I’m glad Martin Luther King had a dream. And, I’m glad he didn’t leave it there. Because lots of people are dreamers. We dream about the books we will write, the companies we will build, the trips we will take.

But we never do those things.

Details much smaller than water cannons, police dogs, and riot gear get in our way. Tuesdays. Tuesdays can completely undo our plans to write the Great American Novel. On Monday we can be fired up, write titles for ten chapters, and even figure out how many words we need to write per day. On Tuesday, the car breaks down on the way to work, and the school calls to say one child’s lunch account is overdrawn and the other child just threw up in the hallway. Tuesday wins.

Our pastor loves to tell the story of building the school in this intentional community where we live. Nothing was here then except a few houses and a cafe in the middle of the cornfield. But he had a dream for a church, a school, a business district, and a whole town where people could escape their troubles and get a fresh start in life.

On his way to the building site that day, though, all the forces of evil seemed to come against the plan. Every accusation you can imagine came to his mind, and the entire plan seemed like a crazy way to throw away a few million dollars. He was sorely tempted to give the whole thing up.

When Pastor Charlie pulled into the empty lot, the construction crew sat waiting with all their heavy equipment. “Well,” the foreman said, “What do you want to do?”

Pastor Charlie didn’t hesitate. “Dig,” he said.

And that is the secret, Dear Reader. It is wonderful to dream. Keep doing it every day of your life. Just remember, that eventually, you also have to dig.