Meet Peter Tebow, Tim's older brother, ministry leader and local church star
| Peter Tebow delivering his sermon at Highline Community Church. |
"And on the other hand, there was the dark side," he continued. "There were the addictions, the internal battle. There was the side I wanted everyone to see: 'It's Preacher Peter! And then there was this other guy. I didn't like that guy. This other guy killed me. See, this guy was addicted. He struggled. He put on a good face on the outside, and then he'd go home and be all alone."
Following the sermon, I had a chance to sit with some of the young adults from Peter's ministry. One member of his young adult ministry described Peter in two words: "passionate" and "authentic." After seeing him deliver his sermon, I could see what she meant.
The way he delivered his sermon recalled one of Michael Jackson's live performances of "Man in The Mirror." The crew literally had to drag Michael from the stage after he managed to extend the song by three minutes, shouting his signature moans and completely consumed by his dance moves. Some would say he wasn't sensible, and that's usually the case when passion takes the stage.
Okay, so I'm clearly exaggerating. But like Michael, Peter expressed a similar surge in emotion. The microphone hooked to his sweater would continuously move out of place when his emotions were at a peak, raising his arms and tightly gripping the edge of the lectern. And each time he was brought back to his sensibility, he seemed a little embarrassed.
"I'm working really hard at this thing," he said in his sermon. "I love it. I love what I get to do and I'm working hard at it. I love the conversations I get to have.... I loved sitting there Friday night after I preached my heart out. And meeting all these guys and girls and encouraging them, I love it!"
Today, in between the prayers and religious references, I found a guy filled with energy and passion. I found a guy brave enough to share his struggles with a room full of complete strangers, making it a little bit easier for everyone else to open up about their problems, too. And I found someone, like Tim, who everyday serves as a mentor for young adults and children who would be otherwise lost in a sometimes loveless world.
"My Dad always used to say, 'Peter, love is choosing the best interest of another and acting on their behalf," he allowed. "The other day, I got to sit there alongside one of our young adults as she for the first time met her biological father. And I sat there across the table for moral support."
More from our Tim Tebow archive: "Video: Robert Downey Jr. Tebows at the Oscars."

































