Super Sunday!
Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Thursday, January 29, 2009 10:28 AM
It's almost here! One of my favorite days of the year – Super Bowl Sunday! It really doesn’t matter that neither the Arizona Cardinals nor the Pittsburgh Steelers are among my favorite teams, the days leading up to the Big Game really get me fired up. All the hype, the prognostications, and the analysis is often more exciting than the game itself.
A couple of Super Bowls ago, one of the pre-game interviews completely captured my attention. Within the professional sports culture, we hear so many tales of boys behaving badly, so when I heard Samkon Gado’s story, I was amazed.
When Martha and I began writing our second book, I knew that we needed to include Samkon’s story. We spent over an hour on the phone with him, and it was refreshing and inspiring. He’s walking by faith, trusting God to move him day-by day to the place that he can serve Him and others most effectively. “I don’t want to presume about where the Lord will have me serve,” he said. “I’ll just wait and let God unfold it for me one piece at a time. I’m praying, ‘God, just send me wherever I can be the most useful.’”
His NFL career has been a roller coaster ride. The year after this video appeared, Samkon was released by the Houston Texans and signed for a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins. Then, when the Dolphins didn't renew his contract this year, he began preparations to enter medical school. But before he could complete the entrance requirements, the St. Louis Rams called on him to finish the season with them. Just this week, Samkon signed a new contract with the Rams for the upcoming 2009 season.
In the interview with us, Samkon, the son of African missionaries, told us that he knew that God had called Him to someday return to his native Nigeria as a medical missionary. Until that door opens, God has burned a picture into Samkon’s heart. He sees it when he closes his eyes at night, when the cheering crowd is quiet and the stadium’s lights are dark. “I see an image of people living in absolute misery, with no hope, and no future. God wants me to bring hope and healing to those people. He wants me to show them Jesus.”
