After a relatively quiet few months on the same-sex marriage front, activists in both Washington state and New Jersey have expressed a strong desire to push for legalization via their respective legislatures.

In Washington, some leading giants in corporate America have taken sides. Regrettably, Starbucks, Microsoft and Nike have all expressed strong support for what they view as “marriage equality” even though it’s anything but. As I and others have expressed on numerous occasions, same-sex marriage activists are striving to redefine, not equalize, a multi-millennial institution.

Perhaps one of the most startling statements this week comes from an openly homosexual New Jersey Assemblyman named Reed Gusciora. As quoted in Wednesday’s New York Times, Mr. Gusciora acknowledged that when put to the American people, same-sex marriage is a losing proposition.

“It’s a hard dynamic to win at the polls,” he said. “At the end of the day, gays are a minority and they can’t match the crazies, who are out there and really motivated to vote against it.”

So, there you have it.

According to Mr. Gusciora, tens of millions of Americans are crazy.

We’re crazy because we hold to the same position on marriage that President Obama took during the 2008 campaign.

We’re crazy because we believe in the biblical blueprint of one-man, one-woman marriage.

We’re crazy because we believe that every child deserves to grow up with a mom and a dad.

We’re crazy because we believe in the veracity of the very best available social science on the matter, which currently indicates that children do best on every level when they grow up with their own married mother and father. And by “every level” we’re talking about their health, happiness, education, avoidance of crime, poverty, premarital sex and drugs. 

We’re crazy…because we don’t agree with Mr. Gusciora.

That’s OK.

Call me crazy. Call me a fool.

Just call me a crazy fool for Christ (1 Corinthians 4:10-13).

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It’s always painful to watch another person hang their head in shame, even if it’s over a non-critical issue like a fumble or a shanked field goal in the NFL playoffs.

So, when the Baltimore Ravens’ Billy Cundiff missed wide to the left against the New England Patriots and the 49ers Kyle Williams fumbled his second punt return of the game against the New York Giants this past Sunday, many of us winced.

That’s because most of us don’t like to see another person hurting. We feel for the guy who makes the big mistake in the big game. Perhaps it’s because deep down we know we’re likewise faulted and prone to doing the same kind of thing within our own little world.

Kyle Williams fumbles footballs. I’m prone to fumbling for the right words to comfort my wife when times turn tough. Billy Cundiff’s kick missed the mark at the wrong moment. I’ve been known to kick a problem down the road. My intentions may have been good, but something slipped at the very last moment.

The only difference between me and the two latest NFL “goats” is that millions of people aren’t watching me blow it in prime time.

Can you relate in your own life?

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, men and women have been fumbling their way through life. Even the most upright (no pun intended) slip and stumble, which is why Jesus had to come and die to save us from our sins.

We are faulted and imperfect. We can’t do it alone.

Sadly, both Cundiff and Williams have received death threats from obviously troubled people. Fortunately, others have given them what every Christian considers one of the greatest of all gifts:

Grace.

Williams’ own teammate, tight end Delanie Walker, stood up for his friend in the aftermath of the loss:

“We all lost this game … We play as a team — it’s 45 of us out there. It’s not Kyle’s fault, so don’t go over there and act like it is. Cause it’s not.”

That’s a good friend and a generous gesture. But as good as that gift of human grace may feel, it pales in comparison to the grace and love Christ offers all who come to Him.

There are no second chances this season for Cundiff and Williams. Not so for the Christian.

Ours is the God of the second and third and fourth chance. He will lift up the weary. He will give strength to the weak.

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” said He.

Have you felt like a “goat” lately? Have you dropped the ball or blown a kick? Are you in need of a second chance? It’s only through the Lord that we can recover the fumbles of life. After all, it is He who has come to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10).

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At the start of the weekend it seems appropriate to broach the subject of movies. Our Plugged In team receives thousands of emails each year, asking a variety of entertainment-related questions. I’d like to share one which we received recently:

In your movie ratings you include a section labeled “profanity.”  I have a particular problem when the Name of Jesus is used as a cuss word….My question is this: Is it a sin to watch a movie where Jesus Name is used this way? Or is it proper to keep in mind that evil characters are just being true to their character? It’s easy to justify because I’m not using His Name in that manner, yet at the same time I wonder if I am dishonoring Him by continuing to watch a movie that does so.

Here’s how Bob Waliszewski, the director of our Plugged In ministry here at Focus, responded.

He wrote:

Great question! For me, hearing Jesus’ Name abused as a profanity is like fingernails down a chalkboard! But does that mean that if I willingly go to a movie with full knowledge the dialogue utilizes a misuse of our Savior’s Name that I’m sinning?

I know without a shadow of a doubt that speaking Jesus’ Name as if it were a profanity is wrong. But the person who sent this email recognizes that as well. Her point is, “Hey, it’s not me using it. I’m just watching it. Is it sinful?”

I’ll be honest, I struggle over whether or not it’s a sin to watch a movie that abuses our Savior’s Name in this fashion. However, applying the WWJD? principle to the question (something I highly promote when I speak publicly on media discernment), it seems likely that if Jesus were walking the planet physically today with his 12 disciples, and if Peter or John asked the question, He would advise against it.

Now that may seem a bit wishy-washy to those who want a definite yes or no. I wish I could find the answer in the Bible--you know II Hezekiah 3:16, the one that reads, “Thou shalt not watch a movie or listen to a song or play a video game that misuses my Name as if it were a swear word.” But it’s simply not there.

Still God hasn’t been silent on the issue. Let me remind you that when the Creator of the Universe narrowed down all life’s rules to a list of 10, He etched on a stone tablet (twice), “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” [Exodus 20:7)

I find it incredibly frustrating, even sickening, that Hollywood’s writers and actors seem to care so little about this third Commandment. But equally troubling is that many Christians today ignore—or have forgotten—how important God’s Name is!

Is it a big deal? Now, that’s a question I can comfortably answer. I’ve already mentioned the 10 Commandments. Now, let’s go back in time to Moses day and imagine asking this Jewish leader whether or not it really matters. Let’s assume we catch up with Moses shortly after he returns from his 40 day stay on Mount Sinai. It’s hard to imagine Moses responding to our inquiry with: “Well, misuses of God’s Name are rampant these days so just get used to hearing ‘em. With regards to the 10 Commandments, I think Yahweh was pretty serious about nine of them. But this one about His Name, not so much.”

Bob concluded:

I’m currently reading a book about a woman from England who explored much of Colorado by herself on horseback in 1873. Referencing one particular Colorado frontier town and about America in general during that time, Isabella Bird remarks, “Americans are given over to the most atrocious swearing, and the blasphemous use of our Savior’s name is peculiarly revolting.” [A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, Isabella Bird, pg. 188]

More than one hundred years later, I agree completely with Ms. Bird: the blasphemous use of our Savior’s name is peculiarly revolting. As such, when it comes to film, I believe simply saying no (or watching on a ClearPlay machine that edits out objectionable content) seems to be the most Christ-honoring approach overall.

**

Thanks for your thoughtful and God honoring perspective, Bob. How we choose to spend our time and what we choose to invest our precious time in is a reflection of how we view the creator of the universe. And though it’s true the Bible is silent on the specifics of movie choices, it’s helpful to know that the Lord’s Word is clear on just how important it is to honor and respect His name.

I welcome your thoughts.

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There wasn't a lot of celebrating Saturday night in our home state of Colorado, but there was definitely – as Luke 15:7 promises – "rejoicing in heaven." Our beloved Denver Broncos lost a heartbreaker to the New England Patriots, but that result is really inconsequential when souls are won for Christ.

And that's precisely what happened during the AFC Divisional Playoffs. How do we know? Because people told us.

They were responding to a 30-second commercial from Focus on the Family aired during the game. The spot, featuring children reciting John 3:16, had one simple purpose:  to share with the game's national TV audience – which numbered more than 33 million -- the meaning of that precious Scripture that is the essence of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

You probably heard that after Broncos quarterback and bold Christian Tim Tebow passed for 316 yards in his previous week's playoff upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was a worldwide Internet scramble to find out what John 3:16, his favorite Bible verse, meant.

Knowing an estimated 100 million people had engaged their curiosity on the meaning of the passage, we whipped up an ad so fans wouldn't have to go look up the verse for Saturday's game. ("Whipped up," by the way, is the perfect description of the spot, which was conceived, cast, shot, produced and delivered to CBS in, give or take a few percentage points, about 3.16 days).

The commercial was broadcast a few minutes into the second quarter, during what the Nielsen Co. says was the half-hour time segment of the game with the highest ratings. What happened afterward was powerful evidence of Isaiah 55:11: God's Word does not come back void.

Within minutes, "John 3:16" and "Focus on the Family" were among the hottest topics on the powerhouse social-media sites Facebook and Twitter (where former pro quarterback Kurt Warner was among those who shared it with his followers). On Google, both phrases were searched for by millions, with "Focus on the Family" remaining one of the Top 10 most-looked-up terms for nearly 24 hours. Our Web site, where the ad was (and still is) available to watch and share, received more than 8,000 visits per minute at its peak.

National news outlets like USA Today, The Washington Post and the Fox News Channel have reported on the ad. With pretty much every online story or blog written about it, the commercial itself has been imbedded, helping it "go viral," as they say in the world of cyberspace. By every measure commonly used to assess the effectiveness of an advertisement, it has been a runaway success.

But, for us, this was more than an advertisement. It was an investment -- in the Kingdom of God. And that investment has and, we pray, will continue to pay eternal benefits.

The overwhelmingly positive response to the ad, and the understanding of what its real meaning is, can be seen in this post from Facebook: "Did anyone see the commercial with the children quoting John 3:16. What a message to be seen by everyone watching the play-off game on CBS. That is where Christian dollars should be spent so people who are not saved (know) Christ died for them regardless of what they have done just that they accept Him and Believe!!! How Awesome and Amazing!!!!!!

Then there was the woman who left this comment on a blog when she stopped by to look around our Web site after seeing the spot: "Thanks for running the John 3:16 ad during the Broncos/Patriots game. My husband is not a believer, but he was so taken by those precious kids that he became emotional watching it. Thanks for reaching out in such a warm, compassionate way."

What touched us most, though, was this simple tweet from a man watching the game with his family: "Both my sons just saw your commercial and gave their lives to Christ as a result. Thank you. #John316"

You may think of Focus on the Family first and foremost as helping couples strengthen their marriages, raise happy, healthy children and engage the culture with biblical truth. Those are all important priorities for us, to be sure, and we're humbled and honored by the opportunities the Lord has given us for 35 years to help families thrive in these areas. But our overriding aim, as a Christian ministry, is to share the Gospel of Christ. Offering family advice is not enough. To make a real, everlasting difference, we have to introduce people to the Author of family.

We are so thankful the Lord has allowed us to augment the ways we do that every day with this commercial, and we pray it continues to reveal to those who see it that some numbers are more important than the ones on the scoreboard.

TO WATCH THE COMMERCIAL, CLICK HERE

ALSO THIS WEEK:   A Deathbed Blessing   How to Get Along with People   Religious Liberty Victory at Supreme Court

The Washington Post's On Faith blog recently invited Focus on the Family's Esther Fleece to weigh-in on Tim Tebow mania. I'm delighted to share her excellent piece with you:

Tim Tebow’s good news

By Esther Fleece

No, God is not a Denver Broncos fan – certainly not in the sense of the people who paint their faces half orange and half blue and cheer on the home team at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. So Sunday’s exciting-as-it-was-unlikely playoff win over the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers was not, in any way that would suggest the creator of the universe picks sides in a football game, an “act of divine intervention.”

But that doesn’t mean His name wasn’t glorified in the Broncos’ 29-23 victory led by quarterback Tim Tebow, whose unconventional playing style and uncompromising expressions of his Christian faith have made him one of the NFL’s top stories this season.

I’ve been to plenty of football games – some of my dearest friends in the world are the families of former Detroit Lion and Bronco Luther Elliss and former Bronco and Atlanta Falcon Jason Elam – but I’ve never experienced anything like I did Sunday. Yes, the action on the field was thrilling – but it is the discussions in the stands I’ll remember, which will have real impact long after the details of yet another “Tebow Time” comeback have faded.

As an evangelical Christian, like Tebow, I am called to share my faith with others – that’s why we call it the “good news.” Sometimes, that can be a daunting responsibility – the Bible tells us that the way of Jesus can be offensive to those who don’t know Him. But there was an openness to hearing the Gospel all around me and my friends Sunday, as complete strangers asked us, in the midst of the game’s tensest moments, if we “pray like Tebow does” when circumstances turn challenging. (This is as good a place as any to point out that Tebow is hardly the only, or even the most outspoken, follower of Christ in pro football. Devout Christians suit up every weekend for every team in the NFL.)

Tim Tebow himself, as humble as he is, would likely be the first person to reject what I’m about to say, but as a Christian football fan living in Colorado, I can’t help but think that the “platform” God has given him – for which he always expresses thanks in interviews – makes him a little like John the Baptist. In the Bible, John the Baptist comes to prepare the people of Judea for Jesus’ arrival, as “a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” (John 1:7-8). In other words, Tim Tebow isn’t the Messiah (it’s actually quite sacrilegious to even joke that he is), but he takes every opportunity presented him to point people to the Messiah.

Anecdotes of how Tebow has done this could cover a football field. A caller to a Denver talk show several weeks back said he was at the Broncos-Bears game on Dec. 11, and when it appeared there was no way the team could win he turned to his friend and said, “If we pull this out, I’m going to church.” The team did pull it out, in overtime, and he told the radio host was going to keep his end of the bargain and attend a worship service.

After the win over the Steelers, the social media world began lighting up with the fact that Tebow had thrown for 316 yards – as in John 3:16. A friend posted this fact on his Facebook page, not to prove that God roots for Denver, but in the hope that some of his friends who did not know Jesus might look the verse up and learn more about God’s goodness and plan for salvation. Sure enough, one of his friends did just that. And John 3:16, like it did when Tebow scribbled it into his eyeblack during his days at the University of Florida, became one of the Internet’s top search terms again.

Now it’s on to New England for the Broncos, where they’ll take on the Patriots in another game the “experts” are giving them little chance of winning. That means another week of Tebow talk, some from him, mostly about him, with additional opportunities for every day believers to plant seeds of the Gospel and no shortage of opinions about whether he’s right or wrong to be “mixing religion with football.”

Interestingly, that discussion will happen as Tebow leads his team in pursuit of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the NFL’s highest honor, named for the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who said this in a May 1964 speech to the First Friday Club of Los Angeles:

“When we place our dependence in God, we are unencumbered, and we have no worry. In fact, we may even be reckless, insofar as our part in the production is concerned. This confidence, this sureness of action, is both contagious and an aid to the perfect action.

“The rest is in the hands of God -- and this is the same God, gentlemen, who has won all of His battles up to now.”

And those are the eternal victories Tim Tebow understands matter more than anything that happens on a football field.

Esther Fleece is assistant to the president for millennial relations at Focus on the Family. Follow her on Twitter @EstherFleece.

We’ve all seen the ads: Pro sports star wins a huge game, and in the ensuing celebratory bedlam encounters a camera and a voice behind it that says, “You’ve just won the biggest game of your career. What’s next?”

The answer, a stroke of marketing genius by the House That Walt Built: “I’m going to DisneyWorld.”

But Tim Tebow – if we’ve learned anything at all about him by now – is not your typical NFL star. The young man known on the field for orchestrating thrilling last-minute comebacks for his Denver Broncos, and off the field for his uncompromising Christian faith, got the well-worn “How does it feel?” question after the team’s astonishing overtime win against the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. And his response had nothing to do with a theme park – and not much to do with winning his first-ever NFL playoff game.

“Football is amazing. We love it. We're so passionate about it,” Tebow said in his postgame news conference Sunday. “But the real win, at least I would say today, is being able to comfort a girl who has gone through 73 surgeries before the game and get a chance to go hang out with her now.

“That's the biggest win of the day. They're both exciting, but that's what I'm even more proud of."

The quarterback was talking about Bailey Knaub, a high-schooler from Loveland, Colo., suffering from granulomatosis, a rare vascular disorder that has cost her a lung. She got the VIP treatment at Sports Authority Field at Mile High courtesy of the W15H Program (the “Wish” Program, with Tebow’s uniform number standing in for the “I” and “S”), just one of many charitable outreaches of Tebow’s nonprofit foundation.

“After warm-up, he walked over to me and gave me the football and said we'd talk after they won the game and he'd sign the football later," Bailey told her hometown newspaper. “He talked to me for like a minute, and he called me by name. I was almost squealing I was so happy."

We talk a lot at Focus on the Family about the need, as Christians, to live lives equally steeped in orthodoxy (the study of God’s Word) and orthopraxy (the doing of His Word). The Bible’s exhortations to care for the less fortunate, to consider others greater than ourselves, to lay down our lives for the sake of a friend, are not merely or even primarily instructive historical stories. They’re modern-day, everyday responsibilities for us as believers – and the example Tim Tebow sets in living up to those responsibilities is far more important than anything he accomplishes on a football field.

• Bailey Knaub might be the most well-known of the children and young adults helped by the W15H Program. but she’s hardly the only one. Among the others honored this year by the outreach that receives about 600 letters from needy kids per week:

• Woody Roseland, 21, of Denver, who met Tebow before the Broncos’ Sept. 12 home opener against the Oakland Raiders. Struck by cancer at 16, Roseland has overcome many obstacles, including being diagnosed with the disease on five occasions.

• Garrett Atwood, 16, of Winter Springs, Fla., diagnosed in September 2010 with a life-threatening illness known as arteriovenous malformation, a disease that affects the connections of the arteries and veins. Following his diagnosis, Atwood was hospitalized for two and a half months and endured several weeks of rehab just to learn how to walk and talk again. On Oct 23, before Denver’s road game against the Miami Dolphins, he met his hero.

Adam Hubbs, 16, of St. Louis, who always dreamed playing in front of thousands as a pro football player. In 2008, though, he was diagnosed with a rare life-threatening blood disorder. Hubbs has faced many medical battles in the years since then, including being in a coma for five weeks and suffering a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. But on Oct. 9, before the Broncos’ home game against the San Diego Chargers, he finally had that opportunity to step on the pro field he had always dreamed of – alongside Tebow.

It’s hard to remember a time when the nation’s attention was as fixed – not just in the sports pages but on the news pages as well – on a single football player the way it has been on Tim Tebow this season. How refreshing, and how challenging for his fellow believers, that as all this craziness is swirling around him, his attention is focused on putting feet to his faith – even when they aren’t carrying him toward the goal line.

ALSO THIS WEEK:  Monday: Will You? Do You?   Tuesday: Six Steps to a Fulfilling Day  Thursday: Cal Thomas: Angel Unaware

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