Rep. Manny Pacquiao is not the first, nor will he be the last, athlete to use his popularity in promoting his religious belief ? turning to the bible to profess his spiritual transformation.
But others are simply born and raised into it.
Among them is Philippine-born Timothy Richard ?Tim? Tebow ? current toast of American sports.
Tebow or Timmy, as he is called by fellow Filipino members of the Baptist Church, even has a pre-game ritual named after him which the American press now calls ?Tebowing.? Tebowing (with no pun intended to ?Noynoying?) has been defined as getting down on a knee and start praying (also known as genuflecting), ?even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.?
Now America?s most popular quarterback, Timmy starts every game he played and plays with his famous genuflect on the field.
Timmy extends his religiosity inside the locker room where he reads passages from the Bible. He is however unlike Manny, a recent convert of the Bible. Timmy?s devotion to the Bible extended way back to his father Bob who served as a missionary and an evangelist in the Philippines in 1985. Bob?s evangelical mission took him to many places in the country but he found home in General Santos City and eventually settled for many years in Surallah, South Cotabato.
Timmy however did not grow up in the country as his parents went back to the US when he was three years old (Timmy was born in a Makati hospital).
But at the age of 15, he came back to the Philippines every US summer and reconnected with his father?s fellow preacher Rev. Roberto Gauran who is the resident pastor of the Lamsugod Baptist Church in Surallah.
His last visit was three years ago, before he joined the pro football team of Denver Broncos in 2010. He was however traded to the New York Jets in 2011 where his popularity rose to crossover star status. He is now an American household name ? probably the Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods of American football. He won the coveted Heisman Trophy, the highest athletic (Most Outstanding Player of the Year) award in college football in 2007.
Rev. Gauran?s children and the orphans at Uncle Dick?s Home in Lamsugod never realized they had a superstar visitor until Timmy became a member of the Florida Gators college football team. They were even more stunned when Timmy became a superstar that he is now.
Manny who starts his day sending Bible verses through text messaging and who recently turned into the Bible could perhaps invite Timmy to join him in spreading the Gospel of the Lord. Who would not be enthralled at seeing and hearing two of their respective sport?s iconic figures on the same stage?
This would not only be a lifetime experience for the believers and faithful. It will also be a casting coup for whoever can make it happen. Will Manny invite Timmy? I hope he does.
