Earlier this week, Houston city officials allowed a few select members of the local media into the decaying Astrodome for an all-access tour. No area was off limits. No part of it was quarantined. What they found was, to say the least, quite disturbing.
The Astrodome. The first domed stadium in the world. The crown jewel of the city and the hub of all things sports in Houston from 1965-1995. The place "AstroTurf" was invented (true story--ever wondered why it's called "AstroTurf"?). The location of the "Game of the Century" between the U of H and UCLA basketball teams in 1968. The place where my childhood hero, Evil Knievel, jumped over 13 cars in 1971. Elvis performed there not once, but twice. The site of the "Battle of Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973.
Now, it sits as a dilapidated dump and a symbol of everything that is wrong with politics in Houston. (To see some sad pictures from the Houston Chronicle, visit http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2012/04/04/touring-the-astrodome-a-depressing-afternoon/#4214-3)
Understand this: I loved, loved, loved the Astrodome. To make the two-hour drive from Orange to see an Astros game was the highlight of my year as a child. I remember taking our family visiting from Nebraska to see the Eighth Wonder and watching Mark Lemongello pitch in 1977. My high school (West Orange-Stark) played three playoff games in the Dome in 1986 and I was able to march in the band on the fabled AstroTurf. The last time I was in the Dome was in 2003 one night after the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. They had it open for Country and Western Dancing after the rodeo. I didn't do any dancing, but I wanted an excuse to go back inside it, if even for one night. No one is sadder to see what has happened to this once-great venue than I am.
I have heard all the options for the future of the Dome, from the logical (implode it and use it for parking or turn it into a movie sound stage), to the impractical (turn it into a hotel like the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine or build apartments/condos inside of it), to the absurd (build an indoor ski slope or wild game preserve inside). The problem is that years of indecision and hesitation have made all of these practically impossible. Yet another feasibility study is supposed to come out in a couple of weeks, but it will say what everyone already knows but is afraid to say out loud. As much as I hate to say it out loud, I'm not afraid. The Astrodome is finished. Done. If you can implode Yankee Stadium, the "House that Ruth Built," you can implode the Astrodome.
But that's not all I have to say about it.
As a believer in Christ, I tend to see everything through the filter of my faith. As I reflect on the past, present, and future of the Astrodome, one word comes to mind. Neglect.
And when I think about the faith of so many believers that I have known through the years, there is one word that comes to mind. Neglect. I am not throwing stones and I am not mentioning any names, but when I read the posts of some of my old friends on Facebook who used to be in love with Christ, I can't help but think of the Houston Astrodome.
The Dome is a cautionary tale to us all. I don't think anyone set out to say, "You know what, I think we should slowly destroy the Astrodome," and I would hope that no one who has had a life-changing experience with Christ would intentionally say, "I'm going to let my faith in Christ decay." It starts with small, baby steps of neglect, and before you know it, like Simon Peter, we are denying that we ever knew Him at all.
I don't have any control over what becomes of the Astrodome, but I do have more than a little control over what becomes of my relationship with Christ. I pray that all of us what consider what has happened to the Dome and say, "May it never happen to us, O Lord."
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