Hey, If HE Can't Make It...

Before the Apocalypse

I'm not a Notre Dame fan...at all. The school is like Duke: one loves it or hates it. There is no in between. And I cannot even provide a rational reason; the closest I can come is that any team nicknamed the "Irish" had better have green in their uniforms instead of blue and gold. Don't bother telling me WHY the colors are blue and gold...I know. It's just that there's a disconnect for me when I match the color and the name. And then there's the original "Touchdown Jesus," a statue on campus of Christ with upraised arms signaling not redemption or "come to me" but a score in football. Please! (Yes, I know that was not the original intent, but the school continues to portray it as such...At least it's still standing, unlike "Touchdown Jesus II"
Haven't heard of it? Well, you won't get a chance to see it any time soon because it disappeared in lightning, thunder and flames last night. Sign of the Apocalypse? Maybe.
This 62-foot high statue of Christ with upraised arms stood next to the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, and overlooked I94 just north of Cincinnati. Made of plastic foam and fiberglass covering a steel frame, the statue stood as inspiration, not only to church members, but also to members of the busy thoroughfare running through Ohio. Officially titled "King of Kings" but referred to as "Touchdown Jesus," the statue was erected in 2004 and was something like 40 feet around at its base. But apparently, God had seen enough or needed to make a statement because the statue was struck by lightning last night and burned to the ground.
Of course, people were moved by the experience: some of them scooping up bits of falling statue to take home as a relic while others waxed nostalgic about the great spiritual gift that had been taken away.
The pastor of the church vows to rebuild the statue (valued at $300,000) out of something fireproof next time.
How did the civil authorities react to the religious scene? Police issued citations to those who stopped to take pictures and scoop up debris.
Well, they WERE tying up the interstate.
I'm waiting to see if it's back up in three days.