Okay.  Let’s do it.  Let’s talk about Jeremy Lin’s faith.

We here on the coasts tend to gloss over talk of religion, or dismiss it as a funny family foible, or – when it shows up in our superstar athletes and celebrities – treat is as a big unsightly mole on an otherwise pretty face.

Lin hasn’t been as outspoken as Tebow about his Christianity,

but in an exclusive interview with the Oakland Tribune newspaper (hi Warriors, what’s up, how  you doin’?), he made it a precondition of the interview that they discuss only his faith.

Talk to me about God, or don’t talk to me at all.

The Tribune chose to talk.

“Sometimes you come up against a mountain and you end up making the mountain seem bigger than God,” Lin told reporter Marcus Thompson II.  About playing for the Warriors last year, Lin said, “I was on pins and needles. I was putting all this unnecessary pressure on myself. Now, I feel like I’m free out there.”

Freedom.  Relief.   Peace of mind.

Who wouldn’t want it?

There are two kinds of people I admire: those who absolutely believe God exists, and those who absolutely believe he doesn’t.  Research shows that these two groups of people handle their own deaths the best.

The rest of us – myself included – are in the muddling middle, unsure of whether there is, or isn’t a God, and troubled by our uncertainty.  When my kids were little and asked me if there was a God, I immediately started sweating blue bullets, knowing that an honest answer – “I don’t know” – was hardly what a five year old wanted to hear.

Lin’s Christianity was bred at the Chinese Church in Christ in Mountain View, in the bay area, and has been his guide since he was young.

But after being unceremoniously cut by the Warriors and the Rockets before being briefly dropped into the NBA Development League by the Knicks, Lin’s faith was tested.

“That affected my game last year and my joy last year. With all the media attention, all the love from the fans (in the Bay Area), I felt I needed to prove myself. Prove that I’m not a marketing tool, I’m not a ploy to improve attendance. Prove I can play in this league. But I’ve surrendered that to God. I’m not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore.”

Lin confided all this to his pastor, Stephen Chen, who advised long prayers and countless Bible studies.

“It was hard. I could make him no promises,” Chen said. “To trust what God is doing is definitely a lesson that Jeremy is continuing to learn and not to trust in his results.”

It was Christmas Eve when Lin was waived by the Rockets.

“At the time, I was thinking if this doesn’t work out, I maybe needed to take a break from basketball.” (okay, a Harvard degree in Economics isn’t the worst fall back in the world, but still…). “I felt like I worked harder than anyone else. And now I was fighting for a chance to practice. I was questioning everything.”

Lin gave up trying to control everything. He tried to stop worrying.

He started every morning with a devotional before heading to the gym to work out. Whenever the anxiety tried to creep in, he whispered a Bible verse to himself:

And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28

Even in high school, Lin was devout.  His old Palo Alto High team mate Brad Lehman recounted that “a few of us were known to party on Friday nights after the games. Jeremy was known for teaching the bible to kids and spending time with his family.”

So this wasn’t a case of the GI in the foxhole or the death row inmate hitting bottom and then – surprise, surprise – finding God.   Lin wasn’t jumping on the bandwagon.  He was already on it.

Lin was eventually sent back to the NBA’s hinterlands — the D-League – by the Knicks, for the fourth time in his career. But he wouldn’t stay long. The Knicks brought him back after he logged a triple-double in his first game.

Then, on February 4, at halftime of a home game against New Jersey, injured Knicks star Carmelo Anthony suggested to coach Mike D’Antoni that he play Lin more in the second half.

Thank you Carmelo!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

(okay, we decadent materialist Hollywood types may not believe in God, but who doesn’t like a helpful guardian angel with a cute smile?)

Lin responded by finishing with 25 points and seven assists.

A few days later, with the exception of SNL, “Lin-sanity” entered the lexicon.

With the trappings of Lin-sanity comes the pressure to make smart career moves, and, of course, to prove you didn’t just have a fluke week or two.

“There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now,” Lin said. “To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But that’s not how I want to do things anymore. I’m thinking about how can I trust God more. How can I surrender more? How can I bring him more glory?  It’s a fight. But it’s one I’m going to keep fighting.”

I envy you, Jeremy, and not just because of that silky smooth spin you pulled on Fisher.