Pat Summerall's Best Call

In all the tumult this week of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the manhunt for the suspects, in all the chaos and loss surrounding the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion perhaps it was easy to miss that sports broadcasting lost a giant.  Pat Summerall, who called 16 Super Bowls, died this week at age 82.  His broadcast career began in 1962 and lasted until 2002.  He worked 21 years beside John Madden.

Pat Summerall made his biggest call though when he admitted that he was an alcoholic. Throwing up blood at 4:00 am while he was covering the 1994 Masters Golf Tournament coupled with the intervention of friends helped him to decide he did not want to live that way anymore.  He said that the five weeks he spent at the Betty Ford Clinic saved his life.  But he was still searching for more.  A conversation with coach Tom Landry led him to Dallas Cowboys chaplain John Weber who in turn led Pat to Jesus Christ.  At 69, Pat Summerall called on Christ to truly change him - that was his best call.  After his baptism, he said he felt like a 40 pound weight had been lifted off his back.

Can it be possible for people to really change after a life time of developing dark habits?  Summerall would say so.  This Sunday we will look at how Jesus can bring us light at dark moments.  We all have had to face some darkness this week.  Let's spend some time looking into the light.

For the journey...

Tim