With all the "bad news" flying around about sports figures it is nice to have some good news about a good guy. The guy is Tim Tebow, QB of the Florida Gators. Below is a story I read about his faith!
The Gospel on Offense - The Faith of Tim Tebow by Mark Earley
America 's largest church has a capacity to hold 16,000. But while Tim
Tebow may not be a preacher, when he runs into the University of Florida 's
football Stadium - affectionately known as "The Swamp" - his congregation
numbers just over 90,000. And you can bet they're hearing Tim's message.
It's not just that this University of Florida quarterback wears Bible
verses etched into his eye-black on game days. Tim Tebow has been making
headlines for more than simply his Heisman Trophy win as a sophomore and his two
national championships. This summer the New York Times, GQ, and Sports
Illustrated, all covered the quarterback' s strong Christian faith.
Last year, when the Florida Gators won the national championship, the
pre-game show followed Tim into a local Florida prison where he can regularly
be found sharing his testimony and preaching the Gospel.
And this top-notch athlete, who spends his spring breaks and summers
ministering to orphans in the Philippines has actually helped change the culture
of the University of Florida . According to Sports Illustrated , "Since
Tebow's arrival on campus, and in large part because of him, the University
has launched a series of community-service initiatives." Even coach Urban
Meyer has taken his family on a "Tebow-inspired mission trip to the
Dominican Republic ."
The press seems to be fascinated with outspoken Christian quarterbacks
like Tim Tebow; Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman winner; and now USC's Matt
Barkley. Only a few decades ago, it would have been taken for granted that
these would be the kinds of fellows any father would want his daughter to
marry. Now they are put under the microscope as some kind of curious
anomaly-well- known athletes who actually exhibit character.
In our doped-up, mug-shot celebrity culture, sadly these young men do look
a little out of step. And that's to our culture's shame. Perhaps that is
why last year when the press asked Tim Tebow a rather impertinent question,
they were more embarrassed by the response than he was. It was at a
Southeastern Conference news media event where one reporter asked in front of the
crowded room, "Are you a virgin?" Tim answered with an unequivocal yes and
had yet another platform to explain how his faith impacts every area of
his life.
That platform for sharing the Gospel is exactly what Tim's parents prayed
for before he was born. Tim's father, Bob, a missionary in the Philippines ,
had been weeping over the millions of babies aborted in America . It was
then that he prayed, "God, if you give me a son, if you give me Timmy, I'll
raise him to be a preacher."
Soon after, when Pam Tebow learned she was expecting, the parents' faith
was put to the test. After a series of grave complications, doctors
encouraged them to abort the child. They refused. Born small and weak, Timmy
struggled from the beginning. But his dad continued to tell him, "God's got a
purpose for you, and at some point, He's going to call you to preach."
Dad was right. God's message would come through the roar of the crowd,
beamed to millions via satellite. But little did they know, Tim would don a
jersey, not robes, and use a stadium for his pulpit.
Tim's a great example of an opportunity every believer has to put our
faith to work on the field of play where God has gifted us and called us.
Go Tim