UPDATE ….. Broncos 20, Steelers 6 [Halftime] … Tim Tebow has a TD pass and TD run, rallying Denver from an early 6-0 deficit.
UPDATE 2 ….. On the 1st Play of overtime, Tim Tebow hits Demaryius Thomas with 80-yard TD pass to win 29 – 23.
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“Wow, Jesus just [Bleeped] Tim Tebow bad. And on XMAS Eve!” – Bill Maher after the Broncos lost on Dec. 24, 2011.
Sages advise us that the quality of our lives is the sum of the choices we make. The Bible doesn’t just tell us what happened; it tells us what ALWAYS happens. And does so in story form so we can learn and avoid the disasters suffered by our ancestors. And what lessons are those? Ask 24-year-old football player Timothy Richard Tebow and we’ll get useful answers. Tebow was born in the Philippines to a missionary father, and the daughter of a US Army officer stationed there. During his mother’s pregnancy, she was told that due to an infection she should abort Tim. As that was against her faith, she persevered and bore one of the most remarkable athletes of our day.
….A STORY WHICH INSPIRES SOME, INFURIATES OTHERS
Mr. Tebow, as do many faithful athletes, acknowledges the power of Christianity to order his life. By praying before and after athletic events, he witnesses that faith to others. And that is how Bill Maher came to despise and ridicule Mr. Tebow. Mr. Tebow prayed before a game and then his team lost.
So what? Teams win, teams lose. Mr. Maher, never missing an opportunity to make an ass of himself, proceeded to degrade himself and the rest of America with the unvarnished quotation above followed by various attention-getting antics for the next several days.
…..TEBOW AND MAHER PRESENT US WITH A CHOICE
Do we respect and admire Mr. Tebow for his courage in becoming a famous athlete through self discipline and hard work? Do we ask ourselves how his Christian faith has made his life better and could do the same for us and everyone else? Or do we join with iconoclasts such as Maher using filthy language to degrade the personal convictions of others?
….I choose Tebow, and condemn Maher. Here is why.
The founder of Christianity was raised in the Jewish faith and preached its values. Basic things such as “Love one another.” “Don’t worship chunks of stone.” “Worship instead the God of Love.” “Spend at least a day a week studying the thousands of lessons in the Bible so that when you encounter a similar challenge, you will be ready.” “Honor your parents” and by inference parenthood. “Do not murder one another.” “Don’t court disaster for yourself and others around you by committing adultery.” “Don’t steal.” “Don’t lie.” “Don’t desire your neighbor’s spouse.”
These and hundreds of other prescriptions are part and parcel of what Mr. Tebow bends his knee and bows his head to. Acting on these principles has caused Christians to carry out endless charities, build innumerable hospitals and orphanages throughout the world, and go to the assistance of their fellow mankind in every sort of natural and man-made disaster.
When Hurricane Katrina bashed the American Gulf states, thousands of church goers from around the nation rushed to help. I do not remember any soup kitchens sponsored by the ACLU, the Black Panthers, organized labor, or the American Actors Guild.
…. AMERICANS HAVE MUCH IN COMMON WITH TEBOW
Reviewing the public comments on the internet following the Maher savaging, I noticed that 99 percent of the comments backed Tebow. According to Dr. Scott Schieman at the University of Toronto, his surveys show that in spite of the likes of Maher and Michael Moore, the American people keep their faith.
* 82% say they depend on God to give guidance in making decisions.
* 71% say that the good and bad that happens to them is part of God’s plan for them.
* 61% believe God has determined the direction of their lives.
…..AND WHAT HAS ALL THIS FAITH BROUGHT TO AMERICA ?
Numerous scientific studies confirm the benefits of faith: people are happier, cope with challenges with less stress, worry less, stay healthier, become wealthier, stay married longer, and have a better quality of life into their old age.
Believers are more cooperative with others; kinder to strangers; and suffer lower rates of alcoholism, drug addiction, and criminality. In other words, dozens of objective studies prove that the active involvement of faith communities in public affairs enhances the well-being of society.
Where else would the basic social values that provide the foundation for our laws, our jury decisions, and our billions of successful daily interactions come from except for the religious values adopted and recorded by our Bible and their propagation by dedicated men like Mr. Tebow?
What we would get if Mr. Bill Maher and his ilk were ascendant in America? That prospect is indeed a sobering one to consider.
….. A FINAL THOUGHT AND A WISH
So… good luck, Tim Tebow, vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers in that NFL playoff game this week. But whatever the outcome, you are already a Winner, in the larger Game of Life, as are the other Men and Women of Faith who thank you for your public Witness.
