Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Closing the Deal, part 2

More thoughts from yesterday's blog theme:

You know how much I admired Byron Nelson. Certainly he was one of the greatest sports figures in history. His 11 straight PGA tour wins is about as untouchable as Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hitting streak.

But as I listened to people talk about Mr. Nelson over the past week (when his tournament was played), I was struck by the fact that nobody mentioned him who did not comment upon his faith. They would mention his achievements, his kindness, his commitment to children through his charity, etc. But they would all say something about his deep faith in God.

Mr. Nelson was a seed-planter. At his funeral, I saw celebrities who may never enter church buildings. But I guarantee you: That day, they heard the gospel. Did Mr. Nelson close the deal? I know he did on occasion. In fact, he baptized his wife, Peggy. Was Mr. Nelson evangelistic? Absolutely. How? Because he was light and salt. Because he was the aroma of Christ.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

After reading your comments on Byron Nelson's life, what do you think he wanted to leave behind as a legacy? Certainly he's remembered as a great golfer, but it sounds like he was much more interested in being remembered as a child of God.

Matt said...

There is an excellent article in SI about Tony Dungy. It is on the back page written by Rick Reilly. You might be able to find it online. They story was about how Dungy has reached out to other fathers who have lost Children.

It really doesn't take as much effort as we think to plant seeds. I'm glad you didn't give up on daily blogging!

Unknown said...

Yes, I want to be a better planter, too!

We may never see the increase in our time, but we certainly will in heaven.

Amy C said...

I love your thoughts on seed planting. THAnks for the great words.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the impact of Mr. Nelson's life emphasizes that the good news in our times will be spread one soul at a time by one Christian at a time.