Musings at Altitude

Over the past year, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to get to know staff, students, and big time fans of the University of Houston…but my interactions were in academic arenas and not athletics.

Yesterday though, I sat down at the end of the day to relax and the University of Houston just happened to be playing Texas Tech on TV.  Houston had already beaten the #5 team in the country, Oklahoma State, and all the sudden everyone was asking, “Are they real?”  And this game was another tough test for them.

As I watched, I was drawn to the Houston quarterback, who had black tapes under each eye.  Under the right eye it had “IS”, and under the left eye it had “40:31”.

Since I’m not the brightest guy in the world, it took me a few minutes to realize it was a Bible passage – Isaiah 40:31 – which says:

But those who hope in the Lord

   will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

   they will run and not grow weary,

   they will walk and not be faint.

Those words proved to be prophetic as the 4th quarter marched on, and with just over 5 minutes left in the game and Houston trailing by 5, they got the ball back on their own 5 yard line.

For the next 5 minutes, I had the feeling that this special moment was what that quarterback lived for and what that Bible verse meant.  Sixteen plays later, Houston scored, taking the lead by 1, and then they denied Texas Tech in the final few seconds to win the game.

I enjoy every minute I spend working with the talented professors at students in Houston, but I guess now I need to jump on that bandwagon with some good friends who believe in their athletic teams as well!

What an incredible game, and what an incredible witness on national TV.