Tim Tebow, John Guest, and Steps to God: It Matters Not How It Begins

Three stories:

When I was a teenager a guest speaker came to our church one Sunday morning. His name was John Guest. He was from England, had longish hair, and was so handsome he took my breath away. I hung on his every word as I never had for our minister. I begged my parents to let me go to hear him that evening and, after his talk, he handed out copies of Good News For Modern Man, which I devoured like a novel. Reading that book made me realize for the first time that all this stuff I'd heard in Sunday school might actually be true.

A friend of mine read a book about a girl's experiences when she was high on drugs. The girl claimed to see Satan himself in her bedroom trying to kill her. This book was so terrifying for my friend that she started to believe in Satan. From there, it was only one step to believing in God. Being Jewish, she had a hard time taking the next step, which was believing in Jesus. But she took that step and her life has never been the same since.

Now the airwaves are filled with Tim Tebow and how the numbers 316 are repeated in his stats: his season-high 316 yards and setting an NFL record with 31.6 yards per completion. Because of all the attention, John 3:16 is all over the Internet.

The Holy Spirit uses every smallest opening we give Him. Whether it's a teenage girl's infatuation, fear, or a pique of interest in "coincidental" numbers. Wherever it begins, He will take us where we are and gently lead us closer until we come to the place where we realize the truth.

It doesn't really matter what is behind the Tim Tebow fascination, we know that God uses all things for His glory and our good.

Alison Winfree Pickrell was a special education teacher for 30 years in North Carolina. She has four books published by OakTara (Unto the Least of These, As Eagles, Den of Lions, The Last Cordate). www.alisonwinfreepickrell.com