The Good folks at Tebow’s Eye Black are asking you to put on some eye black and do something positive for the people around you. And then when you’re done, tell them your story.

While we don’t condone being a Florida Gator fan here at Prayers For Blowouts, we always condone helping those around you.

PS…sorry for the lack of posts here lately. My writing focus these days is over at my personal blog where I’m doing a lot more humor than sports. Check it out if you’ve never visited.

Prayers For Blowouts will be featuring posts from PFB Members throughout the summer. This submission is from Member #028, MC Bias.

By now most of you have already heard or read Tim Tebow’s confession that he is saving himself for marriage. Reaction was understandably mixed, with many wondering how Tebow could hold to his values while being so famous. Some of us Christians found ourselves in the midst of awkward conversations with non-Christians on how our faith calls us to sexual purity. Personally, I thought Dan Shanoff put it best: “In fact, his answer shouldn’t have surprised anyone. It is entirely consistent with his core values”.

However, I thought that there was an unfortunate moment in the analysis for a lot of people. If you listened carefully, Tebow said he was “saving himself for marriage.” People quickly took that to mean Tim Tebow was a virgin, and I do believe he is one. However, there’s a difference between saying “I am a virgin” and “I am saving myself for marriage” that is worth exploring. Suppose I show you two Christian young men. Guy 1 is a virgin. Guy 2 had sex once. Is Guy 1 holier than Guy 2? Counting and using statistics, yes. Zero is better than one, right? Guy 1, holy! Guy 2, sinner!

But that misses the point of the mindset of saving yourself for marriage. We are called to be holy in thought and approach, too, not only deeds; the Sermon on the Mount pounds this point home time and time again. Our culture has an unhealthy fascination with virginity and statistics instead of purity. Guy 1 could have wanted to lose his virginity many times, but got turned down. On the other hand, Guy 2 could be a handsome fellow with many opportunities to lose his virginity, yet he remained faithful to his values at all times except for one error years ago. Can we then say that Guy 1 is better? It’s wise to be cautious on judging too quickly in these matters. As Christians, we commit ourselves to holiness, but we also commit ourselves to repentance.

As a Christian, I am proud of Tim Tebow, not just because he is a virgin, but because he is striving towards the goal of being holy in all areas of his life. He may yet have sex before marriage; the temptations are likely to be many. (Although, I would note that Kaka, the Christian soccer player, did manage to make it to marriage, as did AC Green). But even if he does fall, I believe he will get back up and show a strong commitment to pursuing God’s will.

And that is definitely an example worth following.

(MC Bias also writes for his own blog, which you can check out here.)

Chances are you’ve seen this already, but Clay Travis (Deadspin, budding author) asked Tebow the other day if he was still a virgin. Tebow confirmed and stated that he was saving himself for marriage.

Depending on who you are, this news probably settles on you in drastically different ways.

If you grew up in church and profess to be a Christian, the news is probably unsurprising and encouraging. You’ve been taught that sex is a dish best served in the marriage covenant, and perhaps you even waited for marriage yourself. In fact, you’d like to give Tim Tebow a high five right now.

If you grew up outside the Christian church, and don’t care much for abstinence, then you may be baffled. I mean, everyone on earth knows this guy is the Heisman Trophy winner of morals, but no sex EVER? As a stud College QB? Some folks probably see this  Shakespearian-esque tragedy.

Dan Shanoff, who recently launched TimTeblog.com, commented on the story with his own perspective. Though he’s not a Christian, he believes that Tebow-Virginity story DOES matter. An interesting read, if nothing else.

Alright, the last PFB T-shirt attempt was a FAIL.

Apparently Tim Tebow has the right to his own face. Who knew?

So here’s Take Two. Same concept, different execution.

What do you think? Would you spend a few bucks from your tax refund to sport one of these bad boys and support the site?

I’d love to hear from you in the (now functioning!) comments.

What do you think?

It’s not quite as good as this:

John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

But it’s something:

So, what did you think of the game last night?

I didn’t catch any of the first half, but I turned it on in the 3rd quarter to see Florida take the lead, lose the lead, retake it, and then ice it with a patented Tebow jump pass.

Looking back at the predictions all of our members made, looks like I ended up being the closest with my “Florida 28, OU 17″ guess. It’s not that I thought it would be a low-scoring game…I only picked a low score because everyone else and their mom predicted a shootout.

A few more  notes about the game…

+ Tim Tebow had “John 3:16″ written on his eye black. It’s a great verse for sure, but couldn’t he have mixed it up a bit and gone with something less traditional. Even a “1 John 3:16″ would have worked.

+ Apparently Obama predicted the Gators would win earlier in the day. And yeah, he’s still calling for a playoff system.

+ I missed Tebow’s post-game speech – bed was calling – but Sports Blogger Dan Shanoff (who I believe is Jewish, and I know is a huge Florida fan) had this to say about it:

I loved the very first reaction from Tebow when he was interviewed on the podium by Fox:

“I just want to thank the fans. They are so unbelievable… I just love being a Gator and I thank all of you!”

(Yes, he eventually got to thanking Jesus, but (a) there’s nothing wrong with that — I give him so much credit for, as usual, not shoving it in our faces, and (b) that he prioritized his thankfulness for the fans and for being a Gator is at the core of his appeal.)

+ Did you catch the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Tebow was whistled for as the game was ending? The replays showed he was taunting a Sooner player by doing the Gator chomp in his face (replay also seemed to show the Sooner player was doing some talking of his own). I thought it was funny because for the past 5 minutes the announcers were going way overboard with the Tebow lovefest. Their response to the flag: something to the effect of “that might be the first thing he’s ever done wrong.” Gak. If I was Tebow, this would annoy me to no end.

Alright, your turn…what did you think of the last 60 minutes of the college football season? And now that it’s over, are you okay with Florida as National Champions?

UPDATE: Shanoff has a few additional thoughts on the John 3:16 Eye Black.

a few things to check out while you prepare that cheesy-salsa dip for tonight’s game…

+ If you can stomach another “Tim Tebow is a Great Guy…No Really, He is a Great Guy” article, here’s one from Pat Forde at ESPN.com. (h/t: Blake #010)

+ Rick Reilly has a new tv show on ESPN debuting tomorrow night (January 9th, 8pm EST) called “Homecoming”. In it, he’ll interview athletes in their hometowns. Tomorrow night’s inaugural episode will be an interview with former drug abuser and current Home Run Derby Champ (and outspoken Christian) Josh Hamilton. (h/t: Awful Announcing)

+ What can a $5,000 corporate sponsorship get you? How about a photo opportunity with UGA Head Football Coach Mark Richt. He’ll be appearing at the 2nd Annual Flint River Fellowship of Christian Athletes Spring Banquet at the Georgia National Fairgrounds on Feb. 26. (h/t: The Sun)

+ Isabel Lyman writes for the John Birch Society about all the God talk that went on at the Heismans this year.

+ In a letter to the editor printed in the Boston Globe two weeks ago, Eric Dragsbaek called out the NFL for their $10,000 fine on Wes Welker for making a snow angel after scoring a touchdown. “The only conclusion that makes sense is that the NFL sold its soul to the devil in order to surpass baseball as the national pastime, and now Lucifer has come calling to collect,” he writes.

I’ve got to be honest. I know the NFL is just trying to be consistent, but I thought that was the most ridiculous fine the No Fun League has ever levied. The 15-yard penalty, I can live with. But a $10,000 fine? What a joke. Bunch of scrooges…

+ Oh wait, here’s more on the quarterbacks of Florida and Oklahoma, via Mark Moring at Christianity Today.

There’s a report out of Tampa Bay today that Tim Tebow declined an invitation to be a part of Playboy’s All-America team.

Florida assistant sports information director Zack Higbee actually made the decision for Tebow months ago, but only recently told him of it. While Tebow was fine with the decision, Playboy’s senior vice president and photographer director Gary Cole, was not.

“I don’t hate it when someone has all the facts, understands what our weekend and our history is and then chooses not to attend,” Cole told Florida Today.

“I do hate it when someone bases their choice on false or incomplete information…The weekend (in Phoenix) is completely wholesome. I have always brought my children whether they were one or 16 years old. It’s a really special few days when these fellows get the opportunity to meet each other and spend a little time together. Friendships are formed at these weekends that last a lifetime.”

As it turns out, Cole says that West Virginia’s Pat White, and not Tebow, was the choice for All-American at QB anyway. So take THAT, Missionary Boy!

Deadspin’s sarcastic take on it was to wonder if Tebow has ever done anything wrong, saying “…Tim Tebow continued to be better than you or me.” Honestly, I’m sure Tebow isn’t trying to make some sort of statement with this. I’m guessing he would have liked it to go quietly unnoticed.

But really, this is nobody’s fault but Playboy’s. They’ve spent many years and billions of dollars creating the brand recognition that they have. No matter how “family-friendly” their All-America weekend is, it’s not what anyone thinks about when they think Playboy. Don’t give me this “…incomplete information…” garbage. Ask 100 people on the street what they think of when they hear “playboy” and NO ONE will say, “their All-America Football Picks”.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have faulted Tebow for being named in their magazine. Had he been named in the magazine as an All-American, I wouldn’t take it as any type of endorsement of the publication itself. But if he chooses to distance himself from the Bunny, he has every right.

Playboy wanted to own the market on female skin, and until Al Gore invented the internet, they had it. So you know what, if someone doesn’t want to be associated with the infamous brand YOU created, you’re just going to have to deal with it.

And if you need something for your tears, rip a page out of one of those great magazine articles to dry them.

Here’s an interesting article by Gene Frenette on Jacksonville.com about Tim Tebow. I’ve said it here before, but for someone who is arguably the most popular collegiate athlete in America right now, he really seems like he’s got his head on straight.

“I don’t like to let people down. The criteria is, where can I have a bigger impact to show my faith? So many times, the public wants to look at the negative. It’s tough to make the headlines doing something right. That’s just our society.”

“A lot of kids in my position would choose to do something different with their time. But my whole life, my goal has been to not be normal. I want to be a good example for the gospel. I don’t want to do what the crowd would do.”

The article also says that Tim’s so busy trying to stay on top of football and sharing his faith that he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend. Now THAT’S commitment.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Here’s a few small stories circulating around the interwebs…

+ It’s hard not to like Heisman Winner Tim Tebow after reading this BreakawayTV.com piece about the son of missionary parents who ran an orphanage in the Philippines.

+ The Houston Chronicle has a brief piece on Christian extreme athletes becoming more visible at this year’s Winter X Games in Aspen, including Tommy Czeschin, Daniel Ralph, and Kelly Clark.

+ Art Stricklin, writing for the Baptist Press, quotes a few NFL Team chaplains in regards to the strict conduct policies that Roger Goodell is enacting in the NFL. While the NFL claims that the policies have nothing to do with Christianity, some chaplains think otherwise. Interesting read, though i don’t think the policies have anything to do with religion. like someone says in the article, bad behavior is bad business for the NFL.