A Quarterback and Your Impact on Campus

It is amazing how Jesus moved among the masses. In one scene we see Jesus teaching hundreds, maybe even thousands by the seaside. Next, He is feeding thousands more from a small lunch box. Many times we long to stand before the masses like Jesus and make a huge splash that will mark the world. On the other hand, we can forget that many times Jesus would encounter one person and from that one encounter, bring incredible transformation.

I remember being a young Christian, freshly filled with the Holy Spirit, looking to make my mark. Little did I know that it was the one-on-one encounters that would leave the lasting effect on my football team and campus. A small group of us prayed for years that God would heal, save, and bring transformation to our team. A few years into this prayer journey, I heard that our quarterback was looking for me. We met in the locker room and before I knew it, he gave his life to Jesus! That was over ten years ago and today we are still praying for an entire campus to encounter the Lord. One of our students that recently gave his life to Jesus here at the University of Houston sent me a text saying, "Lance, our quarterback has scripture verses under his eyes! Did you know he is an outspoken Christian!?!". That text brought me back to a memory from over 10 years ago to Jason Mckinnley sitting down with me, one-on-one, and giving his life to Jesus. The Lord brought to my mind that every quarterback for the past 10 years has been a solid born again Christian and it all began with Jason. This year, our University of Houston football team was ranked as high as number 7 in the nation and Case Keenam, our current quarterback has been a Heisman candidate who frequently shares his faith on T.V. and radio.

The bottom line is this. Case Keenam may never know my name or that I led the guy to Lord, that led the guy to the Lord, that led him to the Lord, but it was a one-on-one encounter that brought the beginning of transformation to a campus! You might not be able to stand before the quarterback on your campus but you may impact the guy who will! Be faithful and let Jesus work it out.