If you are a Christian then there is a great chance that…
- Your favorite book, other than the Bible, is Left Behind.
- You pray the Prayer of Jabez on a daily basis.
- You are fluent in Christian-ese. That is you have a language that only Christians understand.
- You own a shirt that looks like a secular brand but says something Christian-ese. For example, instead of Abercrombie and Fitch your shirt says, A breadcrumb and Fish.
- You enjoy a yummy Bible Bar (a snack bar made up of only ingredients found in the Bible) as much as the next Christian.
- You have a Christian fish on the back of your car that is eating a Darwin fish with feet.
- You love bumper stickers like, “In Case of Rapture, This Car Will Be Unmanned.”
- You wear a WWJD bracelet because you truly wonder what the son of God would do.
- You freshen your breath with Testamints, the Christian breath mint.
- Your favorite football player is Tim Tebow.
Okay, I may or may not be picking on some potentially cheesy things that some of my fellow Christians have embraced. The truth is there is something inside of me that automatically resists the Christian sub-culture. That is everything except Tim Tebow!
I get frustrated when Christians create a sub-culture instead of interacting with the world. Instead of creating great art we create sub par art that looks similar to secular stuff but it’s just not as good. I think that’s a slap in the face of our God. In college I often heard my college’s founder say, “if it’s Christian it ought to be better.” I think that’s why I am drawn to rooting for Tim Tebow.
Tim Tebow is a bold Christian who is taking over the NFL. He plays once a week and yet every single day SportsCenter finds a way to feature him. He’s so outspoken about his faith that fans have created a jersey with Tim’s number on it and Jesus’ name on the back. One sports writer Tweeted during a post game interview, “Tim Tebow just turned this press conference into an old school revival.” He’s out spoken but unlike a lot of Christian stuff he’s not embarrassing. He works hard, is well spoken, and truly cares about other people.
Tim carries himself well and represents Christ in a way that is not embarrassing. It’s as if he’s the great Christ hope. What I mean by that is he’s become many Christian’s favorite football player because he’s a sold out Christian who wins.
Christians that like Tebow really like him. One friend that I follow on Twitter Tweets after every Tebow victory “Tim Tebow just beat up Chuck Norris.” That might be the ultimate complement.
This season he’s made a fan out of many Christians, including me. In fact the only football games that I’ve watched this year have been Denver Broncos games. But I’ve started to become more than a fan. No, I’m not talking about watching Tebow sleep, pretending we are friends, and becoming a stalker. I’m talking about praying for Tim. He has a lot of critics. He has a lot of people who hate on him on a weekly basis. So much so that it caused one ESPN analyst to talk about how unfair it was for a good guy to be hated on so much. He’s being loved and judged for his faith.
I was recently sent this article that shows both some of his criticism and his awesomeness…
I don’t know about you but that response made me want to cheer as if he just scored a winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. And that’s the thing that I love about Tebow. He could be playing football in the CFL. No, not the Canadian Football League. The other CFL, The Christian ONLY Football League. He could live in the safe confines of the Christian bubble, but he doesn’t. He’s making a difference and people are taking sides.
Here’s a challenge that I have for you. Whether you like Tim or you don’t, if you are a Christ Follower spend some time Tebowing for Tim Tebow.
Tebowing – “(vb) to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.”
With him being in the spot light his decisions are magnified. He’s not a perfect guy. Some people are waiting for the day for him to literally shoot himself in the foot while at a scrip club smoking beer and drinking crack. I know that sounds like just another night in the life of some other prominent football players. I also know that’s not how you spell strip, but that’s how Pacman Jones says it. I’ve never smoked beer or drank crack but if you have a night like that I’m assuming that your speech may be a tad slurred. I digress. Other prominent NFL players may be able to recover from such a night, but Tebow will be crucified for it.
I would love to see Tim succeed in football, but more importantly I want him to make it without any scandals. Whenever I watch him play I want to say a prayer for him. I pray that he has the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right even when it’s hard.
Tebow is doing his part to represent Jesus well. I want to do my part to have his back by praying for him whenever I watch him play.
Are you a fan of Tebow?
After writing this post I read the following article from the USA today. For another take on the hate that Tebow is receiving click here.
The best way to share our faith is to live by faith. Show the world what’s inside our heart. While doing this we will be made fun of and receive rude comments. (sticks and stones) It doesn’t matter! If we don’t stand up for what we believe, we will fall for anything. Tebow is letting us see what’s in his heart! I will add him to my prayer list.
Thanks Rob!
Billy, right on. In fact the Bible talks about this. People won’t like us because of our faith. The problem is that it’s so easy to be a Christian and not make a difference. It shouldn’t be that way. Christians should make a difference. When we do someone will notice.
Tebow, I like it
Ryan, thanks for the comment.
What a great game yesterday!
I like Tim Tebow. I appreciate that he is a come as you are kind of guy. I’d be interested to see him interacting with his team and fans. Does his faith make a difference in the lives of those around him?
Jon, I know. I was talking to someone the other day and I pondered out loud if Tebow can get plugged into a church. With him being so popular I assume that it’s hard for him to get plugged into a church without getting mobbed. The person that I was talking to said that he’s plugged into a local church in Denver.
I just posted yesterday, after Tebow helped his team win yet ANOTHER game… I wonder when all the Tebow haters will realize ” With God ALL things are possible ” I hate that all of Tebows critics are trying to blame his shortcomings ( or whatever you want to call it in football ) on his Faith and Religion – this is a man that each and every week shows up and gets the job done, all while walking the walk and talking the talk… Tebow is an example we should ALL try to live by.
Brian, thanks for sending me that article on Facebook!
Rob, my Vols fell victim to Tebow while he was in college , so it is difficult for me to like him as a football player. However, if I ran into him at the Christian store while buying a shirt that says Jesus, but looks like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, I would shake his hand.
Larry, that’s great! The Jesus for Reese’s shirt is a classic.
Love this one Rob!
Thanks Stacy!
Rob — I am a Tebow fan, by all accounts he walks the walk, he’s generally respected by his teammates and even the “haters” often grudgingly admit he’s a “good guy” — I appreciate his courage to wear his faith on his sleeve, that’s something I want to be better at. I respect Tebow and am sure he needs much prayer support, when you’re in the spotlight and God is receiving glory, the enemy is probably not happy about it. Oh, and, I’m a Broncos fan so I’m loving their current success on the field.
Sirvhim, I’m becoming a Broncos fan because of Tebow. I literally yelled out loud with cheers watching that game yesterday.
Yeah, I’m a Tebow fan. But I can also see how it can get annoying if you aren’t. We as Christians always tend to hail a famous Christian like a savior of their respective profession (Jesus Jersey, really?).
As soon as someone calls themselves a Christian, we put them up on a pedestal. Then the moment they say a cuss word or do something wrong, we’re so disappointed and many times crucify them ourselves.
The fact is that if I really love Tim Tebow for who he is and not his football skillz, he could be caught in a scrip club next week sippin’ on some sizzurp…and I would still love and pray for him.
I think that’s where Christian culture struggles the most. And that’s where we have the opportunity to MOST separate ourselves from the world. That is, through someone’s failure…not their successes.
That said, I’m do love to see him succeed and rep Christ to the fullest!
Tony, welled said! I wish I would have got you to guest post this one. Great stuff!
Side note: Did you catch this article about Tebow? GREAT read:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-why-the-heck-do-we-hate-him-110211
Tony, I hadn’t seen that. Great article.
and I think when this happens is when you know people have mad e an idol out of athletes. If fans do not survive the humanity of said athletes when they stumble, they were just after the man, not his God.
Moe, oh snap! That will preach. You put some sauce on that comment. Love it!
I’m off my game this morning Rob. I am later than normal! 🙂 Great thoughts today. I could really care less about football, but I do tune in to see how TT did. I could really care less about golf but I tuned into ESPN to see how Tiger did yesterday. Two different men who are taking two different paths. I would like to see Tiger come back because I believe in second chances. I would really like to see TT succeed, if for nothing else than to silence the idiots, I mean critics, who find everything wrong with a positive role model and couch it with football talk. Funny thing is Tim would probably overlook their so-called football talk and treat them as though they were long lost buddies. he is not perfect-in life or on the field-but I will certainly pray for him to do well so he can continue being a “presence” for God/good in a sport so dotted with goofballs.
Bill, it’s all good! Thanks for the comment. What you are saying is what one sportscenter commentator said. He didn’t understand why someone who is a positive roll model is getting crucified.
Excuse me: I should have said “so dotted with arrogant, self-serving jerks.” I was trying to be kind. 🙂
Tim Tebow was one of the greatest college quarterbacks ever. I never heard anything negative about him. He was a winner and he was golden. Then something happened leading up to the NFL draft. The airwaves and print media were permeated with this stench of negativity about him. A good fraction of this was noticeably personal. I don’t know what happened. Every outlet seemed to want to make him look like a clown, and I think that affected a lot of people. So far he has shown that he is not a very good NFL quarterback, even though his team is winning, but the venom still pours out. I remember Doug Flutie, he wasn’t a very good quarterback statistically, but his team seemed to win a lot. There was no cloud of negativity around him. So, I can only conclude, given what I have witnessed, is that he is a Christian and the way he carries this peeves many. He can be kind of preachy and can come across as a bit of a phony or his words a bit forced. Hopefully he can still be himself but more gracefully grow into his public faith so that he can pull people in instead of repelling them.
Daniel, some people will always hate a winner. I think he would have received some flack even if he wasn’t a Christian. You have Yankee fans and then you have Yankee haters. Some people will hate just because they win. You add to that his faith and he has now become a target.
TEBOW!! TEBOW!! TEBOW!! I’m a big sports fan, all sports but mostly football. I take all these guys with a grain of salt and do my best not to exalt them for being half suicidal nut jobs, because lets be honest, you have to have a screw loose to let some 330lb dude who runs like a honey badger hit and land on you a multitude of times. With that said I rarely have a rooting interest, but I do like to follow players and I have climbed aboard the Tebow train. He is a once in a generation type of character and I pray he stays strong. Not for us christians, but for all the fence sitters looking for that type of role model to help push them closer the God. Also, as much as the whole “Tebowing” thing has been turned into sort of a pop culture satire, I think it’s good that it has gained momentun and given us a window to teach, especially kids, just as to what it means to proud and public with your faith. My wife asked me who Tim Tebow was the other day. I thought it was great because I got to finally tell her a story about a postive role model in sports and the fact that she is asking about Tim Tebow was great becauase she pays ZERO attention to sports. He is moving far beyond the fans and into the main stream!
Scott, agreed. It is so fascinating to me how fascinated the media is with him. He’s everywhere.
Oh, and the honey badger line was great!
The fact that I know who Tim Tebow is even though I don’t follow football shows how big he is. That’s a lot of pressure and needs all the prayer he can get. Thanks for reminding me to pray for him and for people in positions like him.
TJ, my pleasure. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in my life and forget to pray for others. It may sound cheesy but as a Christ follower I feel like we are all in the family together. Even though I don’t know Tim I feel led to pray for him.
Thanks for the post Rob. I did not know this about TT. You are so right about the clubs and drinking. Other players it would be overlooked but If Tebow is ever seen doing it he would be crucified.
Kris, thank you for the comment. I always enjoy knowing that you are reading.
My favorite book is Left Behind. I wished I could take every copy of Darwin’s book and burn it in a public circle, and dance wildly with my face painted. Darwin what a plaque.
Now, Awesome Tebow post. This guy is amazing. Not like Jesus amazing, but he is extremely note worthy. He contiunes to impress for the Kingdom and the Denver Broncos. I actually watched the series that featured him getting drafted. Tim Tebow is a great example of how acting with audacious faith can glorify God.
Oops meant to type plague…I blame the keyboard.
No worries. I make typos a lot so I show grace.
Tebow inspires me!
Stevie, me too.
After reading your list of things Christians do, I found myself questioning my salvation. ha.
My feelings toward Tebow are bit unique in relation to those of most Christians.
First, I could never be a fan of his, per se, because he plays for the Broncos. As a loyal (and generally miserable) Raiders fan, my allegiance to the dark side would not allow me to cheer for someone in dark blue and orange.
Additionally, there are times when his behavior seems forced. I know that will upset some people, but it’s how I feel. Yesterday, I noticed a particular event that stood out to me. Tebow threw a touchdown and was celebrating, running towards the end zone. Right when he realized he was camera, he pointed up to the sky (cuz that’s where God lives), almost as if he was mad at himself for forgetting to do it.
It just feels like he’s trying to reach a quota sometimes. He’s a great athlete, a good guy, and I’m glad to see a Christian succeeding on such a high level. I just feel like he may be alienating more people than he’s reaching.
Kevin, I hear ya. I didn’t see what you see but I’m not sure he’s always aware of where the camera is. They have multiples and they go to different shots. The camera’s aren’t very close to them because they zoom. There is a chance that the cameras were looking for this moment because it’s become a cultural phenom.
I probably worded things wrong by talking about the camera presence. It wasn’t so much the camera as it was that you could tell he was mad at himself for “forgetting” to point to the sky. Almost like: “Shoot! I almost forgot! What would people say if they saw me throw a touchdown and not point at the sky!” I can’t judge his heart. I’d prefer to believe he does stuff like that because his heart is after giving God glory and not for the appearance of it. I just think it should happen organically. We should praise God because the overflow of our heart will not allow us NOT to, not because we think people are watching. Ok. I’m done. Go Raiders. 🙂
One other thing. How do I get a profile pic up in here? I look like a dumb tourist noob with my gray square encapsulating a tiny shrunken head. Plus, people deserve to see how good I look.
Kevin you get one through http://en.gravatar.com/. It will pick it up on almost all blogs that you leave comments on.
Sweet. Look. It’s my face.
Winning.
I’m a big College Football Fan (Auburn Alumni), but don’t watch the Pro’s much. Most of my extended family is from Denver, so I like to see the Bronco’s win and was hoping Tebow would do great things there. Because I don’t watch or read much about the Pro’s, I had no idea about is outspoken Christianity – thanks so much for the info – I’ll have to pick up a Tebow jersey, the next time I’m out there and root for him to make it to the Superbowl.
Terry, my pleasure. His boldness has captured me this year. I don’t normally watch football until the Super Bowl. That’s changed with Tebow.
Awesome Rob. I will add my Tim to my prayers with you and Stu. People who have success are spotlighted and their lives are scrutinized – everything – their successes and failures. In Tim’s life and community, he will be watched. In our lives and community, you and Stu will be watched. I will pray that all 3 of you will be successful for Jesus in your circles and that your private lives will be protected from things that would derail your testimonies. Thanks for all you do.
Tammie, that made my day! You don’t know how much your prayers mean. Thank you!
Rob,
I’m glad I’m catching your tweets with your blog, I could easily put your blog on my “Treat Yo Self” favorite blogs. Great stuff.
Did you happen to see this article on Fox about Tebow? http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-why-the-heck-do-we-hate-him-110211
Alex, thanks for reading! It means a lot. I hadn’t seen that article about Tebow until today. Thanks for sharing it.
“I get frustrated when Christians create a sub-culture instead of interacting with the world. Instead of creating great art we create sub par art that looks similar to secular stuff but it’s just not as good. I think that’s a slap in the face of our God.”
This is a brilliant, brilliant point.
Knox, I read a book in college called Roaring Lambs. It influenced my views on this a lot. Have you heard of it?
I still own a copy. Read it every year or so and it inspires what I write. So good.
Personally, the whole Tebow thing has been more about him than about his savior. There are many christians in the NFL, he gets the spotlight because he is the “loudest” in mentioning God. But let’s be real. He’s not preaching the Gospel.
Unfortunately what people have made of him is an idol. As if we needed more of those today.
I don’t live the Broncos and if my Giants were playing them, I want Tebow to get rocked and sacked 60 times. Hey, the game is the game!
Moe, true. Way to stick with your team. Lucky for me I don’t have an NFL team. It’s easy for me to turn Christian celebrities into idols. That’s not what I want. I really want him to represent Christ well and for God to use him. That’s what I’m praying.
Yeah, me too. It would be interesting to see his approach when in the locker room. How he shares his faith with his team and employees of the organization. That’s where the true discipleship happens.
*disappointed that you don’t have a favorite football team. Shame!
Moe, I know. I’m a Lakers fan and they don’t play football. If they did I’d have a favorite team.
I dig Tim Tebow as well as this recent blog post! I like you am freaked out by the Christian sub-culture stuff (i.e. the “bubble”), but enjoy his outspokenness that seems as far as I can tell to be backed up by the way he lives.
Dare I say, more than that, I love the way he has shut up his critics. Just read a great article about Tebow in the National Review about him and one of the points was how he just keeps on going determined despite his critics.
Any-hways… thanks for the thoughts and bringing up some things that were on my mind as well!
Steven, thank you for the comment. We grew up in the same Christian bubble so it’s no surprise that we think a like. I am thankful for my time at a Christian school and youth group, but I don’t want to continue to live my life in that bubble.
dang this is good. rob, let’s do lunch, and dinner and breakfast and snacks.
Tyler, are you paying?
Tim Tebow is a former college superstar. Tim Tebow is a winning NFL quarterback. Tim Tebow is…just a guy.
He’s just a guy living his faith out loud. And shouldn’t we all be? He gets more attention than other christian athletes, but isn’t that for the simple reason that he’s the only one talking about his faith? No, he’s not preaching the gospel. He is, however, demonstrating quite admirably how one should live in constant praise of God.
And maybe he gets wrapped up in the moment on the field and runs a number of yards before he remembers to praise God. But how many yards do I run until I remember. Should I really be angry that he didn’t do it soon enough, or happy that he did it at all? Any maybe sometimes he comes across forced, but if the media was as vicious about every word I uttered, you better believe I’d be scripting my answers to be as eloquent and polished as possible.
I’m not a Broncos fanatic. I’m not a Tebow fanatic. But I will cast my support and prayers behind anyone who is willing to suffer the slings and arrows of media mutilation in deference to God.
Awesome comment Randal. I pray that we can all live such bold lives for God in our own professions, Tebow plays a game for a living but he does it on a very public stage. I would say that the jobs of most of the people that read this blog do are more important than a football players’, but we feel our stage doesnt matter. Its important for us all to remember our ministry is the same as Tebow’s: to glorify God make the name of Jesus famous. God has given me the stage just as he has for Tebow, but am I willing to be as bold? Am I willing to be as vulnerable? Am I willing to be judged by others? I dont know, but Tebow is guide that I can look to reminding me to say yes.
Randal, good for you. For me it’s more about supporting a fellow Christian then supporting a team.
Rob, thank you so much. This was a great topic of discussion. I’m not the biggest football buff, but I watch it from time to time and it has become my favorite sport. Tim Tebow is one of those guys who I’d love to sit down and talk with. That response he gave about saying “I love you” to your wife and praising God was phenomenal. I’ve now become a fan of Tim as a person.
Whereas it’s not right to crucify people and it’s a terrible thing to do, I think that this “spewing of the venom” at Tim is something that the public needs to do. Because once you’ve spewed all of your venom, the only thing your left with is to think about why you truly started spewing venom in the first place and what that says about your character. I’m hoping and praying that Tim can endure the public’s crucifiction of him so that we all may come to realize how he is not trying to make us look bad, but merely express his faith and model for us the answer to the question “How can I live my life for Jesus in a society of haters?”
P.S. Honey badger rules
Thanks Sean. You are correct. They do rule.
Loved Tebow while he was a Gator, and living in anti-Florida Georgia, not many around me (Christians included) shared my sentiments. Hopefully those same die-hard Dawgs are coming around now though. It’s always refreshing to see someone stand up for Christ like he does. I pray he doesn’t fall to the trippings of this world.
TMZ, I’m with you and that prayer. I really want him to succeed and stay strong for Jesus. Wow that sounds cheesy, but it’s how I feel.
Great, thoughtful post!! : )
Thanks Gabriella! Great to see you on the blog again.
Love it. I’m a Tebow man these days. I’d get his jersey if it didn’t say Denver. Or Florida. I don’t think he’ll be making the Pro Bowl either, so that jersey is out. Bottom line, I love the way he’s going about his life. It’s real. But I also recognize the incredible pressure and temptation coming his way. That’s why I pray for him. Because the battle is real.
Clay, I’m starting to think that you, me, and Ricky Anderson are related. It’s scary how similar our interests are.
What a great perspective, Rob! I’ve been a Tebow fan since his Florida days. He’s got more grit and determination than most people, and I love that he takes Jesus with him wherever he goes. He’s doing a great job giving people something to talk about… Jesus! Who would’ve thought ESPN would be saturated with so much talk about Jesus?
He might be getting “ugly W’s,” but he’s winning. I think that makes the story even better, though. I love it when God takes the least and lowly, like Tebow who’s supposedly a terrible NFL quarterback, and uses them for His glory to do remarkable things. I’m with you – I hope and pray he’ll stay committed to God and focused on the task at hand. I’m a fan, even if he doesn’t win another game. I do believe, though, that Tebow time will happen again.
Kim, thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Thank you for the comment as well. Right now they haven’t played anyone elite and they’ve barely won. I’d love to see him play the Patriots and win!
I think Tebow is just catching a breath.^^
William, that’s funny.
You could try Intellius. And also try going to that address. Look for a man that logically could be your grandfather. If you can not find him,you could try going to the landlord and ask for a list of previous residents of that address.