Donald Miller's Blog, page 151

Every Good Story Must Endure Conflict

Recently I started reading the New Testament again. My friend Ron Frost recommends reading the Bible all the way through, then reading it again, and then again, until you die. So I am taking his advice. And I'm enjoying it. I didn't start in Genesis this time, I started in Matthew, and so read the account of the Birth of Christ.

Each time I read the Bible I'm taken aback by how much we delude the power of its stories with sentimentalism. The story of Noah and his Ark has been reduced to a...

A Writing Seminar on DVD

If you've read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and want to know more about the elements of story as they pertain to writing, I've got a DVD series called Into the Elements in which, in a little over four hours, I go through how the elements work in both fiction and non-fiction. It's a great series for writers, bloggers and even speakers. We filmed the series here in Portland, at the historic Hollywood Theater. You can learn more by visiting intotheelements.com.

After taking the course...

A Slave to Public Opinion. False Redemption and a Jury of Peers

Not long ago I was having a conversation with a friend who happened to be a Christian. My friend is a writer, and a very smart man. During the conversation, I noticed that he kept explaining why he was right. I wanted to test him a bit, I suppose, so I asked him a hard question, essentially, seeing if he would be vulnerable and admit he was human and made mistakes. My friend looked uncomfortable and answered the question carefully, with just enough self-deprecation to get around looking...

Tips on Writing: Use a Kitchen Timer

A couple months ago a friend came through town because his band was playing a show at the Crystal Ballroom. We got breakfast at his favorite spot in Portland (Mother's Bistro) and then wandered around downtown where we ended up in a guitar shop. The guys in the band started going through pedals and amps, talking it up with the gearheads in the shop, when my friend turned to me and said "you don't have anything like this, as a writer, do you?" What he meant was, there aren't shops where...

Mentoring Spotlight Video: How Mentoring can Change the World, One Relationship at a Time!

Over 1000 of you are now supporting a mentor/mentee relationship through The Mentoring Project. I wanted you to see a quick video spotlighting yet another of these relationships. Your support means the world to us, but it REALLY means the world to the young men who are being provided positive male role models. This video spotlights Bil (intentionally spelled with one "l") and Shawn. Thanks so much, Bil. You're our hero. And Shawn's hero too. Beneath the video, I'll give you a quick update on ...

Coming to Nashville: An Evening with David Wilcox, Donald Miller and Becca Stevens

I'll be honored to read stories from old and new work (my first novel, in process) in Nashville this coming Monday. The event is a benefit for Porters Call, a counseling service in Nashville. It's a tad spendy ($100) but the night will be unforgettable, I'm sure. So if you're in Nashville, and want to hear from a writer, a priest and a songwriter, come on out. There are only a few seats left. You can purchase tickets here.

Guest Post: Anne Jackson, Reporting from Haiti

My friend Anne Jackson, who blogs at flowerdust, sent in another report from Haiti. She'll send us one more recapping her visit. But this is what she was experiencing just a couple days ago on the ground:

We went into the tent city today wondering what would happen.

Thousands of people last night had flooded Twitter with pleas to media and NGOs to help get food, supplies, and medicine to this community we had found yesterday.

Thank you for so quickly falling in love with the families we met...

A Guest Blog from Dr. Henry Cloud on Valentines Day

Dr. Cloud was kind enough to write a guest blog just for this website. I'm honored. And even more honored because it's a great one. Sorry I got this up a bit late. We had something of an e-mail mixup. But here are some things to reflect upon as you prepare for bed….

A Few Valentine's Day Thoughts

By Henry Cloud, Ph.D.

When I first became a Christian, I remember a wise older man told me he wasn't going to church on Easter. I was surprised, especially in my newfound excitement about the faith.

"Wha...

Following God and Farming

Last week I had the privilege of talking with Max Lucado. I was trying to make some important career decisions and asked Max if I could run some things by him. He was waiting to get a root canal and for some reason was still willing (and even happy) to talk to me. I can't imagine. Perhaps I was just a distraction for him. Nevertheless, we talked, and I'm glad we did. One of the decisions I was in the middle of making was walking away from a great career opportunity because it just didn't...

Guest Blog Entry: Anne Jackson Prepares to Visit Haiti

My friend Anne Jackson has been asked by an organization to travel with them to Haiti to help their work, but also to gain insight and report as a writer.. I've asked Anne to guest blog for me both before, during and after her trip. Here is her first entry:

When I turned twenty, I was your typical former pastor's kid living in rebellion – alcohol, clubs, bands, and a peer group nobody's parents would approve of. Two months before my twentieth birthday, I had just ended a long term...