A Powerful Photo of Prayer In The Most Unexpected Place

          

           This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to photograph the Ohio State football game against Minnesota. I ran into my former teacher and current mentor Doral Chennoweth in the parking lot. I asked him if he saw my photos from the Penn State game. He saw them and liked them but he had some important advice.

         “Brent, can I pick on you for a moment?" he asked

         “Absolutely." I said.

         “You had some really good action shots, but you didn't have many pre-game shots.”

          I thought about it for a moment and I thought He's right. I missed the fireworks, Brutus leading the male cheerleaders with the red OHIO the flags down the field before the Buckeyes came out. I missed some really good opportunities.

          So as soon as I got the opportunity I moved from the southeast end of the field all the way to the northeast and took my position. BOOM!!! The fireworks went off and got a beautiful shot of them and out came The Ohio State Buckeyes. I got a shot of Brutus charging down the field with the flags. Then, somewhere between the National Anthem and kick off, several team members went into the end zone and knelt individually in silent prayer. One of the team members was star running back Ezekiel Elliot. I knelt down took aim and fired. The above image is what came out.

          This is, in my opinion the most powerful image I shot all night. Here you have the starting running back on the current national championship team kneeling down alone in silent prayer on the grounds of a public university. It's a very spiritual image that can be interpreted many different ways. Some may be offended by it calling for a Separation of Church and State, while others may be encouraged in their own spiritual walk.

          I took a look at this and was in awe. I am not sure if Elliot is a Christian or not. I don't know him personally, so I can't make that call. I began to ask myself ;What is he praying for? A win? A good game? Physical protection for himself ,his teammates, and the other team? Is he thanking God? I am a Christian man who believes in the power of prayer. I believe that Jesus Christ is the One and True God. When I played sports I never prayed for a win. I always asked God for physical protection for myself, my team and the other team. I also asked God to help me do my best on that playing field.

         I choose to abstain from answering the question of whether I believe God chooses the outcome of football games. That is a fair and valid question. However, this article is about introspection and self reflection. What is it that you really believe in deep down in the gut? If you call yourself Christian living and you're a sinful lifestyle, I must ask what you really believe in your heart of hearts? If you don't believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior I must ask you to ask yourself what is it that I really believe in and why. I'm not going to bombard you with Bible verses, but my hope and prayer for you is to come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. As for myself, I choose to follow Christ.