guys. I was able to more or less hold my own due to my strength and by playing physically. It wasn’t pretty, however.
Baseball was still in the sports mix as well. In fact, it was probably my best sport and the one that seemed to come to me most naturally—I had played varsity since the seventh grade. We even played some golf on occasion. But we did it on the cheap—it was not one of those sports that at the time fit into a missionary’s salary. So Dad let us take the weed whacker out into the pasture and create our own putting greens, and then we used the posthole digger to create the cups. We were able to create four holes on our own farm this way—one of them was even a water hole over the pond—and messed around with playing a few holes whenever we could.
As much as I enjoyed playing sports for Trinity, though, my parents and I were still troubled with the quarterback situation at the school. And so we came to the conclusion that the time had come for us to look for other schools where I could play football. It was disappointing for all of us in the Tebow family. Trinity had always had great talent. More important, I had played with Peter, and our football team was on a run that culminated with our being crowned as state champions—the first time in school history. Peter had a great year and a great experience at Trinity and was named best defensive player for the year, but as a family, we came to a place where we knew we had to figure out a different plan for my future. We weren’t going to say a word about our leaving during the season, but once the decision was made, our search began in all seriousness to find the best environment for me to fully develop my passion, and what seemed then to be talent, for playing quarterback.
No one in the Tebow family was pleased about reaching the end of the trail they had been running, walking, and filming at Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy.
It was a disappointment to us all, but somehow we all knew it was the right thing to do.
Chapter Six
Overcoming
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
—P HILIPPIANS 4:6–7
Homeschooling allowed us to pick my next school much in the same way we’d picked Trinity all those years before, and it didn’t take long for my family to start looking around for another school where I could play quarterback.
Dad visited several select schools and spoke with their coaches. Some coaches weren’t interested in taking a homeschool player, and some coaches and schools didn’t seem as though they would be a good fit. Dad was talking to people about the types of offense that schools were running, the character of their coaches, and other pertinent matters. To him, the goal was trying to match my passion for playing football with a situation that would more fully develop my abilities. He likened it to when my sister Christy showed a passion and aptitude for playing the piano. For quite some time, they saved money and eventually bought a piano for her, so she could practice, learn, and more fully develop her God-given abilities. The way my dad and mom looked at it, finding the right situation at the right school was a matter of being a good steward of my talents. They felt like it was always our responsibility to identify and fully develop the abilities, talents, and gifts God created within us.
That and the fact that I couldn’t stand playing linebacker anymore.
Dad looked at schools in Jacksonville and even considered schools in south Georgia and Ocala, Florida, trying to find the right setting for me to play.
Dad called Kerwin Bell, the former University of Florida quarterback and current head coach at Jacksonville University, who ran the BMW Camp that I had attended and who at the time was a very successful head football coach at
Baseball was still in the sports mix as well. In fact, it was probably my best sport and the one that seemed to come to me most naturally—I had played varsity since the seventh grade. We even played some golf on occasion. But we did it on the cheap—it was not one of those sports that at the time fit into a missionary’s salary. So Dad let us take the weed whacker out into the pasture and create our own putting greens, and then we used the posthole digger to create the cups. We were able to create four holes on our own farm this way—one of them was even a water hole over the pond—and messed around with playing a few holes whenever we could.
As much as I enjoyed playing sports for Trinity, though, my parents and I were still troubled with the quarterback situation at the school. And so we came to the conclusion that the time had come for us to look for other schools where I could play football. It was disappointing for all of us in the Tebow family. Trinity had always had great talent. More important, I had played with Peter, and our football team was on a run that culminated with our being crowned as state champions—the first time in school history. Peter had a great year and a great experience at Trinity and was named best defensive player for the year, but as a family, we came to a place where we knew we had to figure out a different plan for my future. We weren’t going to say a word about our leaving during the season, but once the decision was made, our search began in all seriousness to find the best environment for me to fully develop my passion, and what seemed then to be talent, for playing quarterback.
No one in the Tebow family was pleased about reaching the end of the trail they had been running, walking, and filming at Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy.
It was a disappointment to us all, but somehow we all knew it was the right thing to do.
Chapter Six
Overcoming
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
—P HILIPPIANS 4:6–7
Homeschooling allowed us to pick my next school much in the same way we’d picked Trinity all those years before, and it didn’t take long for my family to start looking around for another school where I could play quarterback.
Dad visited several select schools and spoke with their coaches. Some coaches weren’t interested in taking a homeschool player, and some coaches and schools didn’t seem as though they would be a good fit. Dad was talking to people about the types of offense that schools were running, the character of their coaches, and other pertinent matters. To him, the goal was trying to match my passion for playing football with a situation that would more fully develop my abilities. He likened it to when my sister Christy showed a passion and aptitude for playing the piano. For quite some time, they saved money and eventually bought a piano for her, so she could practice, learn, and more fully develop her God-given abilities. The way my dad and mom looked at it, finding the right situation at the right school was a matter of being a good steward of my talents. They felt like it was always our responsibility to identify and fully develop the abilities, talents, and gifts God created within us.
That and the fact that I couldn’t stand playing linebacker anymore.
Dad looked at schools in Jacksonville and even considered schools in south Georgia and Ocala, Florida, trying to find the right setting for me to play.
Dad called Kerwin Bell, the former University of Florida quarterback and current head coach at Jacksonville University, who ran the BMW Camp that I had attended and who at the time was a very successful head football coach at
Similar Books
