Goodbye to a Champion

Last night I was walking with my son on the 18th green of a golf course. It was nearly dark. Before hitting my approach shot to the green, I glanced back to where the sun had set and caught a beautiful site -- an orange sky punctured by large oak trees in the foreground. The air was still. The weather was ideal. Aaron and I had a wonderful time on the course. What a treasured moment this was. And then I thought once more of Byron Nelson, who went home to the Lord a few hours earlier that day.

Aaron had sent me a text mail yesterday afternoon, telling me to look at espn.com. And there were the headlines -- something like "Golf Legend Byron Nelson Dies at age 94. " He was probably most famous for his 11 straight wins in professional golf during the 40's. Later he became a successful golf commentator on television. However, as fellow golf pro Ken Venturi said, Byron just might be best remembered for his reputation as "the finest gentleman this game has ever known."

Right after reading the news I called his sister-in-law, Betty, who is a regular volunteer at the Service Center. Betty told me that she and her husband, Charles (Byron's younger brother) were sad and yet very thankful for the kind of life he lived. She said, "Byron said that he wanted to be known mroe as a Christian gentleman than a great golfer." That you were, Byron, that you were.

I started to tear up as I told Betty to please pass on my condolences to Charles. Because I was so touched by the life of this man. He could have had a big ego. Kept his distance from from his fans. And yet the Spirit of Christ was obviously at work in this gentleman of golf -- and so many people recognized how different he was, many of whom didn't realize Who it was they were actually encountering.

I remember the last time I saw him interviewed -- it was at his final appearance at the tournament named after him in Dallas. Jim Nantz of CBS sat by him at the 18th hole Sunday afternoon, asking Byron what he thought of the tournament. Byron said, "It's been a great day. I went to church and Bible class this morning. The good Lord gave us a beautiful day."

The words of a true champion -- a champion of the faith.

O Father, thank You, for giving us this wonderful ,man -- a man whom You made great. He taught so many people how to play this tremendous game of golf...but most importantly he taught us how to live a life that honors You.

Jim