September 5, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, September 5.
I must begin today with an apology. These little daily thoughts, in addition to being published on the Shelby County Today website, go out in hundreds of emails, many of them to people who are not fortunate enough to live in the great state of Texas. There's going to be some "Texas bragging" in this devotion, and so, to all those unfortunate readers out there, I offer my heartfelt apology.
My focus this morning is on a great Texas hero. On this day, in 1836, Sam Houston was elected the president of the Republic of Texas. I grew up in the great city that carries his name (the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the South). His memory is preserved in a colossal statue 60 miles north of that city (the tallest statue in America depicting a real person).
In his teens, Houston ran away from home and lived for three years with the Cherokee. In his twenties, he was a hero in the War of 1812. In his thirties he was elected to Congress, and in his forties he served as governor of Tennessee. Sam Houston was not, in fact, born in Texas. But, as the old saying goes, "never let the facts get in the way of a good story".
On arriving finally in Texas, (the dream of most non-Texans), Houston led the victory over Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto (a battle which is commemorated by a monument taller than that one in Washington). After serving as president, he was a US senator, and finally the governor of the Lone Star State (the only person to be elected governor of two different states). His tenure came a couple of decades before the completion of the Texas Capitol (which is bigger than that one in Washington).
All together an amazing life. But what about Sam Houston's spiritual life? In 1830 he was baptized into the Catholic faith. This was when Texas was still part of Mexico, and his action simply qualified him to be a landowner. But on November 19, 1854, Sam Houston was baptized into the Baptist Church in Independence, Texas. The church still stands today, and houses the Texas Baptist Museum (which houses my father's pulpit).
A great life, for a great man, who represented a great state. A life full of memorable moments and amazing accomplishments. And none greater than when he rose up from the baptismal waters, as a symbol of his relationship with a great God.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
