This week’s update from Rich Dixon:

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From here, the story might easily flow south along The Paul Bunyan Trail and the river.

But truly understanding The Dream requires a bit more exploration. And a brief history/geography lesson.

Henry Schoolcraft generally gets credit for “discovering” Lake Itasca as the Mississippi River’s source. He even changed the lake’s name (Native Americans called it Elk Lake) by combining letters from the Latin words veritas (truth) and caput (head). Apparently a Latin name (“true head”) imparted some sense of certainty. Schoolcraft’s 1832 expedition backtracked along the river’s course through a maze of ponds connected by small streams, finally declaring the north end of this particular lake as the origin of the mighty Mississippi River.

The explorer investigates what occurred before the river became a river. Looking back, I see Jesus at work in the years before the dream became a dream.

We tend to emphasize The Big Thing, the turning point, the heavenly revelation. I wonder if Jesus is more interested in the journey, in walking along and working things out along the way.

The Dream of a cross-country ride wasn’t declared by one-time angelic proclamation. It developed over thousands of miles and hours of conversations with Jesus. In typical Rich fashion, I resisted at every turn.

I was certain it was a ridiculous self-delusion. I substituted lesser adaptations, pretended I could take some more convenient path. I desperately sought a more reasonable alternative.

I questioned God’s judgment, certain He overestimated my ability or perhaps got me mixed up with someone else. Finally I surrendered to a simple reality: God-sized dreams are impossible, without God.

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Next time we’ll tromp upstream through the ponds and bogs to mark where The Dream began. There’s even a cool Latin sign with a fun backstory.

Exordio Somnii: The Beginning Of The Dream.

To be continued…