By Bradley Pettit
Special to the Odessa American
He autographed some of their Bibles. He took selfies with others. One of the young men even prayed over him. This was the scene at Thursday’s Fields of Faith event in Andrews.
The annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes event, which was held at the Mustang Bowl, invited a special speaker to share his testimony with Permian Basin’s young students: legendary Heisman Trophy winner, and former professional football player, Tim Tebow.
Fields of Faith brings together students from around the Permian Basin with an aim to “spark a spiritual movement for God.” According to the event’s organizers, “Christianity needs a change in momentum–students who will stand together against the pressures and temptations of the world.”
This year, Crane ISD Athletic Director, Michael Pittman, arranged for all of his student athletes to have the opportunity to ride to the event on school buses. Pittman said he was excited that so many student athletes chose to travel with the school, and that he was appreciative of all who helped make it happen.
“I hope it was a great experience for the kids. I really appreciate all those who helped out—especially my coaches for volunteering to drive and chaperone.”
In addition to Crane’s 177 student athletes, the Refuge Student Ministry from First Baptist Church of Crane brought 22 young people to the event. That’s almost 200 youth from Crane who received the opportunity to hear Tebow’s testimony. Crane actually had one of the largest representations of young people out of a crowd of thousands.
Terra Willis, who is the CISD Fellowship of Christian Athletes coordinator, as well as a Refuge Student Ministry youth leader, said she was thrilled that so many of Crane’s youth were able to hear the testimony of such a notable figure. She also described her primary role in assisting young people there.
“Tim Tebow had an amazing testimony to share. I was an ‘encourager’ for the event, so I wore a green vest marking me as a person young people could pray with after they made their decision to follow Jesus. It was truly an honor.”
Frasier Julian, a student athlete at CHS and Refuge Student Ministry member, received a powerful opportunity to pray with Tebow one-on-one.
“It was awe-inspiring. Everything slowed down, and I spoke God’s message.”
The young man said that he felt God’s hand in the whole experience and also in his heart as he gave words of encouragement to the well-known Christian evangelist.
“I went towards the crowd, hoping to see him. He stopped in front of me, and I didn’t know what to say. When I opened my mouth, out came the prayer.”
Julian said that even folks like Tim Tebow need prayer.
“The people who pray for others need prayer, too. I hope (Tim Tebow) remembers that, as well as everyone else. I really wish, hope and PRAY that God gives him fulfillment in his ministry. I pray that he helps bring many more to God.”
Frasier also noted that–like Tim Tebow–Crane has a mission to make earth look more like Heaven.
“In Crane as it is in Heaven.”
Chris Farrell, pastor of FBC of Crane, said that having somebody as special as Tebow come to minister to young people is very important.
“Tim is a guy our teenagers can relate to because he has accomplished something in his life that most of them aspire to accomplish. My prayer is that Tim’s message would be the jump start that people need to come back to their local church and commit to being discipled in the faith. I’m thankful for what God is doing through Tim Tebow, and I’m excited to see these teens impact their families and communities with the life-changing message of Jesus.”
Daisy Smith, also a youth leader for Refuge Student Ministry, said her heart was warmed and humbled by what transpired at this year’s Fields of Faith event.
“It was wonderful to see the kids come in one by one onto the bus,” she said. “They could have chosen to be anywhere else, but they chose to honor God with their time. The giggles and voices heard in the bus gave me such joy. In the grand scheme of things, this bus was taking students who could potentially give their lives to Christ. Some young people did exactly that, and for others the seed was definitely planted.”
Tebow spoke of his experience playing football and how he cultivated his faith on and off the field. He recalled the 2009 championship game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Florida Gators, where he was the starting quarterback who led the Gators to victory. Before that game, he decided to write the legendary Bible verse, John 3:16, in eyeblacks under his eyes. The verse 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.”
The Heisman Trophy winner and Christian evangelist said, “It was apparently googled 94 million times after I wore that verse on my eyes, and I thought, ‘How in the world do this many people not know John 3:16?’”
He went on to explain how long after his college-playing days were over, remarkable things kept happening in his life regarding this verse.
He described how he was playing for the Denver Broncos three years later. It was 2012, and he had led the Broncos to a playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers with some of the best numbers of his career.
Before making his way to the postgame press conference, he was stopped by a public relations person who explained to him the high strangeness of his statistics for the game.
“He said, ‘Tim, this is three years from when you wore John 3:16 under your eyes. Tim, you threw for 316 yards this game. Tim, your average yards per completion? 31.6 yards, the highest in NFL postseason history. CBS’s final ratings for the game was 31.6. Pittsburgh’s time of possession was 31:06.’”
Tebow explained that many people said it was all a big coincidence. He corrected that notion by saying: “No, it’s a big God.”
For more information on fields of faith, contact 432-688-7755.
