"For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders.
He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
- Isaiah 9:6

"If you believe, then unbelievable things can sometimes be possible." Those were the words spoken by Denver Bronco quarterback, Tim Tebow following another unlikely victory, this time a 13-10 overtime win over the Chicago Bears. Matt Prater's 59-yard field goal with 3 seconds left in regulation tied the game and his 51-yarder in overtime gave the Bronco's their sixth straight victory and seventh in the last eight games. While the "talking heads" of sports media try to explain him and NFL players disrespect him, Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos simply keep winning. Much of the conversation during this winning streak has shifted from Tebow's athletic ability to his Christian faith. The questions sound something like this, "Why is Tim Tebow always making references to Jesus Christ" or "Does Tim Tebow really think God favors the Broncos"?

Tebow answers the first question this way, "If you're married and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love you' the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity you have? I look at it as a relationship in which I want to give God the honor and glory anytime I have the opportunity." Tim Tebow loves God. It is only natural that this love is shared with those who come in contact with him. Funny thing about love, when you love somebody or something, you just have to tell somebody. The second question can be answered by going to Tebow's personal webpage and reading a favorite quote by Tim Notke, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." We can all agree that Tim Tebow is not the most "gifted" athlete, but there is something in Tebow's makeup that gives his teammates and others "hope". Webster defines hope this way, "to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment." The Denver Broncos expect to win not because God favors them, but because they believe in themselves and the value of hard work.

As we move closer to December 25th, I pray we are focused on the true meaning of Christmas. May we never forget that Jesus Christ came into the world to give us hope. He is our Wonderful Counselor, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. When circumstances appear unexplainable, it is our hope in Jesus that sustains us.

"Lord, help me to never give up on You. Give me courage to resist the temptation to quit. Help me live a life of faith that points others to You. Amen."