Who WiIl We Serve?

For most West Texans, Sundays are the same. Sitting patiently as our pastor hits his third point, nervously looking at our watches, wondering if we will miss all of the 1st quarter of the Cowboys game. In West Texas, most will say there is only one true God, but when push comes to shove, we will admit that we serve two masters.

Football and God are interwoven into the very genetic make-up of people from West Texas. It was only a few years ago when several West Texas towns were caught up into a legal battle on the issue of organized school prayer before football games. Some even thought of canceling games if they were not allowed to continue. But when cooler heads prevailed, the games would go on, prayer would not.

When the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDot) began breaking ground for the Marsha Sharp Freeway (insert joke here), they could never imagine the public outcry and criminal activity that was about to take place. As a part of the largest road construction project in the state of Texas, the plans called for artwork of local "icons" to be placed around the newly constructed facades of the freeway. A major centerpiece of these icons became known as "windyman".

For anyone who has spent any time in West Texas knows, one thing you can always count on is bowl eligibility and WIND! Wind is as much of an icon here as Buddy Holly's glasses, gun racks and Stangle Beach (speaking of racks). What was surprising was the complete uproar that occurred when the first icon was placed on the freeway. The venom that spewed on the pages of the local paper from outraged citizens read like the final seal had been broken and the 4 Horsemen were upon us. Locals penned letters day after day voicing their outrage of these "idols" being placed with their tax money. Some self-proclaimed "hammer of God" even took to vandalizing the helpless stone. Somehow, their very faith was being shredded by the installment of an "icon".

If only TxDot had been in tune with the people of West Texas so as to avoid this tragic turn of events. If they would have only studied the culture of the people, understood their way of life so as not to offend with their graphic and blatant hindering of the people beliefs. So my solution is very simple. "Windyman" should be removed permanently, and replaced with something that will be more culturally satisfying to the God fearing people of West Texas. Behold, "God's Team Man".