93 Million Google Hits for John 3:16 in 24 hours

One cool part about the story below is that most christians already know John 3:16 and would not need to look it up. So who was looking it up?

A day or so before the national championship game God touched his heart with a message…Tim Tebow needed to change the message on his black eye liner that he wears when he is playing. All year he had a reference to Phillipians 4:13 on the eye liner which represented the following: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. He talked to four or five others about switching the message and everyone except his parents told him not to do it because they had been so successful all year with the Phillipians 4:13. His parents, Pam and Bob Tebow, supported the change and Tim knew it was the right thing to do. He played the championship game with John 3:16 on the eye liner which represents the following: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.We all know the outcome of the game, but the phone call that Tim received a couple of days later when he was back in Gainesville was nothing short of unbelievable. Tim answered his cell phone and it was the P.R. guy for the UF Football game. He said, “You set a record.” Tim wondered what kind of record was he talking about. “In the 24 hour period from the start of the championship game, JOHN 3:16 was Googled…93 MILLION times! No other topic had ever been Googled that many times in a 24 hour period of time.”

Follow up story from Urban Meyer, Coach of the 2008 National Champion University Florida football team:

We all hear about the incredible family Tim is a part of. With everything going on in the world, you just know there is no way Pam and Bob Tebow can be as perfect as they are made out to be.

I am here to tell you I witnessed the most amazing conversation which is the truest testimonial to how incredibly good the Tebows truly are.

A few days after the championship game I sat at a table in the back of the Ballyhoo restaurant with Tim, Pam and Bob Tebow. It was just the four of us and I listened in amazement as Tim’s future about moving to the next level of football was decided. Unbelievably, the NFL was never once mentioned. Tim’s dad started the conversation by saying that Brett Farve spoke about his faith and no one ever listened. Here was a future Hall of Fame quarterback and no one heard his message. Tim then said…”I can think of 93 million reasons why I would want to stay in school and play my senior year at the University of Florida .”

That’s how the decision was made.

Which platform would provide Tim with the best opportunity to share the word of God? As you now know, playing his senior year for the University of Florida would be that choice.

And, is there any doubt about Tim’s passionate commitment to FINISH STRONG

Another Funny

I never set out to keep posting funny things my kiddos are saying or doing, but we seem to be on a roll here. N3 did something that we wish we had the video camera for.

N3 was watching me flip through a catalog. He asked me, "Why are you doing this?" while he stuck his finger on his tongue. I realized I must have licked my finger to make the pages turn better. I explained it to him and tried to demonstrate how it works. I first told him to flip the pages to see how it flips without a wet finger. Then I said, "Now lick your finger then try it." He licked his right hand pointer finger and placed it on his chest while he took his dry left hand to flip the pages fully anticipating something to change for the better. It was too cute. N13 and I were so wishing we had videoed that. He never got how that helped, but we got a good laugh.

A Family Favorite Story

The boys and I were remembering a vacation with some friends of ours, the Chapmans, back when the oldest boys were 4 and 5. Back then, we had been talking a lot about if something was an accident or if it was on purpose. At that age they would get hurt sword fighting and such and we would have to clarify if the child was intentionally hurting the other or if it was simply play.
Well, we were with the Chapmans at their beach condo when our oldest, who was 5 at the time, got in a verbal argument with their daughter, Julie, over whose sun glasses it was they both wanted. My oldest was not being so sweet. The 4 year old saw the struggle and decided he would be the "good guy" and went up to her and wanted to let her know he was nice unlike his big brother, so he said, "Julie, you are my bestest girlfriend." He meant nothing by saying "girl"friend. He meant friend, but Julie took him wrong and hauled off and slapped him across the face for calling her girlfriend. He stood there in shock. If that was not funny enough, he slowly turned to where the adults were sitting and said, "That was no accident."

Thank you Julie for giving us something to laugh about for years. It is still as funny now as it was back then.

Precious Moments

I was jogging around the track yesterday, when M8 and A6 challenged me to a race. I had already been running a while, but I was ready for a fast run, so I raced them for a little bit. I did not realized they wanted to race the entire track, so I slowed down and started to walk. M8 ran right past me. A6 caught up to me, held my hand and started walking with me. After a minute of that he sweetly said with a smile, "Mom, if we keep holding hands, we will tie." How sweet! We actually were side hugging as we "crossed the finish line" together. A3 wants me to add, "Hooray!"

N3 Tells Us What Happened in the Garden of Eden

When I picked up N3 from his Sunday School class, he showed me his picture he colored. It was a picture of Adam and Eve in the garden. Eve had a piece of fruit in her hand. N3 had mainly just colored the fruit. He pointed to his picture at the fruit and said, "Mom, you know what happened after they ate that?" I asked, "What happened?" N3 responded, "They turned into bad guys." I love little children!

My Little One is Moving Out

My sweet little 3 year old wants to be with his big brothers. He has been sleeping with us since he was born. We did let each of the boys sleep with us some. Not so much the oldest. You know we followed the book with him, but with the more children we had we just kinda started writing our own book. I certainly feel like what works for each family is good. There is not right or wrong on some issues like kids sleeping with parents or not.
Well I have to say, I was wondering how we were gonna break our youngest. I still remember my 3rd asking, "Will A6 (he was A3 then) have to move out when he is 4?" He thought that was how it worked, since he had to move out then. The bed was certainly getting tight with a newborn and a 3 yr. old sleeping with us. Well I kinda had that in mind for our youngest. I thought we might stick with the 4 year old move out idea even though A6 did move on around 2 yrs. N4 does turn 4 very soon, but he is already telling me he is not sleeping with us each night. It is kind of funny how he keeps making sure I have it straight that he is sleeping with big brother, M8. For a couple nights he wanted to sleep with his big brothers but fell asleep before they did. I just put him in my bed when I found him asleep, because his big brothers were making too much noise in their room. Each morning he woke up mad at me that he was in my bed. That is what makes it funny. And in the middle of day 3 after that happening twice waking up in my bed, he said, "Now mom, I am not sleeping with you. I am sleeping with M8 tonight. Do not put me in your bed." This 3 year old, N3, can be quite demanding at times. It is a good thing he is 3 and we are thinking it is cute.

Congressional Tours with Dad

Highlights: Mount Vernon (Washington's home), riding the subway for the first time, The Mall, Lincoln's Memorial, meeting senators and congressmen, sat in on some congressional meetings, special tours, walked by the White House, and more.
This is the tree George Washington planted.
It is hard to believe they are just a year and a half apart! 6th to 7th grade seems to be a doozy for growth!

Mile Stones for A6

A6 was so happy to finish this Reading Book this past week. We started him on it before K, but let it go while he went to our local school. When we brought him back home for 1st grade, he still was not ready for 1st grade material, so we went back to this book, reviewed lessons he had done before and got back going on it. The book is a little worn, because three bigger bros used it to learn to read too. A6 was also blessed at church recently when he picked one awesome car for the RA car races. He not only won 1st place for the 1st graders, he one 1st place over all the elementary kids. The bigger trophy is for 1st place overall.