Chapter 15

Isaac was the first of the boys to wake up the next morning. Quietly, he left their room to go outside. As he opened the front door, he noticed his father sitting on their porch drinking his coffee. He was watching two squirrels chasing each other around the yard and up a tree. “Hey, Son,” Peter Kramer said as Isaac stepped outside into the brisk morning air. “Hi, Dad,” Isaac responded. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he added. “Yes, it is a beautiful day,” his dad replied. “Anything new?” his father asked. “Well, actually just more strange dreams. I wish I knew what they meant,” Isaac lamented. “Kind of sounds like Joseph. He was troubled by his dreams, but God showed him what the meaning of them was. He will do the same for you,” his father shared. “I know. Just anxious to find out what it all means. At least I am not dreaming of my brothers bowing down to me. I am sure they would sell me to a passing caravan also,” Isaac said with a smile. “Yes, they would for sure. We would come visit you,” his dad shared with a laugh. “Good to know,” Isaac replied, smiling. “So what dream is troubling you now? The football one again?” Peter asked. “No, this is new. God was giving me a present, but I did not see all of it nor know what it really means,” Isaac shared. “A present from God, huh?” his dad mentioned. “That sounds like a really good dream.” Isaac explained the dream that was troubling him. “Wow, a gold helmet? That would be something to see,” his dad said. “Yes, it was awesome. Not practical but awesome,” Isaac replied. “Isaac, your mom and I have known for a long time that God has something for you. There was just something about how He spoke to you and how you seemed to listen. We know that God has something for everyone and your brothers and sisters also have a call on their lives, but there is something different in the way He speaks to you,” Isaac’s dad shared with him. “Thanks. I just don’t understand it all. At times, I think it is starting to come clear; then, it gets foggy again,” Isaac replied. “Just be patient,” his dad reminded him. Just then, the door opened, and Isaac’s mom told them that breakfast was ready and they needed to get ready for church. “You don’t have to tell me twice about food being ready,” Isaac said with a laugh as he stood up quickly. Isaac passed his mom in the doorway heading for the small kitchen. His mom proceeded to go out on the porch to hug her husband. “So what were you two talking about so intently this morning?” Ruth asked her husband. “Our son is struggling with more dreams. He is a special young man. I feel in my spirit that we will be seeing some amazing things in his future,” Peter told his wife. “I think you are right. We are so very blessed with our children. Aren’t we?” his wife asked. “Yes, we are. Well, I had better grab a biscuit, and we need to get this tribe on the road to church,” Peter answered.

As they walked into the house, all five children were in the kitchen finishing up their breakfast. As the parents rounded them up, they piled outside into their aging SUV for the short drive to their local church. Pastor Dan was waiting outside to welcome everyone to this service. Isaac really liked Pastor Dan. He was funny but also was clear on what the Bible says. He did not sugarcoat anything, but at the same time, he did not get stuck in legalism either. Being his best friend’s dad kind of helped too. The entire Kramer family settled into their normal third-row pew after hugging and shaking hands with everyone on the way into the church. The worship team came up front and led the congregation in four powerful worship songs. Isaac lifted his hands and lip-synced the lyrics. Ever since his voice had changed, he had not liked singing in public. It was easier to lip-sync with his eyes closed than to worry about who was around him. As worship ended, they returned to their seats. Pastor Dan walked up front and began his message on trust. Isaac felt like he was talking directly to him. Each word he said and each scripture that he shared spoke directly to his heart and what he had been going through with his dreams and graduating high school and college and football and life in general. As Pastor Dan finished his message, Isaac’s mind was whirling. He felt exhausted and invigorated at the same time. He must have had a funny look on his face because Todd walked by on his way out of church and stopped and stared at him. “What is up, buddy?” he asked Isaac. “Oh, nothing, just another dream, and the message today really spoke to me,” Isaac replied. “Another dream?” his friend asked. “Yes, it was more of the dream about the present from God. I got to see most of it last night. The part of the present I saw was a golden football helmet,” Isaac explained. “A golden what?” Todd asked. “A golden football helmet with my number on the back of it,” Isaac replied. “Wow, you cannot get much better than that,” Todd said in amazement. “What are you doing today?” he asked Isaac. “Just heading home to get my chores done and get ready for our test on Monday,” Isaac said. “Oh, yeah, don’t remind me. I do not have a good feeling about that test,” Todd shared. “Call me later if you want to study,” Isaac offered. “You got it,” Todd said as he turned to catch up with his family. “Talk to ya later,” he added. “See ya,” Isaac said as his friend hurried for the door. Peter Kramer waved to Isaac, saying they needed to go. Isaac headed toward the door and down the steps of the little white church building. The Kramers loaded into their SUV and headed home. “I think we will have ham sandwiches for lunch,” their mom said to her family. “Sounds good,” Joshua replied.

As they turned to drive down the lane to their house, Priscilla asked, “Whose car is that by our house?” “I am not sure,” her father replied. Peter and Ruth glanced at each other to see if either one knew whose car it was. Neither seemed to have any idea. As they pulled up their driveway and came to a stop, the driver’s door opened, and a well-dressed man stepped out. “It’s Coach Williams,” Isaac exclaimed. “What is he doing here?” As the family piled out of the SUV, Coach Williams walked toward Peter. “I am very sorry for showing up unannounced. I just felt I needed to make the trip here to introduce myself. I am Coach Williams from Iowa State University,” Coach said as he extended his hand. Peter shook his hand and gave the coach an inquisitive look. “How can we help you?” Peter asked. “Again, I know this is unorthodox, and I might not truly understand it myself, but I would like a few minutes to speak to you and your son Isaac,” Coach replied. “We are preparing to have lunch; would you like to join us?” Ruth asked their guest. “I do not want to intrude. I can let you have lunch and come back later today to speak to you,” Coach offered. “Nonsense. We are just having ham sandwiches. Please join us,” Ruth replied. “I would love to,” Coach answered. “You boys sit on the porch while I make the sandwiches, and then we can talk while we eat. Would that be okay?” Ruth asked, looking at Coach Williams. “That sounds great to me. I would like to talk to both you and your husband along with Isaac,” Coach replied. Ruth and the four other children headed into the house while Peter, Isaac, and Coach sat on the porch. Small talk ensued with Coach Williams asking about their home and how long they had been there. Peter explained that it was built by his grandfather, and it was passed down to them. As he finished explaining, Ruth appeared with four plates of sandwiches and chips. Hanna and Priscilla followed her with four glasses of tea. “Thank you, girls,” Ruth said to her daughters and motioned them to go back into the house. Peter bowed his head and prayed for their meal and thanked God for another day together. As Peter looked up, he noticed that Coach Williams had also bowed his head and had his eyes closed in prayer. “So what can we do for you, Mr. Williams?” Peter asked their guest. “Well, this may sound very strange and not make sense. Where do I start? First off, I am not sure if Isaac mentioned that we met at the soccer exhibition match in Ames a week ago,” Coach started. “Yes, he was very excited about that day and meeting you,” Ruth answered. Coach Williams smiled and looked over at Isaac, who was looking back with a puzzled look on his face. Did I say something really dumb that day? Did I do something I shouldn’t have? Isaac asked himself silently.
“Well, I was impressed by your son. He is a wonderful young man, and he has a very high football IQ,” Coach continued. “Football IQ?” Ruth asked. “Yes, sorry, that is a term we use to describe how well someone understands the game of football. It is very intricate, and there is a lot that goes into the game,” Coach answered. “I had seen him play when his team came to Ames and in Ankeny when they played Urbandale. So I know he has talent also,” Coach continued. “So what are you getting at?” Peter asked. “Well, here is the strange part. I was sitting in church this morning. I went to the early service. Anyway, I felt the Lord prompting me to come here as soon as possible. I did not understand why or what would happen when I got here, but I knew I needed to make this drive,” Coach explained. “How did you know where we lived?” Peter asked. “I knew you were near Ankeny, so I texted Mark Clermont and asked him for your address. He seemed to not be surprised by my request. I need to talk to him later about that detail, but that is for another time,” Coach continued. “So did you figure out why God would lead you to our house?” Ruth asked. “Well, yes, I did. As I was sitting in my car waiting, God reminded me that I had an offer sheet in my briefcase in the backseat of the car,” Coach said. “Offer sheet? Offer for what?” Ruth asked. “I am supposed to offer a scholarship to your son to come play football at Iowa State,” Coach answered. Isaac fell off of his chair and onto the porch floor. “You are offering me what?” Isaac exclaimed. “Are you serious?” “Yes, son. I cannot guarantee you a starting spot or if you will play much your first year or two. I have two scholarships left for this season, and God made it crystal clear that one needed to be for you. Does this make any sense?” Coach asked. Isaac looked at his mom and saw tears streaming down her face. Then he glanced at his dad and saw him wiping the corners of his eyes. “Son, I do not know if you were interested in playing football or if you were interested in Iowa State, but we need men with character in our program. Again, I cannot promise you will play a lot, but I need you in our locker room and at our university. So would you be interested?” Coach said finally. “Are you kidding me? Of course, I am interested. How could I not be interested?” Isaac said, unable to control his excitement. “Woohoo!” they heard from inside the house. Each of them turned to see Priscilla and Joshua staring out the window, smiling. “Go clean up lunch,” their mom hollered at them with a smile.

“Okay, wait a minute. What does this entail? What does this include?” Peter asked hesitantly. “Well, sir, it would include tuition, books, a room in the athlete’s dorm, and a meal plan to cover Isaac’s meals. In addition, we provide top-notch training facilities,” Coach replied. “So what is required of Isaac?” Ruth asked. “Isaac would be expected to attend all of his classes and maintain a 2.5 GPA. He also will be expected to attend all practices, team meetings, and training sessions. Finally, Isaac would be expected to be a leader both on the team and on campus. That means not getting into trouble or causing any harm to anyone or anything on campus. We take this responsibility very seriously. We expect our young men to graduate and become leaders,” Coach explained. “So when does he start?” Peter asked. “Well, we would like him to report to campus by June 10th to begin practices, training, and prep for his classes starting in the fall,” Coach explained. “So is this something that you would consider for your son?” Coach asked. “We need to pray over this. Can we provide an answer tomorrow?” Peter asked. “That would be wonderful. Again, I am sorry to interrupt your Sunday, but as you know, God can be pretty persistent. I knew I could not wait to talk to you all. If you would excuse me, I need to head back to Ames to spend time with my wife and family. It was an honor to meet you both. You have raised a tremendous son. Isaac, I am glad to see you again. I hope that this works out and you can start your career at Iowa State,” Coach said, shaking their hands. “Yes, sir,” Isaac replied. They walked Coach to his car and waved as he drove down the lane away from their house. “Did that just really happen?” Isaac asked. “Is this really what my dreams were about? Has this been God’s plan all along? I am so overwhelmed right now,” Isaac said exhaustingly. Ruth was smiling at her son, then looked up to heaven to thank the Lord for being active in her son’s life.

As Coach Williams pulled out of the Kramer’s drive, his phone rang. “Hello,” Coach answered. “Coach, this is John. Got a minute? We need to talk about a young man I met yesterday. I feel in my spirit that we need to give him a shot,” John Taylor replied. “John, we have one more scholarship available for this school year. As you know, we are down a quarterback with Tyler tearing his ACL this week, so we need to use that scholarship for a quarterback,” Coach reminded his recruiter. “Well, sir, this young man is a quarterback. He threw for over 4,100 yards and seventy-two touchdowns this year,” John reassured him. “So why is he not picking between ten offers?” Coach asked carefully. “Well, he has had some off-field issues. I met him at the funeral of his best friend, who was the son of a friend of mine from the service,” John answered. “I really feel we need to give him a shot. It’s more about turning around his life than playing football. There is something there that I think we need to refine,” John continued. “John, I trust you. To be honest, this has already been a very strange day that I will share with you later. If you believe in this kid, then let’s do it. Reach out to him to see if he is interested in becoming a Cyclone,” Coach replied. “Thanks, Coach,” John answered as he hung up the phone. “God, you obviously are working on something here. Please help me to be strong and not get in the way of whatever You have planned. I put my trust in You,” Coach Williams said as he drove toward his home.