Coincidence? Nope – “Big God” *Weekend Open Thread*

Football is over for now with the Patriots having taken a come-from-behind-first-ever-OT-Super Bowl game. They were not my team of choice, not by a long shot, but the Falcons, unfortunately, stopped playing their game, apparently thinking they had it in the bag. Not to mix sports metaphors or anything, but haven’t they heard the phrase that “it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings”? Uh, yeah. Well, congratulations to the Patriots – they earned it.

But it is not about the Patriots or any of their players I want to write, though I could, as the numbers are increasing of Patriots who are declining to meet President Trump. That is their right, of course, and other athletes chose not to meet with President Obama, so there is that. I dunno – I would not have been thrilled to meet either one of them really, but it is the WHITE HOUSE, after all, and the President of the United States, like him or not. Being able to go into the People’s House, and see parts of it one might not see on the tour and all would be pretty cool regardless. But hey – they are big boys – they can do as they choose.

And speaking of ‘”big boys,” Tim Tebow, former Professional football player and now baseball player, was interviewed by Harry Connick, Jr. recently about a big game in which Tebow played.

But before I get to that game, I have to say something about Tim Tebow. As many of you know, Tebow is a Christian, one whose faith is not hidden under a bushel basket but is something about which he talks openly. As a result of that, I have long contended that he got the short end of the stick by the sports media and by professional football teams. He was NEVER given the kinds of chances and opportunities to succeed that far more mediocre players who are STILL playing have gotten.

That is not hyperbole. There is proof of just how great a quarterback Tebow was compared to many other great quarterbacks. Check out some of these stats from when Tebow was playing:

[…]

Through 16 starts, Tebow has a far better touchdown pass-to-interception ratio (17 touchdowns-9 interceptions) than Peyton Manning (26-28), Brees (15-15), Stafford (28-23), Bradford (18-15), Elway (10-19), Aikman (12-25) and Young (9-16). Tebow’s rate is also better than Eli Manning’s (21-14), and the same as Aaron Rodgers’ (23-12).

According to these key factual measures of an NFL passer (wins, touchdown passes, interceptions, playoff performance) Tebow is off to a better start as an NFL passer than many of the great passing quarterbacks in NFL history. […] (Click here to read the rest.)

So, yeah – I think Tebow got a raw deal and the condescension he has gotten from many in the media as a result of his faith is just infuriating. MANY athletes are Christians and SHOW it when they play, like crossing themselves before they go up to bat, or pointing to the Heavens after scoring a td, or what have you. Why Tebow was singled out for such ridicule has always raised my ire.

But how Tebow was treated so disparately is not the point of this post. Rather, it is something that happened in a big time comeback win in the post-season when Tebow played for the Broncos. He took his team to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. And what that was is pretty wild. Some chalk it up to “coincidence.” Not Tim Tebow, though. He chalks it up to a “big God.” Check out the above-referenced interview with Harry Connick, Jr., below:

If you would prefer not to watch the video, this is the gist of what happened in that big game in which Tim Tebow wore “John 3:16” under his eyes, same as he had three years to the day before the big game. From Faith Wire:

[…]

An ecstatic Tebow was celebrating with teammates in the locker room and preparing to speak with the press, when the Broncos PR guy approached him almost too giddy to speak.

“Timmy, do you realize what happened?”

“Yeah, we just beat the Steelers and we’re going to play the Patriots!”

“No, I don’t think you realize what just happened. It’s exactly three years later from when you wore John 3:16 under your eyes. During the game you threw for 316 yards, your yards per rush were 3.16, your yards per catch were 31.6,  the ratings for the game was 31.6 and the time of possession was 31.6.”

During the game 90 million people googled John 3:16 and once again it was the #1 trending item on Facebook and Twitter. […] (Click here to read the rest.)

How wild is that? I mean, really – those numbers are just incredible. I don’t know if God is a football fan or not, or that praying to God is going to give one team the edge over another. I mean, heck – the other team is probably praying away that they are going to get the win.

But there is no denying the numbers. That would be one helluva big coincidence that on so many different levels, the numbers kept coming up with 3 – 1 – 6 in them. God may not choose favorites on the gridiron, but that doesn’t mean God can”t use a football game to get a message across. And Tm Tebow is a pretty good vehicle for spreading that message, I’d say.

So, yeah – football is done for now, and baseball is about to start (2/15 for the Yankees to meet in camp!!), but hey – a “big God” moment like that is worth a mention no matter what sporting season it is, am I right?

Lots going on – some of it is the same-o same-o as the past few weeks, like the whole travel hold thing by Trump. Yep, people are still going nuts even though they have ZERO idea about what they are being nuts:

Sigh. Those are the leaders of Tomorrow. Don’t you feel better now?

Okay. I cannot POSSIBLY leave you with something like that after the very cool “Big God” moment Tim Tebow referenced above. That would just be WRONG, especially on the weekend.

Instead, I will leave you with this message from Dr. Alveda King for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It’s a God-moment, too:

Can I have an Amen? Preach on, Dr. King, preach on!

It’s all yours now, friends. This is the Weekend Open Thread.

 

Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Dr. Alveda King, New England Patriots, President Trump, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Tim Scott, Tim Tebow