A God of Second Chances

Tebowmania is back.

On June 11 the New England Patriots put smiles on every single ESPN executive when they announced the signing of the most polarizing sports athlete on the face of the planet – Tim Tebow.

You may recall that Tebow spent most of last year anguishing on the New York Jets bench as he watched incumbent QB Mark Sanchez lose game after game while setting the league record for most turnovers.

Tebow was erroneously told when he signed with the Jets that he would have the opportunity to compete for the starting QB job. He never got the chance because of his unorthodox style of play (he is a run first quarterback with below average throwing ability) and was released by the Jets just a few weeks ago.

It was being reported after his release that he assumed his football playing days were over and was considering a career in broadcasting.

A tough place to be for Tebow who as a collegiate player at Florida University won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and the BCS National Championship in 2007 and 2009. It was then that he became known for his Christian faith which permeated his life – he often thanked Jesus Christ after every game, a tradition he continues today. 

After graduating, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. During the 2011 season he was inserted into the Broncos line up and asked to help resurrect a team that began the season 1-4. He won 7 of his first 8 games, many in dramatic fashion and propelled the Broncos to the AFC West division title and a wild card playoff win over the Pittsburg Steelers.

It appeared that Tebow would remain the starter in Denver at season’s end until the Indianapolis Colts decided to release QB Peyton Manning, the league’s only four-time MVP. Denver put its hat into the ring and won the Manning sweepstakes which sent Tebow packing to New York.

After a season to forget in New York, Tebow passed through NFL waivers and was not signed by any team. This prompted Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon to say that Tebow was not only finished playing in the NFL but that he also would not be a fit for the Canadian football league either because of his inability to throw the football at a professional level.  

Just when things looked bleak, his football career seemingly over after just three short seasons, football expert after football expert telling him he can't throw, ESPN talking heads gleefully discussing the demise of his flash pan career –  in walks Tebow’s white horse – Bill Belichick.

Most in the football universe consider New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick to be the best coach of his era with three Super Bowl trophies and the highest winning percentage in the NFL since 2001.

When news of the signing first broke, NFL analysts were shocked. Many thought it was an Internet joke. Not only was Tebow back in the NFL, the Patriots signed him as their third string QB which means he has the chance to compete to back up Tom Brady, the best QB of his generation.

How did all this happen? Many say it was because Belichick likes players who are versatile and can do more than one thing well on the football field. Others believe it was Josh McDaniels, the Patriots Offensive Coordinator who wanted Tebow because he was the one that drafted him in 2010 when he was Head Coach of the Broncos.

While these reasons have merit, I believe Tebow was signed because God gave him a second chance to play the sport he loves.

What is infinitely more interesting about Tebow other than his topsy turvy football career is his faith. Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines, to American parents who were serving as Baptist missionaries at the time. He is the youngest of five children, all of whom were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family's Christian beliefs along the way.

If you have had a chance to listen to any of Tebow’s interviews you would know that he puts Jesus Christ first in his life. He has become famously known for “Tebowing”, his touchdown celebration in which he kneels to pray after scoring. The NFL became enamored with him because of his unconventional style of play and his beliefs.

Tebow is a Christian first, pro football player second. Not an easy life to balance especially in a society where so many hate the Christian faith and the religious right is clamoring for someone to represent them.

But here is Tebow. On Monday he was out of football. On Tuesday he was signed by the premier  franchise in football. An amazing second chance granted from the God of second chances.

Is your life looking hopeless today? Is everyone calling you a failure?

Don’t believe it.

Take heart in a God that says He knows what you need before you even ask.
Take refuge in a God that whispers, “I will never leave you or forsake you."
Take confidence in a God that promises you a future and a hope.

And know that what is impossible with men IS possible with God.

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"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23)

The 21st Century … and God

The God Delusion
God is Not Great
God: The Failed Hypothesis
God Needs to Go
How the West Really Lost God
Is God a Moral Monster?
God, Are You There?

These are just some of the titles one will find in the Christian section of any bookstore. As a society, we seem to be struggling with the concept of God in our modern world and how He fits into our frantic, computerized lives.

“Our parents never saw this coming,” declares, Jeremy Lallier, writer for Vertical Thought magazine which strives to offer relevant content to help young people ages 12-22 discover and live God's way of life. “They grew up in a world where people stretched a dollar as far as they could, and when something ripped, they put a patch on it and kept going. Most of their parents or grandparents remember living through the Great Depression, where just having anything, no matter how old, was a big deal.”

Fast forward to 2013 where information that is more than ten minutes old is irrelevant. Everything has gotten faster, sleeker, and more expensive. My word processor (remember those?) from college would be outperformed by most cell phones today.

When it comes to an eternal God and His Word which is thousands of years old, people take the same view of Him as their six month old electronic device – ancient history.

“The argument almost makes sense on the surface,” Lallier surmises. “After all, everything changes, doesn't it? Societal values shift across distance and time. What was acceptable dress in 14th-century Japan would likely be frowned upon in a 21st-century American business meeting. So it only makes sense that right and wrong, like all things societal, would change as a culture does.

But truth is not a suit. It is not an outfit to be mixed and matched, discarded and replaced to keep in step with the latest trends. It's an unchanging constant unaltered by time or culture.”

All of us believe in the laws of physics – gravity, inertia, relativity – because if we break them the consequences would be dire. But yet we bristle at the idea of unchanging moral laws. We don’t want to be told that we can’t abort our babies or marry who we want, but yet the outcome of such actions will have a predetermined effect. God tells us that if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption (Galatians 6:8).

The Bible is not just a book of rules written by old men once upon a time. “What the Bible offers is a guidebook to interactions – with people, with things, with life in general,” Lallier asserts. “Rather than leave you to figure out the spiritual equivalent of walking off a cliff on your own, the Word of God lays out all the principles you'll ever need to make the important decisions in your life. In its pages, you'll find a thorough examination of what makes for a good idea and what makes for a terrible one.

The Bible deals with questions like:

- What do you do when you're faced with an interpersonal conflict? (See Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15-17)

- How should you treat the most important relationships in your life? (See Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4)

- How can you put your foot down on an issue and still show compassion? (See Luke 17:3; Proverbs 10:12)

It also deals with character traits worth developing (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 2 Peter 1:5-8); habits worth avoiding (Proverbs 6:9-19); friends worth having (Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-10), and maybe a thousand other things essential to getting the most out of this life and the next. Study its words for a lifetime, and you won't stop uncovering wisdom until your final breath.”

But most importantly, it deals with eternal life and how one can obtain it by having his/her sins forgiven by Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.

“Sure, the Bible is old,” Lallier admits. “But old doesn't automatically mean obsolete, contrary to everything our culture would have us believe.”

I am not a naïve person. I test out everything in my life. I have tested my faith. I have put God’s Words into motion and have seen the benefits. Might I challenge you to do the same?

It may surprise you to know that the Bible is the most commented on book that has never been read. So many people have a position on the Bible and yet have never read it. Don’t base your chance at happiness in this life – or the next – on someone else’s opinions. Read it for yourself, put it into practice, and watch your life change – for the better.

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“Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” - Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 3:16)

An Uncommon Act of Kindness

A cup of water given to the thirsty; food offered to the hungry; clothes donated to the naked; a visit made to the sick, imprisoned or lonely. These are the uncommon acts of kindness that Jesus uses as His litmus test for genuine faith as found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25.

None of these acts are miraculous in nature and can be done by anyone, anywhere at any time. They are not limited to social or financial status, gender or ethnic background. Quite simply, the acts themselves are cloaked in love.

Such an uncommon act of kindness was performed Monday night at AT&T Park in San Francisco by Matt Kemp, the centerfield for the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kemp was informed during the game that a fan of his was in attendance. But this was not your typical Dodgers fan. It was a boy named Joshua Jones, who is battling cancer which has left him in a wheelchair and unable to speak.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, when the game ended – Kemp had made the last out in a loss, the Dodgers' fourth in a row – he walked over to Joshua in the stands not knowing that he was being videotaped by a spectator ... “Kemp reaches out to shake the Joshua's hand, and instead he gets a baseball, which the boy had in his right hand. Seated below field level, the boy looks with wide eyes as Kemp signs the baseball. The boy beams silently. Kemp returns the ball and then, in a ballpark full only a few minutes before, as onlookers laugh and cheer, Kemp removes his cap and hands it to the boy. He pulls his jersey – No. 27 – over his head and hands that, too, over the rail. And he unties his cleats, pulls off the right and then the left, and gives them to the boy so that his lap is piled with most of Matt Kemp's uniform.”

“It's just something I felt probably would have cheered him up a little bit,” Kemp said. “Help him out a little bit. I just did it. Hopefully that made that kid's day.”

Often, I will hear people say where is God today? Where is our Emmanuel – God is with us?

God was there at AT&T Park after the game ended and the stands emptied. He was there – ministering through Matt Kemp to an ailing boy. And He seeks to minister through us too.

Many Christians feel they cannot be used by God because they are not rich, famous, smart, eloquent, or good-looking. But God tells us in I Corinthians 1:26-29, “that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

God is not looking for the wise and noble. He is looking for you and me.

Kemp saw a need that only he could meet and when no one was watching, with his team sitting in last place in the National League West division, he met that need. Joshua Jones may only live a little while longer but he will forever have Kemp’s kindness stamped on his heart. This IS the gospel. God’s hands outstretched on the cross begging us to come and receive His love and then bidding us to extend that love to others.

Often professional athletes are rightfully labeled as selfish and egotistical – not Matt Kemp. I do not know if he is a Christian but on Monday, May 6 at AT&T Park he passed Jesus’ litmus test for genuine faith.

Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity, an organization that is now present in more than 133 countries helping to care for children, the sick and the elderly, described her work with the poor and impoverished this way, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

I think Matt Kemp’s uncommon act of kindness would have made her smile.

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“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

Tiny Graces, God IN Us

“For we do not have a High Priest [Jesus] who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

The terrorist attacks in Boston last week — the first in its long history — sent shock waves through the community. Their visual and visceral impact will stay with its citizens for years to come. Amid the shock, grief and anger, questions of God’s involvement or lack thereof have inevitably surfaced.

Where was God? Why did He let this happen? Does God care?

Within the chaos, the mayhem, the senseless deaths and injuries, if you looked close enough you could see Jesus. In fact ... He was everywhere.

I saw Jesus' heart ... in the heroic men and women rushing to minister to those injured by the explosion – putting their own safety at risk to help the wounded and the frightened by offering whatever they could – a bandage, a cell phone, a cup of orange juice … a hug.

I saw the feet of Jesus ... at the finish line as throngs of marathon runners who, once they finished the race, kept running to Mass General Hospital to donate blood. So many came to donate that the Red Cross had to turn some of them away offering the following tweet of gratitude, “Thanks to the generosity of volunteer blood donors, there is currently enough blood on the shelves to meet demand. TY! RedCrossEasternMA.”

I heard Jesus’ voice ... at the TD Banknorth Garden as more than 18,000 Boston Bruins fans sang one of the most poignant renditions of the national anthem in the history of our country.

I saw Jesus disguised ... as a police officer carrying two gallons of milk to a family in Watertown who had run out but were ordered to stay in their homes as law enforcement officials conducted a manhunt in their town. And it was in the arms of a police officer that the children, who lived in the Watertown home where the perpetuator, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hiding, were carried to safety.

I saw Jesus’ hands ... among all the Boston hospital care workers who were asked to work tirelessly around the clock for days and days caring for the nearly 300 people who were wounded. In particular, the Beth Israel medical staff who were asked to care for the bleeding and nearly unconscious Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after his arrest. Doctors and nurses tending to the very man that just a few days prior had bombed the city with his brother. Yes, Jesus was there ... in His scrubs.

As countless numbers of local and state policeman, military, and FBI agents came together in perfect unity to protect a city, Jesus was there ... in their midst ... as where there is unity the second person of the Triune Godhead is present.

It is easy during a time of sudden destruction and disarray to wonder where God is. We would do well to heed the advice of Fred Rodgers from the 60’s iconic children’s show Mister Rodgers Neighborhood. In his, The Mister Rogers Parenting Book he offers this sage counsel to parents trying to explain tragedies to their children, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’"

I would take this advice one step further. When you see scary things look for Jesus. He is there in the common everyday people who are administering His grace and love to others in a time of need.

Where was God? He was there in Boston on April 15. He was there in every runner that finished that race at a Red Cross donation center, every spectator that bent down to help someone, every law enforcement officer that put his/her life on the line, every hospital worker that bandaged a wound, and every person who uttered a prayer.

Quite simply ... Jesus was everywhere. 
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10 Touching Acts of Kindness at the Boston Marathon 

Justice ... Interrupted

So, here we are. Forty years since women won the right to abort their babies and we sit on the precipice of another watershed ruling from the Supreme Court. On the docket this time: same-sex marriage.

“This is the new calamity,” laments evangelical John Piper. “Christians, more clearly than others, can see the tidal wave of pain that is on the way. Sin carries in it its own misery.” 

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh believes we got to this point due to linguistics, “I maintain to you that we lost the issue when we started allowing the word ‘marriage’ to be bastardized and redefined by simply adding words to it – because marriage is one thing, and it was not established on the basis of discrimination. It wasn’t established on the basis of denying people anything … Marriage is not a tradition that a bunch of people concocted to be mean to other people with. But we allowed the left to have people believe that it was structured that way.”

When the Supreme Court hears all the evidence to determine whether it should legalize same-sex marriage, the justices will be working in the shadow of a 40-year-old decision: Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion. “They thought they were resolving a contentious issue by taking it out of the political process but ended up perpetuating it,” John C. Eastman, the chairman of the National Organization for Marriage and a law professor at Chapman University, said of the justices who decided the abortion case. “The lesson they should draw is that when you are moving beyond the clear command of the Constitution, you should be very hesitant about shutting down a political debate.”

We are at a major crossroads in the history of humanity as this decision looms. Homosexuality has always existed since man has walked the earth and women have always had the right to do whatever they want to their own bodies – pregnant or not. However, no one before us saw the need to legalize either act.

It is time to face the facts. We live in an era where the number one cause of death is no longer a disease. More than 50 million babies are aborted annually worldwide by conservative estimates. This is roughly the population of England. We are killing a nation of people every year. Let that sink in for a moment. An entire nation … every year.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we are on the verge of legalizing a union between two adults that cannot procreate.

Many Christians say if gay marriage is legalized then God’s judgment will fall. I say it is already here. Murder on one end; inability to procreate on the other. If you do the math that equals annihilation. God needs to do nothing.

The reality that these two rulings could potentially occur 40 years apart is worrisome as the number 40 in the Bible is used by God to represent a period of testing or judgment. The 40 days of rain in the days of the flood were the judgments of God. The 40 years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness were also the judgments of God. Egypt was left desolate for 40 years because of God's judgments.

Abortion was passed with the expressed purpose of “helping” women safely terminate a pregnancy if their life was in danger or if they were a victim of rape or incest. Today, 86 percent of abortions are performed out of convenience. Planned Parenthood views abortion as an alternative contraceptive and offers an abortion pill that women can take at home to end a pregnancy within the first nine weeks. It is one of the most routinely performed surgeries worldwide and is as common as an appendectomy. I think we can agree we have seen God’s judgments within all the ugliness that is abortion.

Yet, what have we learned?  Not much. Even Boy George, the English singer-songwriter of the 80’s mega pop band “Culture Club” and open homosexual admits that marriage is “probably too conservative for most gays.” But the cry rings out to legalize a union that God calls an abomination.

We are treading on dangerous ground. We are reaping what we are sowing and the harvest is corruption.

Nevertheless, there are no signs of the gay marriage movement slowing down. With that, I echo John Piper’s closing sentiments on this issue, “This is what I am writing for. Not political action, but love for the name of God and compassion for the city of destruction. 'My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law (Psalm 119:136).'”