The opinions stated are not influenced by author and/or publisher, all opinions are my own.
Check it out.
“For much of my life, my heart was consumed with the earthly treasures that did not and could not satisfy the deepest longings of my soul. The ultimate satisfaction and joy in life is much greater than gold: it’s found in those treasures in Christ that last forever.” - David Boudia, Greater Than Gold
For me, that final paragraph of the book (see above) sums up everything that David Boudia, 10-meter Platform Diving Olympic Gold Medalist (circa 2012), wrote about in his auto-biography, Greater Than Gold. As the subtitle so simply put it, From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption, this is a book about a self-consumed man as he breaks free from the bondage that sin had him in.
From a young age Boudia loved winning. Being a champion was engraved in his brain since as long as he can remember. No matter what he was doing, (gymnastics, soccer, diving) he wanted to be the victor. Boudia wanted to come out on top. Most of his childhood was dedicated to conditioning and preparing his body to be successful in sports. Selfishly, Boudia demanded that his life be the first priority. His sports practices reigned over his sisters. His family’s schedule revolved around his sports schedule. Boudia wanted to win, and this was how he was going to do it.
During the 2008 Olympics, hosted in Beijing, Boudia was met with devastation. After a lifetime of training, him and his synchro diving partner came in a heartbreaking fifth place. Boudia turned to the things of the world to satisfy his desires (drugs, alcohol, smoking).
In 2009, Boudia had a life-altering experience. After much talk with his diving coach, Adam Soldati, and his wife, Kimiko Soldati, Boudia gave his life to Christ. That’s when he determined that his life path needed to change. He made a commitment to turn his life around. And because of that promise that he made (and kept), God blessed Boudia.
In 2012 at the London Olympic games, Boudia became a gold medalist. He got his life in sync with God and his commands, and he was blessed because of it. Boudia used his platform as the best diver in the world to tell others about Christ and what Christ did in his life, to change him from a broken man to a healed man through Jesus’ sacrificed life.
This book is a real-life, on-your-level story of redemption. You know that the words were God-breathed and God-ordained when goosebumps crawl up and down your legs and a chill inches its way up your spine. This is a real story about a real man and his real struggle and how God used that struggle in a radical way.
And that right there, folks, is greater than gold.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: David Boudia (with Tim Ellsworth)
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2016
Genre: Christian Living, Inspiration
Summary:
One of America’s most heralded young divers, David Boudia twice went for Olympic gold, training obsessively and whole-heartedly for success. In his first Olympics, he failed miserably, not winning a single medal. Four years later saw a different story: he mounted the podium twice, winning both gold and bronze. The difference? In the intervening years, he’d changed the focus of his quest from seeking glory for himself to giving glory to God. In Greater Than Gold, Boudia provides a behind-the-scenes access to the rarefied world of world-class athletics while also showing readers that when they place their hope in God, they receive what they’ve been seeking all along.
This book is available for purchase on Amazon (www.amazon.com), LifeWay (www.lifeway.com), Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), and Christian Books (www.christianbook.com).
Sincere thanks to David and the publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes. The opinions stated are not influenced by author and/or publisher, all opinions are my own.