*he ran away from home @16
*lived with the Indians three years and spoke fluent Cherokee
*fought in Revolutionary War and War of 1812
*became a lawyer in TN and commanded a TN state militia
*elected Governor of TN
*pled the case for Indians in Washington in full Cherokee gear
*beat a Congressman walking down Pennsylvania Avenue with a hickory cane/high profile trial/represented by Francis Scott Key/convicted/given light fine
*moved to territories and never paid the fine
*fought for TX independence from Mexico
*named first/third President of the Republic of Texas
*first TX Senator and then Governor of Texas
*slave holder who opposed abolition and the secession of TX from Union/evicted from office for refusing to take oath of loyalty to the Confederacy (see statement below)
This achiever lived a remarkable life. He was a soldier, politician, and he also had two legal wives and one common law wife. Do you know anyone else who was Governor of two different states? Who was he?
Sam Houston had a BIG personna just like Texas. He was rough around the edges, but when Sam fell in love with...and married his third wife, Sam Houston was gentled.
This is pretty Margaret Houston from Alabama. She was 21 and he was 47 when they married. No wonder the honorary Cherokee named "Black Raven" fell for her. They went on to have eight children who were born between his 51st-68th year.
It was Margaret who convinced Houston to give up drinking and consider Jesus. She whispered in his ear for fourteen years before his conversion and baptism.
Mr. Sam was no exception. When he came up out of the waters, he was declaring to witnesses (of whom there were MANY there that day) that he had turned his back on a lifetime of self-direction and was now turning toward Jesus.
We can imagine that because Sam Houston was such a ruffian...and a huge public figure...people came from miles away to see his baptism. Some mischievous kids had put sticks and mud in the baptismal pool, so they quickly had to relocate it to Little Rocky Creek just south of College Station. The wind was whipping on that cold November Day.
Rufus Columbus Burleson was Houston's pastor who baptized him, but there were two other pastors (Morrell and Baines) who were there because they had played a part in his conversion. George Washington Baines had been Sam's former pastor and was the great-grandfather of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. After he was baptized, one of his friends was heard to say "General, all your sins have been washed away!". Houston replied "If that be the case, God help the fish downstream!"
Sam Houston's life gave ample evidence. This former brawler was sorry for his past 61 years of ignoring the Savior. He was through fighting the English, the Mexicans, the politicians, and his own sin. He gave up the bottle and exchanged his name "The Big Drunk" for the name "Christian". He gave freely to the cause of Christ...paying half of his pastor's salary and giving generously to Baylor University.
Sam Houston's future totally changed when he met the Savior. One day it will be an honor to meet him.
Addendum
After Sam Houston was evicted from the TX Governor's office, he went to Galveston where Texans demanded to know why he would not support the Confederacy. Here are his words:
"Let me tell you what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, you may win Southern independence if God be not against you, but I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of states rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche; and what I fear is, they will overwhelm the South."