Jeremy Lin's faith and success

OK, I just finished watching Jeremy Lin lead the Knicks to another thrilling win over the Mavs.  Lin had 28 pts, 14 assists, 5 steals while logging 46 minutes, and he hit a big 3 pointer over Dirk to seal the victory.  So much has been written about him in the past 2 weeks that there's likely not much I can add that you haven't already heard, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the rise of this new star in the NBA.

My favorite part of Lin's story is his strong faith and the opportunity he has to share it on such a big stage for the world to see - playing in the world's most famous basketball arena, Madison Square Garden in NYC.  I loved Jeremy's post-game quotes the other night after the game winning shot he made in Toronto, calling his rags-to-riches story "a miracle from God":

"Anytime something like this happens, a lot of stuff has to be put into place, and a lot of it is out of my control.  If you look back at my story, doesn't mater where you look, but God's fingerprints are all over the place.  You can try to call it coincidence, but at the end of the day, there are 20, 30 things when you combine them all that had to happen at the right time in order for me to be here.  That's why I call it a miracle."

While I don't believe God favors certain sports teams and athletic achievements, I do believe God has raised Jeremy up giving him the opportunity to shine his light and highlight his basketball skills on the court.  I pray for Jeremy's continued success; that he is not overwhelmed by his new-found superstar status, and that he is not derailed by those who may try to bring him down for whatever reason.  I pray that he is able to be a bold witness for Jesus, and his story influences many others to follow Christ.  Our world needs more stories like his.

I encourage you to read this great essay detailing Lin's rise to stardom and his influence on today's culture  Denison Forum on Truth and Culture    

The closing paragraphs in the attached link talk about the influence both Lin and Tim Tebow have had in sharing their faith publicly.  We are called to be salt and light in this world, and my pastor Shane Stanford often closes his messages with a reminder that goes something like this, "Remember, God's going to angle the path of someone into your path who needs to hear the good news, and I hope that they'll find in each of us generous friends and that they'll see a difference.  Go into the world and be salt and light."