“Musings” is a column-like blog written by Sports Spectrum Managing Editor Brett Honeycutt. It covers current sports issues and how they relate biblically.
*Tim Tebow is now the starter of the Denver Broncos…again. But I know that news in Tebow Nation is about as old as who won last year’s Super Bowl. Denver announced it on Tuesday after Kyle Orton’s abysmal game this past Sunday.
I’m a fan of Tebow. And, yes, it’s because he’s a Christian. But it’s really because he stands for something. He stands for Christ in the midst of adversity, and he is bold in his witness. No matter what team you root for in the NFL, you have to like someone like Tebow if you’re a believer in Christ.
*Moving to another realm of professional football. Ever heard of Anthony Calvillo? If you’re a REAL football fan, you should have heard because he just became pro football’s all-time leading passer for yards. Yes, he has more yards than Brett Favre, more yards than Peyton Manning, more yards than Hall of Famers John Elway, Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Roger Staubauch.
Still scratching your head? It’s because you don’t live in Canada or close to the border. Calvillo, from California, plays in the Canadian Football League. He set the record last week and now has 72,429 yards. Second-best is Damon Allen, who also played in the CFL and is the brother of NFL-great Marcus Allen, then Favre, Warren Moon (CFL/NFL), Marino, Doug Flutie (CFL/USFL/NFL), Manning, Danny McManus (CFL), Elway and Ron Lancaster (CFL). There are a lot of CFLers most of you probably haven’t heard about, but there’s good football north of the border. We just don’t have as many opportunities to watch it.
I had the opportunity to talk to Calvillo for a piece in our Fall 2009 issue and will be writing about him again in our first digital magazine (on Nov. 15), which will come out four times a year (in between the print editions). So, be looking for more on Calvillo and his story.
This quote is from our Fall 2009 issue concerning Calvillo’s salvation in 2000: “A good friend of mine, his wife passed away, and we were talking about life and death. It started me thinking, ‘What do I have to look forward to?’ I thought it was God touching my heart at the time and to commit myself to Him and bring me closer to Him.”
You’ll read more about Calvillo in the upcoming digital magazine on Nov. 15. Be looking for it.
* University of South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, a fifth-year senior, helped his team to a No. 15 ranking in the Associated Press poll but was kicked off the team on Tuesday. Garcia had been suspended five times before this season and failed a substance test on Oct. 4 that The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., said “indicated alcohol use.”
“He kind of made his own bed, and this is the culmination of some of those earlier mistakes,” Gary Garcia told The State newspaper.
I admire South Carolina for doing that, and I admire his father for saying what he did. South Carolina was looking toward a promising season from the team and from Garcia. Dismissing him showed that they weren’t solely concerned about the results on the field. When someone shows apathy by breaking team rules six times, well, there comes a point when you have to ask, “Do they really want to be here?” and “Is their presence hurting our team and what we’re trying to do with our players?”
Apparently, South Carolina nodded in the affirmative on both.
I pray that Stephen Garcia would see and know God if he doesn’t already, and if he does know Him that he would right the ship somehow.
ALSO:
I’m torn because I think about my life and how many chances God has given me concerning my sin. I mean, I’ve sinned more than six times. We all have. But, I also realize that I have suffered consequences for my actions, too. So, there’s a line there. As we read, though, in Psalm 136:1-26, God’s mercy endures forever. Actually, every verse ends with “for his mercy endureth forever.” The author drives home the point so we know that God loves us that much.
AND:
* Sports Illustrated recently asked NFL players who they thought was the nicest player in football. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the top five listed in the poll all proclaim Christ? I think not. Those players were: Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers), Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints), Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts), Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) and Matt Hasselbeck (Tennessee Titans).
Matthew 7:15-20 says, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Sports Illustrated also revealed that their Facebook fan poll had Tim Tebow as the top choice. We know his faith in Christ has been well-written about, so people really do pay attention, and it’s a reminder that we can make an impact with our actions.
Read Brett Honeycutt’s “Airing it Out” column in Sports Spectrum, and follow him on Twitter – @Brett_Honeycutt
