Chapter 33

Isaac woke up slowly that Sunday morning. He opened his eyes and tried to shake the cobwebs from his head. Isaac glanced over at Ren’s bed and noticed he was already awake. “Dude, was that a dream, or did it really happen?” Isaac asked. “It really happened,” Ren replied with a smile. “ESPN has had it as their lead story all morning,” Ren shared. “What time is it?” Isaac asked. “Half past seven. Time to get up so we can get to church on time,” Ren answered. “I gotta say that is a phrase I never would have believed would come out of your mouth,” Isaac commented. “Me neither,” Ren shared in agreement. “You know, the amazing thing to me is that it was all right in front of me, and I was totally blind to it. How does that happen? God was right there the entire time, and I never saw Him,” Ren pondered. “Like it says in Acts 9:18, ‘Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once…,’” Isaac offered. “Amen, brother, I can see now,” Ren replied. “Ready?” Isaac asked. “Sure. Let’s go,” Ren replied as he opened the door to their room. Walking out of the residence hall was kind of surreal. There were not the normal crowds of students biking and milling around. It seemed like the celebrations went a little later than normal, and most were still sleeping. Ren fired up the powerful engine in his Camaro and pulled out of the parking lot. “Strange question—what kind of music do you like?” Ren asked. “I know you listen to some through your headphones, but we have never shared music before,” Ren continued. “I like all kinds. Rock, hip hop, country,” Isaac replied. “Hip hop? Seriously? I never pegged you as a hip hop fan,” Ren said in amazement. “Actually, I love Lecrae, Bizzle, Andy Mineo, and several others,” Isaac replied. “Bizzle? Who is that? Andy Mineo? Sounds like a folk singer,” Ren said as he laughed. “They are Christian hip hop,” Isaac shared. “There is Christian hip hop? Seriously? I thought it was only hymns or the songs they played at church last week,” Ren replied. “No, all genres are represented in Christian music,” Isaac said. Ren pulled into the parking lot at church. As they got out, they both felt like celebrities because everyone they met on the way into church congratulated them on the game yesterday. Both boys smiled at the attention. It felt really good to be recognized. Todd ran up when he saw them come in the side door. “What a game!” Todd exclaimed with a smile. “You both were amazing,” he continued. “Thanks. If I knew we were going to play, I would have asked you to come to the game. I figured I would just ride the pine,” Isaac shared. “I get it. I have to imagine you will both play next week,” Todd offered. “That is up to the coaches,” Ren explained. Secretly, he was hoping for another chance. The worship team led the congregation in four up-tempo worship songs. As Ren stood there, he felt this peace flowing over him. He had spent most of his life in turmoil and not in peace. This felt so much better. Pastor Dan walked up front and looked over at Isaac and Ren.

“As all good preachers, I worked all week on a message to share with you today. But of course, at three o’clock this morning, God woke me with another message to share. So, today, I would like to talk about Gideon. This is in Judges chapter 7. Basically, the story goes that Gideon had an army of 22,000 soldiers, and he was preparing to attack the Midian army. God came to Gideon and told him that he had too many men. As a leader, the thought of too many men must have seemed strange. So God had him go to his men and tell them that any who were frightened should go back to their homes. Over 12,000 left, so there were only 10,000 left. God said that was still too many, so God had Gideon lead them to the river to see if they drank on their bellies like a dog or if they kneeled to drink. There were 300 that kneeled to drink, and God told Gideon those were the men to take when he attacked the Midian army. Was God trying to get Gideon killed? No. Was He trying to not let him succeed? No, they succeeded in routing the Midian army. So why would God want a leader He put in place to take only 300 men out of the 22,000 He placed in his care to begin with? It is because God knew what the outcome would be. He also knew that if Gideon led 22,000 men into battle and they won, all of them would honor themselves for their success. By allowing only 300 men to go, God got the glory for the victory because there was no other way it could have happened.” Ren and Isaac fully understood this message. They both knew that yesterday’s game was God showing how strong He is and how He can use those that no one expects. There were moments when each of them felt like patting themselves on the back, but then they would realize that this was God, not them. As the service concluded, they hung out, waiting for the congregation to file out. Finally, only Pastor Dan, his wife, and Todd were left in the church. Pastor Dan walked over to the boys and shook their hands. “Great message,” Isaac shared. “Thanks,” Pastor Dan replied. “I believe it was tied to what God accomplished yesterday through the two of you,” he continued. “We both completely agree. We knew the way the circumstances unfolded and the opportunities that we were given were not from our strength. That is why we ended the game in the end zone on our knees, thanking Him for allowing us to witness His strength,” Isaac shared with Ren nodding next to him. “The question is, now what?” Ren asked. “Well, boys, I don’t know, but I know someone who does,” Pastor Dan replied, pointing up. “Keep humble and listen for Him to speak to you,” he continued. “Yes, sir,” Ren replied as they headed toward the side door. “Where is the next game?” Todd inquired. “We go to K State to start the Big 12 season,” Isaac responded. “Good luck,” Todd offered. “Thanks for everything,” Isaac replied.