Ski-U-Mah

The last time I blogged, I told you about one of my passions – College Football, and USC in particular. Well, it’s time to disclose a second passion of mine ... Gopher Basketball!

Growing up in the Twin Cities, we never had much of a college football team ... but ... the University of Minnesota was always fairly competitive when it came to the hard court. Some notable alums include Kevin McHale and Mychal Thompson.

Anyway, I’m a pretty devoted fan. I grew up going to “the Barn”. And later in life the obsession only got worse ... after Elizabeth and I got married, we would actually drive around the country, following the team whenever they would get into the NCAA tournament. And for Charile’s two-year-old birthday party, we even hired Goldy (the mascot) to come to our house!

Go Gophers!

The Gophers play in a building with a lot of character. Williams Arena was built in 1928 and is affectionately known as “the Barn”. (In the way of trivia ... Get this ... It was originally built at a cost of $650,000. Well, they just replaced the flooring this year, and the cost of just the new floor? About $850,000!) Anyway - just the other day I drove back to see a game in the Barn. (Needed a Gopher-fix!!!) And on the drive, I listened to my CD of Gopher Fight Songs, etc.

One of the songs was a song I grew up with is the State Song (and also adopted by the University) ... it’s a ballad/hymn called, “Hail! Minnesota”. The second verse goes like this ...

Like the stream that bends to sea,
Like the pine that seeks the blue;
Minnesota, still for Thee
Thy sons are strong and true!
From thy woods and waters fair,
From thy prairies waving far.
At thy call they throng with a shout and song;
Hailing Thee their Northern Star!

The idea of the small stream that starts in Itasca State Park, and bends it’s way down to the Gulf, ending as the mighty Mississippi - or the notion of a fledgling northern Minnesota pine growing tall and reaching for the sky ... It reminded me of the Psalm we read together (at the 10:45 service) on Sunday.

As we bend to sea and seek the sky, so too do we strive and seek God. In the words of the Psalm ...

Psalm 63:1-8: O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Mark