Largent calls for
Christians to lead

By JOHN FORTMEYER
CNNW publisher

   PORTLAND — A national standout in both athletic and political endeavors told a Good Friday breakfast crowd of 700 that society needs the right kind of leadership, and “needs it more than ever.”
    Steve Largent — who first came to fame as a star with the NFL Seattle Seahawks and then made headlines as a four-term congressman and then gubernatorial candidate in his native state of Oklahoma — spoke at the debut of a planned annual event sponsored by Portland-based Open Arms International at the Oregon Convention Center.
    Largent, whose Christian faith has long been a matter of public record, recounted his own journey of faith as the child of divorced parents, one an alcoholic. He said he was intrigued as teenager attending Young Life and Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings, and later gave his life to Christ at a Southern Baptist revival.
   “That message was so simple and so profound that it got through this thick head,” he said.
    Citing prominent figures in recent history, Largent outlined what he said are three essential qualities of leadership — character, courage, and leading by example.
    But the best such example, he said, was from 2,000 years ago — Jesus.       “Talk about daring greatly,” Largent said.
    Largent urged everyone in the audience to let Jesus inspire a life of purpose. “Think about Christ’s sacrifice and what our natural response should be to what He has done for each of us,” he said.