Ok...well, I've held off posting until the game was over. Some of that was just business, and some of it was just the fact that I didn't have much to say...I'm always nervous before these games and pretty much expect to lose. All that said, I hope folks got to see that game.
For basic highlights here I go: I happened to get up really early on Satruday morning (6:00)...Had actually fallen asleep at 9:30 the night before with my little boy, Michael, so I had slept plenty long. Getting up early was perfect though because I wanted to head down to my favorite place on campus, Buckeye Donuts....I lived at this place in college, especially between the hours of 10:00pm-2:00am for studying after I got off work. Hole in the wall place and quite the diverse crowd flowing in and out, always has been. Anyway, as I drove down Lane Ave., the main road leading into campus from the west, vendors were already fired up and hundreds of people already lining the streets. The Varsity Club (one of the classic campus bars) had probably 150 people waiting to go in. Turning onto High St. (OSU's main retail strip) the large amounts of people already out and tailgating in parking lots was a comical scene--it was still 6:15am mind you. As I drove past Eddie George's 27 restaurant on South campus, I saw another 100-150 peopl waiting to enter...It was hilarous, and I've never seen the environment here like this.
I spent a good hour in Buckeye Donuts talking with three guys I'd never met about music, with, amazingly enough, a Huey Lewis and the News song getting us all started. The music conversation went from Led Zeppelin and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, to Bob Marley and Flock of Seagulls(this final one brought a round of well deserved ridicule by the way). While we were all talking, one of the guys, "Hawk" did a sketch of me in ten minutes that was pretty amazing. What was really cool about the conversation was when, at one point, for some unknown reason, one of the guys asked me what I did, and when I said "Pastor," he replied "No S***! That's awesome. Oh, sorry; and sorry for everything bad I've said up to this point." I told him it was no big deal and it didn't really bother me. Once the "pastor cat was out of the bag," I loved the fact that our conversation took a more deliberate turn toward spiritual things, but was no less colorful and real on these guys part. Hawk shared with me how he had been, and sometimes still was, a con artist, and had spent a little time "in the pen" for some of the things he'd done. Anoter of the guys started talking about where he was and where he has been in his faith journey. He'd accepted Christ many years ago and knew he wasn't living right now, but really seemed to have a good understanding of God's grace and his own necessary response. He even said, "Oh yeah, and I've been reading that book by that guy, you know, from California...Really good, oh what's the title....?" "The Purpose Driven Life," I suggested. "Yeah, that's it....It's great."
Anyway, after two of the guys left, the other guy, who happened to be homeless, sat down and we hung out for another hour and half. Tim sat down next to me and said, "You know, it's really funny that you're here today and that you're a pastor...." The conversation went from there and I found out many things about Tim--major heart issues; divorced, but didn't talk bad about his wife; seeing a married woman currently, knowing he shouldn't be. After sharing that he asked very earnestly, "But can I really be responsible for who I fall in love with? Can any of us?" My answer to him was "No and Yes," and that he should stop seeing her. And that, even though you know you should, that doesn't make it any easier to do. Well, we talked all about faith, Jesus, churches, why he didn't like taking advantage of living in homeless shelters, and what he might have to offer some of the other guys at the homeless shelter. We finished with a little bit of OSU v. Mich. pregame analysis and then I bought him a hot chocolate, wrote down Hebrews 4:14-16 on a little piece of paper for him, gave him a couple bucks and let him know I hoped I would see him again next time I was in town. It was a great morning and it helped keep the rest of the day in perspective. Which of course was not easy considering it was now only about 9:00am, and the campus area appeared as if the game would be starting in two hours...Of course it was still six and a half hours to kick-off. (TO BE CONTINUED)
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