I must admit, I'm kind of a
Tim Tebow fan....but kind of not. The "kind of not" is NOT grounded in anything worthwhile. The "kind of not" is only because he was SUCH a great football player at the University of Florida and he didn't take it easy when playing "my" Georgia Bulldogs. Bottom line: I didn't like him because he was so awesome (
great reason not to like someone, I know).
The "kind of a Tim Tebow fan" is based on what I've seen and heard about his character and willingness to not only claim to be a Christian but also live life as a public figure as one who loves the Lord. My thought is that any guy who spent part of his childhood as a missionary kid in the Philippines (and continued to take mission trips back there) and grew up to play SEC football must be pretty cool. I've also always been pretty impressed with his ability deal with all of the accolades and criticisms that accompany being in the eye of the public. (the reason I say I'm only "kind of" a fan is because I'm really slow to jump on fan band wagons...just not my thing)("kind of a fan" is a pretty good compliment if you're a super star).
Why am I even talking about Tim Tebow?
Back up a few steps...(I could insert a Seinfeld reference here. I'll refrain.)
One of the things I get to do on the Africa Mercy is play in the library. By play I mean act like the librarian. By act like the librarian I mean check books and dvds in and out, straighten up the magazines on the table, and have story time once a week (among a few other things).
One of the dangerous aspects of this little job is the fact that I really like to read and there are quite a few good books in the Africa Mercy library. All to often I have to fight the urge to stop all I'm doing and read....
One of the books that came across the desk the other day was Tim Tebow's Autobiography "Through My Eyes."
Being the SEC fan that I am (Nick, aren't you proud?!), I picked up the book and flipped through it...and decided it was worth more than a casual flip through (honestly, one of the main things I wanted to know if he ever found a suitable woman - I always want the "good guys" to end up with a "good girl")(the answer is no....at least not that I can tell...and I didn't feel like spending much time googling it....plus that's really none of my business).
Other than the girlfriend/wife thing, the main thing that made me want to read his book was this part of the introduction:
"...it's not always the easiest thing to be the center of so much spilled ink. You read flowing things, and it doesn't feel deserved. You read things that are critical, and it cuts you to the bone. It's because of both of these extremes of others' opinions that I felt it the natural thing to do to tell my story, written from my perspective."
And then there was this gem of a quote that is quite applicable to a lot of life (and seems particularly applicable to Mercy Ships life....)
"Strong leaders encourage you to do things for your own benefit, not just theirs. And with the right kind of encouraging, equipping ad passionate and visionary leadership, the people who are still sitting on the fence will eventually get off and start working hard, going to class, putting forth an effort, and watching film. Or they will quit. Either way the result is good for the team. That's because the team is now left only with members who are all pulling together in the same direction, believing in the vision, and willing to do what it takes to achieve it."
So the point of this whole post: I enjoyed reading Tim Tebow's auto-biography...check it out (library pun totally intended). Hearing his story from his point of view challenged me and encouraged me....and God used it to speak some Truth to me about Eli. Another good reminder that we never know the tool He's going to use to communicate His message.
