Can Anything Good Come Out of the Broncos' Loss to Buffalo?

The Broncos’ performance in Buffalo on Christmas Eve was ugly. Interceptions, sacks, turnovers, missed tackles, “bad” calls,” and a final score too painful to glance at left Bronco fans eating glum pudding. What can we deduce from such a loss? Perhaps God isn’t as big a Bronco fan as many of would like to think. But judging by Buffalo’s win/loss record, He must not be a big Bills fan either. Maybe He doesn’t have a favorite NFL team. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes might remind us there are Christian players on every NFL team.

But isn’t Tim Tebow an outstanding Christian as well as an excellent football player? Yes, but he isn’t perfect in either respect. He is still developing as an NFL QB, and God is still developing him as a Christian. I am sure Tim Tebow knows what every Christian knows: spiritual growth is far more important than acclaim. The true measure of a person’s success is not determined by athletic prowess or fame or fortune. It is determined by character and commitment to God’s will.

A fruit grower in Michigan seemed devastated when a late frost doomed his peach production. “Why did God let this happen?” he asked his pastor.

“Perhaps,” the pastor replied, “to show He is far more interested in growing you than He is in growing peaches.”

Likely, Tim Tebow believes God is more interested in growing him than He is in growing a string of football victories, and he accepts losses as part of the process.

What are we learning that helps us grow in and through losses and setbacks? Can we look beyond disappointments and see His appointments?

Go, Broncos!

Te-Bow Or Not Te-Bow, That Is the Question

Te-bow or not te-bow, that is the question.

Tim Tebow has injected excitement into Denver Bronco football, the likes of which Bronco fans have not experienced since 1977, when the team rocked the NFL, won the AFC championship, and played Dallas in Super Bowl XII. During that memorable season, Bronco running back John Keyworth recorded a song that thrilled Bronco fans. His “Make Those Miracles Happen” captured the spirit of 1977 Bronco football. Each win truly seemed miraculous.

Now, the Broncos are winning games in what some might call miraculous ways. They are come-from-behind 4^th Quarter and Overtime wins. Fans have seen Quarterback Tim Tebow bowing on one knee and praying. His prayer posture has been called “Tebowing,” and many have imitated it. Some “Tebow” respectfully; others do so mockingly. A recent letter to the editor criticized the young quarterback for praying in public. The writer compared it to the Pharisees’ praying in public to be ”seen by men” (Matthew 6:5). But if it were not for the focus of TV cameras on the praying QB, how many would see him pray? I believe the praying is sincere and unpretentious.

I suppose it is easy to assume Tim Tebow prays for a Bronco victory, but I have no proof of that. Further, praying for one’s team to win equates to praying for the other team to lose. That’s kind of selfish, isn’t it? And surely, Christians may be found on both teams.

Perhaps Tim Tebow prays that he and his teammates will do their best to win. Maybe he prays that the game’s outcome will glorify God. I simply do not know what he prays for, but I do know he prays, and I applaud that practice. It is good to see a Christian role model in professional sports who is unashamed to pray openly and to thank our Lord and Savior for the ability to play football,

Tim is dedicated to Christ and a hard-working, disciplined athlete. The other day, a local sports writer called him “the biggest square in the NFL.” I prefer to say he is squarely on God’s side, and I am glad he wears a Bronco uniform, #15.

Rex and Rudy

When I caddied in the late 1940s and early 1950s at the St. Catharines Golf Course, St. Catharines, Ontario, I most enjoyed caddying for Rex Stimers, who usually played with Rudy Pilous. In those days caddies sat in the caddy shack until the caddy master assigned them randomly to golfers. But a golfer could request a caddie by name, and Rex often requested me in spite of the fact that I was one of the youngest caddies. I was about 13 or 14 when I caddied for Rex most often.

Rex was a popular sports announcer for our city’s radio station, CKTB. He was best known for his animated broadcasting of Junior OHL (Ontario Hockey League) games. Our home team was the St. Catharines Teepees. Some of the Teepees advanced to the National Hockey League.

Rudy coached the Teepees, and then became the coach who led the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Championship in 1961. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985. A lefty on the golf course, Rudy matched up against Rex quite well, and both had a terrific sense of humor that took the drudgery out of caddying.

Both men treated me well and introduced me to hockey players who joined them on the course. Rex even treated me to rounds of golf at courses near Toronto and Niagara Falls, New York. It was not unusual to hear him mention my name, Jimmy Dyet, on his nightly sports broadcast.

Both men departed this life a long time ago, but I cherish good memories of them.

Men can have a lasting influence on kids for good or bad. Christian men can choose to mold kids into young men and women who will impact their culture for God. We don’t have to be preachers to teach the younger generation to do right and to honor God. We can demonstrate righteousness on the golf course, on a hockey rink, on a baseball diamond, on a basketball court, or in a classroom—wherever kids need role models. Proverbs 22:6 counsels, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

—From Straight Down the Middle—Meditations for Golfers, © 2010 Circle Books, Winchester, U.K., Washington, D.C.

Impacting Or Imbibing the Culture?

Someone asked me recently what I meant when I said in a sermon that the Church is supposed to impact, not imbibe, the culture. I meant the Church should adhere to a high standard of righteousness in order to have a solid platform from which to evangelize. If the Church’s standard of righteousness is almost low as the culture’s, why will unbelievers be attracted to the gospel? If they are not convinced the gospel has not made much, if any, difference in our lives, why should they embrace it?

Also, the Church must present the truth that God sees everyone as a sinner destitute of innate spiritual merit. Romans 3:23 hands down this indictment: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But the culture rejects God’s analysis of human nature, preferring to see every human being as special and deserving of the best life has to offer. Consequently, more than a few smooth-talking pastors preach only a positive message that positively affirms in the minds of those who listen that they are positively fine individuals whom God positively loves just as they are. The same positive message fails to mention personal sin, guilt, judgment, and the need to repent and believe on the Savior who shed His blood for sinners.

Further, the culture seeks entertainment as obsessively as bees seek pollen. Celebrities dazzle their fans, especially those celebrities who “rock the house.” Is the Church copying the culture by entertaining congregations? Are we at risk of abandoning corporate worship of the Rock of Ages by letting on-stage performers “rock the house”?

The apostle Paul urged the believers at Rome to resist the pressure of pagan culture to fit into its mold (Romans 12:2). The culture’s mold produces carnal Christians; God’s mold produces Christlike Christians (Roman 8:29). Christlike Christians impact the culture; carnal Christians imbibe it.

Beyond Despair

The nation Judah had turned her back on God by failing to observe His Sabbaths and by refusing to worship Him exclusively. As punishment, God allowed the Babylonians to invade Judah, destroy Jerusalem, level the Temple, and drag thousands of Jews into captivity. The prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations, meaning “funeral songs,” to express his deep sorrow over these dismal events. Not surprisingly, the first verse of Lamentations bemoans: “How deserted lies the city [Jerusalem], once so full of people! How like a widow she is, who once was great among the nations! She who was a queen among the provinces has now become a slave.”

What seemed like absolute despair in Jeremiah’s heart turned to hope when he looked beyond his nation’s decline and caught a glimpse of God’s faithfulness. He exclaimed: “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22, 23). He recognized that God’s faithfulness extended far beyond Jerusalem’s calamity. There was hope for all who patiently waited for God to turn things around (verses 24–26).

Is the United States in decline? Many pundits predict imminent disaster, and our enemies are eager to expedite it. Although our nation cannot claim a covenant relationship with God, it has a long history of Christian character and influence. As a nation, we have seen ample evidence that “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34a), but recently we have also seen righteousness decline. Are we, therefore, preparing the way for disaster?

When the king of Nineveh learned from the prophet Jonah that Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days, he issued a wise decree: “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish” (Jonah 3:8, 9). In response to the decree, the Ninevites repented, and God withheld His judgment.

There is hope now as there was then. God’s faithfulness, compassion, love, and forgiveness lie just beyond despair, both for individuals and nations.