September 16 – “The dream star”

 

 

I had one of those very vivid dreams last night.  The kind where it feels so real you think you are actually there.  Thankfully I was just an observer in this particular one. 

 

I don't know where the dream took place, but it was about a football game.  Guess it was matching up with the recent beginning of the season.  Hey.  I live near Texas, and football is the king of Texas, isn't it?  At least it gets the most space in the newspaper now.  It's getting harder and harder to find the Astros news now that football season has started.    And I have to keep up with the Astros.  They are setting new records every day.  The latest was when they lost more games than they ever have in franchise history.  One for the books, to be sure. 

 

So the dream happened on a football field.  Now it wasn't a sanctioned event, with officials and pads and helmets.  It was apparently a bunch of guys just gathered together and having a good time.  And there were a bunch of them.  Looked like a full eleven men on each side.  And there was a huge crowd as well. 

 

I would have expected it to be a rousing game of two-below, which is what we usually play at our annual family and friends Turkey Bowl game the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  You know, the defense has to touch the guy with the ball with two hands somewhere below the belt for him to be down.  It's the poor man's version (or little boys in the street version) of flag football, I guess.  But no.  This game was full blown tackle.  And it was definitely not little boys.  These were grown men. 

 

Play after play the men rammed into each other and caught passes and dodged tackles.  It was quite entertaining. One guy in particular was doing very well.  He was a pretty big guy.  And he had his long hair pulled back into one of those athletic –looking pony tails I have seen on some NFL guys and quite a few ladies soccer teams.  He also was wearing glasses.  He made tackle after tackle on defense, and he was always the lead blocker on offense, easily throwing people aside so the runner could get through.  If I had to pick an MVP up to that point, he would definitely have been it. 

 

And then, as often happens in dreams, I somehow realized that the score was tied and time was running out.  There was time for one more play.  And to everyone's surprise, the pony-tailed guy had the ball.  He ran for the end zone, amazing us all with his speed and agility, avoiding tackle after tackle, smashing faces with a rock-hard stiff arm, a steely determined look in his eye.

 

That's when I realized I knew that guy.  The cinematographer of my dream surged in for a close-up of that determination and I saw, and was stunned.  This was a guy I knew from back in Denver.  He was never a very athletic guy back then.  I guess he didn't mind watching football, especially the Broncos, but I never expected to see him on the field, much less starring in the game.  And the hair really threw me.  Maybe that was a nod to his later-in-life career as a radio disc jockey.  And today he is a single Dad of a precious adopted son. 

 

Following our commitment to pray for any person we dream about, I began when I woke up and will continue throughout the day today to pray for my friend Ryan Dennis.  Hope you have a great one today, Ryan.

 

Proverbs 25:28 says "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control."

 

Father, walk with Ryan today in all he does.  And watch over that little guy who calls him Daddy.  Amen.