You’d have to be living in a cave for the last 6 months to have not been exposed to Tebowmania or Linsanity. Both guys jumped on the scene with dramatic results for their teams.
Tebow took his team on a fantastic ride that culminated in a playoff win against the #1 rated defense in the league (The Pittsburgh Steelers). The Steelers were without some players, but a playoff win is a playoff win and Tebow got a playoff win. Tebow at one time this season was thought to be the 4th string quarterback on the Broncos, now he is firmly intrenched as next year’s starter (going into training camp, thanks for the vote of confidence John Elway).
Jeremy Lin was almost cut this year and had been cut by two other NBA teams including my local Houston Rockets. As has been much publicized he was sleeping on a teammates couch for a few weeks until all the “Linsanity” busted out with droves of points, assists, and media attention. He plays on the biggest basketball stage in the world and didn’t just take his chance when it came, he kicked the door down on his chance when it arrived.
These two guys are great athletes. They have unbelievable attention. They both have sparked twitter phenomena. They are HUGE. You can’t go a day without seeing something on SportsCenter about either one (and Tebow isn’t even playing).
- The Crimson (Harvard’s Newspaper) published an article on Jeremy Lin.
- USA Today did an article on Lin’s wrist wear.
- Tim Tebow is in the news today because Brady Quinn (Tebow’s backup) said some things about Tebow.
- Brady Quinn also apologized and clarified today.
More than any of that though, in fact FAR more important than their athletic prowess, accomplishments, or high level of education is that these are believers in Jesus. These are believers who are on LARGE platforms and have enormous opportunity to represent Jesus well. They have the pressures from many sides all pushing in on them.
These guys are constantly being looked at, scrutinized, and checked out for their authenticity. The question is constantly being asked “do they really live what they say they believe?” They have faith in Christ and have the platform that many Christians would wish to have. I’m praying that they remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 5
[14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
(Matthew 5:14-16 ESV)
I’m praying they stand strong. I’m praying they shine like lights. I’m praying that they remain humble. I’m praying that they live their faith more than they talk about it (BUT PLEASE TALK ABOUT IT). I’m praying that they would represent Jesus well and that people near them would keep them accountable to what they believe. I’m praying that they use their platforms powerfully and do much work for the Kingdom.
I’d say that they are off to a GREAT start. What do you think? Share your thoughts below in the comments section. As for me, I’m going to go check Twitter for some new Tebowisms and then maybe surf YouTube for some Linsane Highlights.
Christ is all,
Jason






