Pastor Don Wolan

Pastor Donald Wolan
Downriver Christian Community Church
Melvindale, Michigan

Monday, January 9, 2012

Tebow Be Good!



Tebow Be Good

Way up in Denver Colorado where John Elway played
Where people love their football on go to meeting day
There stood a young man made of faith and stone
A ex-Florida Gator boy named a Tim Tebow
Who never ever learned to cuss, cheat or lie so well
But he could play football just like a ringing a bell

Go go
Go Tebow go
Go
Go Tebow go
Go
Go Tebow go
Go
Go Tebow go
Go Tebow be good!

He used to carry his playbook-n-Bible in a gunny sack
Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track
Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade
Imagining Bible stories or touchdowns that his teammates made
Football critics passing by would stop and say
Oh my! Tebow is no good and can't play

Go go
Go Tebow go
Go
Go Tebow go
Go
Go Tebow go
Go
Go Tebow go
Go Tebow be good!

His mother told him "Someday you will be THE man,
And you will be the envy of those Bronco fans.
Many people coming from miles around
To see you play your football when the sun go down
Maybe someday your name will be in lights
Saying Tebow be good tonight!"

Go go
Go Tebow go
Go go go Tebow go
Go go go Tebow go
Go go go Tebow go
Go

(My apologies to Chuck Berry and his song Johnny B. Goode)

ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Just drop it!!! Let it go!!! Relax!!! For those people around the country who delight in seeing other people fail or tragedy come to someone who they think needs to be brought down a notch or two, I know you can't believe what has happened! I know you are so sure of your abilities to discern greatness and talent that you cannot believe that someone who doesn't fit your definition or model of what a pro quarterback should be has done so well! You are shocked by Tim Tebow's performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. I know you believed Tim Tebow had crashed back to reality over the last three weeks and that all his obvious flaws had been exposed, documented, studied, and prepared for! I know that you believed he would be jettisoned by the Bronco organization after the season ends because they could not develop offensively to be competitive with the other NFL "elite" teams! I know that you believed you would hear no more about "Tebow Time," "Tebowing," or "Tebow Mania"! But, you were wrong!
 
Sunday night proved to be a valuable lesson in belief that will be told and retold for years to come! Without going into all the numerous details of what happened, I would like to give my brief overall impression as to what I believe I saw and learned from the experiences of this young man.

Over the past three weeks, the Denver Broncos went on a three-game losing streak after winning six games in a row. During the winning streak, Tim Tebow defied the conventional wisdom of all the football pundits by winning football games by the craziest of circumstances. During this winning streak, "Tebow Mania" began to sweep the country, and everyone was piping in, assesses what was happening to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. It was a fun and exciting time as more and more people tuned in to see Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos play.  As Denver began to lose, however, the critics came out of the woodwork like roaches with their criticisms, and it appeared that the Broncos were finished as they began quickly sinking in football pressure quicksand!  

As "luck" would have it, the Broncos "backed in" to the playoffs through an unusual set of circumstances and drew the mighty AFC Defending Champion Pittsburgh Steelers as a first round opponent. NOBODY gave Denver a chance to win as odds makers made Pittsburgh a overwhelming favorite and were looking forward to Pittsburgh finally ending all this "Tebow Mania" hype! It was a forgone conclusion in everyone's mind that Pittsburgh would win - it was just a question as to how large the margin of victory would be. 

During Denver's losing streak, I watched as Tim Tebow continued to go about his business with the same class he exhibited during the winning streak - only now with the sneers and the rolling of eyes of others accompanying his answers and play! Pressure began mounting on him as he came under national ridicule and contempt. Those who only a few weeks earlier were singing his praises and amazed at the comebacks he led were now openly acknowledging they were wrong and the "real" Tim Tebow had come back down to earth! Instead of losing his cool at reporters or questioning his abilities and beliefs, he continued "to give thanks to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" even in the midst of what appeared to be a total and humiliating collapse.

(Please be advised that this video contains vulgar language...!)




Ah! But something happened on the way to Tebow irrelevance and exile from the front pages of major publications. Tim Tebow played the greatest game of his professional career against the Steelers and stunned the nation by winning the game in overtime with a play that has to be seen to be believed!

The lesson I learned by watching this young man is this - we can all have faith in God when things are going well, but what kind of faith do we maintain when EVERYTHING is falling apart around us and the blame is laid at our feet? For Tim Tebow, he continued to trust in God regardless of what he saw with his eyes or the criticism that came his way.  He did not point fingers or call out teammates and coaches like some players do. Instead, he continued to trust in God's leading and worked hard at his profession. I believe he was rewarded for his faithfulness during the tough times that came his way!

As we live out our lives, how often do we fret because we don't get what we had hoped for or things don't go our way! How many people quit the game, go through the motions, or retire to obscurity in the Kingdom of God because of some offense, criticism, or failure they experience?  If so, they need to consider Tim Tebow's example of faithfulness in the midst of unimaginative prodding and criticism. Many times, we have to go through adversity to be battle hardened for other tasks that we will face. It is never a joyful time when we do go through these valleys, but it is necessary! We are told in Proverbs 24:10 in the New Living Translation: 
If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small!

As we walk into 2012, may we really believe that God is in control of our lives NO MATTER WHAT COMES OUR WAY! May we trust in Jesus Christ at all times, believing he is allowing pressure upon us to develop us and make us strong! Finally, may we develop a never-say-die spirit and use the criticism we encounter as a motivation to see even greater things accomplished for the Kingdom of God!

Stay Holy, My Friends!






Pastor Don

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