It was the public relations guy calling to report that during the timeframe of the game, 94 million people did a Google search for John 3:16. “My first thought,” exclaimed Tebow, “was how do 94 million people not know what John 3:16 is?”

Along with 1,000 other people, my wife and I had dinner last week with Tim Tebow at a fundraising banquet for Rimrock Christian School in Billings, Montana where my great-nephew, Ryan Wagner, is a second-grader

Rather than give a prepackaged speech, Tebow was interviewed by the emcee who asked questions turned in earlier by the audience members.

Predictably, Tebow was asked was how he deals with the two aspects of his life for which he is famous, his faith and football. He said it was pretty simple, “I love playing sports. I love Jesus Christ. It’s just who I am.”

He mentioned when he first began playing at the University of Florida he saw some of the guys putting on their black eye strips and he thought “it would be cool” to put a Bible verse on his own eye strips.

He chose Philippians 4:13 because he thought it is the perfect verse for an athlete: “I can do all things through Christwho strengthens me.” Game after game, he kept Phil. 4:13 on his eye strip, Florida kept winning, and the fans in the stands even started wearing eye strips with “Phil. 4:13” written on them.

So, Tebow was understandably resistant when he believed he was being told by God to change the verse to John 3:16 just before the national championship game against Oklahoma. Coach Urban Myer was even more reluctant when Tebow told him about it. “But Timmy,” Tebow said the coach complained, “Philippians 4:13 got us where we are!”

After that championship game was won, Tebow was having dinner with his parents and Coach Meyer when the coach’s cell phone rang. It was the public relations guy calling to report that during the timeframe of the game, 94 million people did a Google search for John 3:16.

“My first thought,” exclaimed Tebow, “was how do 94 million people not know what John 3:16 is?”

The Bible verse John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

“It’s the verse that changed my life when I was a little boy,” Tebow said. “It’s the essence of what I believe and that’s why I wanted to wear it, because it’s an amazing verse that has the power to change people’s lives.”

“After all,” Tebow told our dinner crowd, “it’s just a game, but if we have been a good role model we can make a difference in someone’s life. I’d like to leave a legacy as someone who loved Jesus Christ and tried to make a difference. In fact, the mission statement of my foundation is to ‘utilize the public platform that God has blessed Tim Tebow with to inspire and make a difference in peoples’ lives throughout the world.’”

The Tim Tebow Foundation is certainly keeping true to its mission so far: It has built 18 Timmy’s Playrooms in children’s hospitals around the world; it is helping build the Tebow CURE Hospital, a 30-bed children’s surgical facility in Davao City, Philippines focusing primarily on orthopedics; and it is supporting over 600 orphans worldwide.

Tebow was obviously humble, and he was asked how he stays that way. He said, “The thing that God hates most is someone who is proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

It is something my parents instilled in me from my childhood. Also, when you serve people, the more you serve, the more you are like Jesus Christ.”

Tim Tebow loves playing sports. He loves Jesus Christ. It’s just who he is.

Mike Sharman, a resident of Foothills of Faith Farm in Madison County, Virginia, has served as an attorney and guardian for children for more than two decades. Mike writes a weekly editorial column published by the Culpeper Star-Exponent. You may contact him at [email protected]