Gymnastics was my calling. I think it chose me in a lot of ways.

The time leading up to the 1996 Olympics was the most demanding and stressful of my career. The sport I had loved so much was slowly becoming a nightmare as I trained with Bela and Marta Karolyi the summer before the Olympics.

Standing on the podium at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and receiving a gold medal was the crowning jewel in a successful gymnastics career and, most certainly, the confirmation that my parents' sacrifices were not in vain.

I'd challenge myself to see how long I could go without a fall - on beam, I once went three weeks.

Ultimately, blind faith is the only kind.

When you have girlfriends, and you get into it, and you share your flaws, and you're like, 'Oh my God. I almost had my period all over that chair,' or whatever. That's how we connect, right?

It's hard to say, 'I don't believe in God.' I would love to know if God exists. But it's a very difficult thing for me to believe.

The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is why absorbing the culture all around us and its priorities is so dangerous.