More from Rich Dixon

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Week two – we cranked down the river toward an invitation to address students at a chapel service at North Central University in downtown Minneapolis.

When our host inquired about how I wanted to be introduced, I asked if we might have some fun. He nodded – a bit hesitantly – so I said, “Okay, don’t introduce me at all. Introduce Monte (my service dog) and call him on stage. Then casually mention that Monte’s owner came along.”

So he said, “I’m about to do something I’ve never done in all my years as a pastor. I’m going to introduce a dog named Monte as today’s presenter.”

Monte romped onto the stage.

“Oh, by the way, Monte brought along his owner.”

What a great way to hook a young audience. The students absolutely loved the idea of a dog in their chapel service. As I rolled onto the platform, I stared into a sea of eight hundred excited young faces.

Curious college students, a dog, the attention-grabbing handcycle, and the crazy story of this God-inspired ride created an ideal atmosphere for a message about hope, inspiration, and dreams.

After the presentation, students approached the stage and placed dollar bills and handfuls of coins near the bike to support Convoy of Hope. Their impromptu, unrequested offering totaled nearly $600! As I soaked up their warm response and talked to individuals afterward, I could only hope they received some small fraction of the inspiration they gave me.

We were pumped about getting back on the road. As we pulled away and stopped at a red light, a young man across the street waved and ran toward us. He motioned for me to lower my window.

I can’t imagine the complex, long term trajectories, all the choices and course corrections, that brought our journeys together at that busy intersection. But it wasn’t a coincidence.

More next time.

To be continued…

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Jon started a new newsletter last week. “Finding Words in Hard Times” is a newsletter with stories and tools to help you be more comfortable as you help others in hard times. It sits at thisishard.substack.com. It’s free to subscribe.