[July 01, 2011] The Miami Herald Linda Robertson column Tweet Jun 21, 2011 (The Miami Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Tim Tebow Effect was radiating at full power Monday evening. The 1,000 people who came to Books and Books in Coral Gables to receive copies of Tebow's new book, Through My Eyes, can't accurately be called fans. They're more like believers. It was hot standing in the line that stretched to the far corner of Aragon Avenue, but nobody was cross. It was tiring to wait for hours, but nobody was impatient. It was, yes, a little bit nuts to pin so much expectation on a 30-second encounter with a 23-year-old quarterback, but nobody was disappointed. That's the Tim Tebow Effect. Inside and outside the bookstore, a sense of joy lit up faces. Not the sort of frenzied joy that rocked the place when Ricky Martin signed his book and fans jumped on top of the table to touch him. With Tebow, it's a lump-in-the-throat joy, an affirmation that a famous person doesn't have to be warped by success and attention, that a superman athlete can be humble and kind. Tebow makes people feel good. The former Florida Gator and current Denver Bronco shook hands with each man, woman and child in line. He looked into their eyes. He smiled. He chatted. He posed for photos. He laughed. He treated strangers like neighbors. He looked like he was having as much fun as they were. "Well, tell him I said hey," Tebow said to a woman in a Gators jersey taking a picture with a Gators cellphone. "It's so nice to meet y'all." Tebow wore jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers. He spent two hours interacting with people who came to make sure he's for real. "When I see that kid, good stuff goes around and around in my heart," said Manny Vazquez, a Coral Gables lawyer and Florida alumnus who handed Tebow a check for his charitable foundation. Julianne McLay told Tebow she waited eight hours at his signing last week in Orlando and when she finally got up to him she was too shy to say a word. This time, she got a hug. McLay, 14, wore eye-black with Psalm 139:14 etched into it in homage to Tebow. One of her favorite parts of the book is when Tebow writes about his upbringing as the son of Christian missionaries. He and his siblings were never allowed to brag about their accomplishments. "Sports isn't what makes him great," McLay said. "He's cares so much about people and he wants to make a difference." Genuine. Sincere. Down-to-earth. Those are the descriptions inspired by the Tim Tebow Effect. His book is an autobiography and a testament to his faith. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse. He writes about how his mother was advised to terminate her pregnancy with him in the Philippines but how she and his father refused the abortion option and he was born as a "miracle baby." He writes that his father pledged to raise him to be a preacher. He writes about his championship seasons at Florida and his struggles as an NFL rookie. The Broncos finished 4-12 -- the first time Tebow was on a team with a losing record. In his first NFL start, in GameaEUR%14, he ran for a 40-yard touchdown and was as thrilled about scoring as about the fact that the scripture verse (PsalmaEUR%23:4) he wrote on his wristband was visible in the photos. Yet Tebow doesn't come across as holier-than-thou. "You'd see him around Gainesville and he didn't have that arrogance other athletes have," said Brittany Cormier, a UF senior from Hialeah. Said Lisette Hoyo, a UF graduate from Miami Beach: "He leads by example rather than by lecturing you." Ada Knecht of Pinecrest also trekked to Orlando to get two books signed. She waited from 4aEUR%a.m. until noon. On Monday, she waited again to get two more books. He remembered her and asked about one of her sons who had been ill when they last met. "He spent a lot of time in line with a disabled child," she said. "You can't fake that. He's so comfortable with who he is and what he believes in." In his book, Tebow writes that he is ready for whatever challenges life brings him. "My dad always tells us that faith is a like a muscle. You trust God for the small things and when He comes through your muscle grows. This enables you to trust God for the bigger things, in fact, all things." His manager, Angel Gonzalez of Miami, has known Tebow since he was 12. "He knows he has a platform and he wants to change lives," Gonzalez said. The Tim Tebow Effect will enable him to change lives, in ways small and large. Maybe quarterback is too limited a role. President Tebow? "When he talks to you it's like you're the only one in the room," Noelle Rivera said, standing in a packed room. "But I think he's too honest for politics." To see more of The Miami Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald.com. 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