You know, there's been so many times in my life where I felt unworthy or unqualified
But God would just do something
So cool in the midst of it and one of those times was when I was a junior at the University of Florida
and we're getting ready to play Tennessee and I see some of my teammates putting different eye blacks under their eyes
They're putting like their mom's name or their area code under their eyes
and so I started to think you know
I wonder if I could put something under my eyes that maybe could encourage someone or inspire someone so
I was like well god bless. I don't know and I was like well Philippians 4:13, I could do that
You know, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
I was like, that would be be good for a football player. So I put it on in my eyes
We were blessed to win because it was Tennessee
It really wasn't that big of deal after the game couple local newspapers wrote about it
But it wasn't that big of a deal but I kept wearing it under my eyes every single game and as probably a lot of you
know Gator fans are very passionate. So four or five six weeks later
They're selling it at the Gator book store at the Florida library. You have thousands of fans showing up to games
Wearing Philippians 4:13 under their eyes and I honestly believe half of them don't even know what it means
I have one guy his name was Phil come up to me and say hey, did you wear that under your eyes for me?
Like no, it's a Bible verse
What are you talking about
So we get to the SEC championship game at the end of the year and we're getting ready to run out of tunnel and
footballs kind of one of those things where it's you have such tunnel vision
It's just one thing at a time one thing at a time and as I was getting ready to run out of the tunnel
I really felt like God was putting my heart to change the verse I was like really right now
And but I realized that if we won
We'd be playing a national championship on one of the biggest stages that I might ever get
and so that would be the right opportunity to change the verse and
So we were blessed to win that game in six weeks the next six weeks leading up to national championship
I was agonizing and really contemplating
What verse I was gonna go with and God kept bringing it to my heart and to my head
John 3:16 because it's the essence of our Christianity
It's the essence of our hope for God so loved the world
He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. It's what gives us
Hope as Christians so I decided to go with that and so two days before the game
I went up to my parents hotel room in Miami Florida and I was like mom, dad
I've decided to change the verse and we're gonna go with John 3:16. My mom's super sweet support. Oh, that's great, honey
My dad's like well have you told coach Meyer because
He says he just likes his routines, but that dude is so superstitions it's ridiculous
So he's like you really need to tell him so we were right down the street at FAU practicing
We finished our last practice before the national championship and say hey coach Meyer can I talk to you for a sec
He's like, yeah, how you feeling? Your arm good? Leg good? You ready for the game? I was like, yeah, I'm good
You know that verse I wear under my eyes? He's like, yeah Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
I love it. I was like well
I'm gonna change that verse tomorrow night. What what are you talking about? You can't change that verse that verse got us here
It didn't get us here. So after a couple minutes of explaining it to him he totally was supportive and understood
Honestly after that, I didn't even really think about it. I just went out there and tried to win the championship game
We were blessed to win and two days later
I was that Ballyhoo restaurant in Gainesville
Florida with me, my mom, my dad, my aunt and coach Meyer. And coach Meyer gets a call and he's like, uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh
Alright bye. I was like who was that? He said that was Steve McClain. He was our PR guy in Florida
So what did he have to say? He said did you know that during that game 94 million people googled John 3:16
Honestly my first thought was how the heck do 94 million people not know John 3:16
Hashtag sunday-school, it's like the first thing you hear, you know
But I was just sitting in Ballyhoo restaurant. Just so humbled at how big that God is that we serve and
How he wants to do amazing things
in us and through us and when we just step out and show a little faith or a little courage or
We just decide hey
It's okay to be a little bit different than everybody else
What God can do in our lives and that game just happened to be
in 2009 January 8th. Well exactly three years later January 8 2012
we just happen to be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers and
I never even thought about John
3:16 one time so I can't take any credit for it I just tried to go out there and win a playoff game and
we were blessed to win this crazy playoff game in overtime and
I'm running and trying to you know shower really quick and change because I wanted to go celebrate with my family
So I'm running to go and do my press conference really quick and right before I walk into the press conference room
Patrick our PR guy jumps in front of me. He says Timmy, do you realize what happened? I was like
Yeah, we just beat the Steelers. We're going to play the Patriots like let me do this. He was like no, do you realize what happened?
I was like I guess not. He said Timmy
It's exactly three years from the night you wore John 3:16 under your eyes. I was like that's pretty cool
He was like no, you don't realize during the game you threw for
316 yards
Your yards per completion were 31.6
Your yards per rush were 3.16. The ratings for the night were 31.6. The time of possession was 31.06
And during the game 90 million people Googled John 3:16 and it was the number one trending thing on every platform
And I was just standing there in that hallway getting ready to do this press conference thinking that that night was about a football game
And it really wasn't because the God that we serve is such a big God
Standing in that hallway
I knew that it was something so much more
Because the God that we serve is a God of miracles
As we're gonna hear today and it's a God that does pretty amazing things in us and through us
And I think we just have to be willing to step out and say here you go
God I'm gonna give you my fish and my loaves of bread and watch what he does with it
But the God we serve can do pretty awesome amazing