Donald Miller's Blog, page 152

Thoughts on J.D. Salinger and Catcher in the Rye

Last week J.D. Salinger passed away. We all heard the running eulogies on NPR and read them in the papers, and I had a mixed feeling when I heard he had passed.

There have only been a few people who've told me they could hear Holden Caufield in Blue Like Jazz, and that surprised me. The truth is I read Catcher in the Rye about fifty times while I was writing it. I'd sit and read for an hour and then open up the computer and start typing. I suppose the prose was imitation, but all good writers ...

Francis Chan on Taking Risks

I love this video from Fancis Chan about how we seek safety instead of taking risks. Terrific:

The Key to Lasting Love may Surprise You

A friend left her copy of Scientific American Mind at the house last night, and this months issue is about, well, love. Being February and all the eggheads at S/A wanted to put love under a microscope.

The articles contain all sorts of data about what it takes to fall in love and maintain love. Turns out eye contact is important, for instance, and something called secret swapping and unified breathing experiments (which explains why I have a crush on everybody in my yoga class). But most...

The Million Miles Short Film Contest! Win a Thousand Bucks

Tell Your Story in 90 Seconds and win a Thousand Bucks.

If you've read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and you (and/or your friends) have decided to tell an interesting story with your lives, make a film about it and you might win a thousand bucks. And more than that, you might just inspire others to live a better story, too.

Here's how the contest works: Submit your film to Vimeo or YouTube and post the link in the comment box below (Type SUBMISSION at the top of your comment so it stands ...

The Million Miles Short Film Contest! Win a Thousand Buck$

Tell Your Story in 90 Seconds and win a Thousand Bucks

If you've read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and you (and/or your friends) have decided to tell an interesting story with your lives, make a film about it and you might win a thousand bucks. And more than that, you might just inspire others to live a better story, too.

Here's how the contest works: Submit your film to Vimeo or YouTube and post the link in the comment box below (Type SUBMISSION at the top of your comment so it stands o...

TMP Mentor and Mentee Visit the White House

Imagine being nine-years old and asked to visit the White House. It happened last week with one of our mentees, Lehzan. The White House called and asked us to send a representative from The Mentoring Project to the East Room of the White House to help the President kick off National Mentoring Month. We knew exactly who to send as soon as we got the invitation. Willie Welch has been mentoring through TMP from the very beginning, and has been faithful as a mentor for three years now. And...

The Night I Bought Howard Zinn a Beer

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Howard Zinn. He was a remarkable man, a remarkable historian and a remarkable advocate for neglected people everywhere. Perhaps best known for his book A People's History of the United States, Howard saw this country not through the eyes of its leaders but through the eyes of slaves, peasant farmers, textile workers, teachers, bus drivers and average people like you and me.

Shortly after 9/11, Mr. Zinn spoke at Reed College. The event hall was...

Will Jesus Fulfill us Here on Earth?

One of the reasons people struggle so much with life is they expect it to be something it isn't. They expect to be fulfilled by products, relationships and even religion as though this is going to be the "Act 3 Climax" of life. But Biblically, the complete climax of life doesn't happen at conversion, it happens when we are reunited with God. Adjusting expectations, therefore, frees people to be happy and grateful for the good things they experience on earth.

A study done of the happiest...

Knowledge Makes a Secure Man Humble

Years ago, when I worked at a small publishing company outside Portland, I'd get together every couple days with a former seminary professor named Ross Tunnell. Ross had left seminary work and was doing graphic design, but was widely considered to be one of the smarter Old Testament teachers in Portland. I made a deal with Ross, saying that if I bought lunch, he'd teach me the old testament. And Ross took me up on that offer. We probably met more than fifty times over two years. It was a...

Convergence: Something New for Small Group Leaders

For a limited time, you can get a free DVD of Convergence, an interview series I host designed to stimulate conversations for small groups. One of the closest resemblances the modern church has to the church in Acts are small groups that meet in homes. It's an honor to help bring life to a community that has been thriving now for centuries.

In the series, I interview leading scholars and thinkers about topics ranging from marriage to false idols to spiritual practices. Basically, you stick...