Donald Miller's Blog, page 154

Yesterday, Kristi Henson, a marketing executive at Thomas...

Yesterday, Kristi Henson, a marketing executive at Thomas Nelson Publishers asked me to put together my Chrsitmas wishlist. Apparently, Amazon is running a feature in which they've asked authors to list some items sold on Amazon we might want for Christmas. I think it's their take on the "celebrity playlists" you see on Itunes. Anyway, I sat for a while and thought about the spirit of Christmas and offered them a list. As a Christian leader, I took the assignment very seriously. I think it's ...

Relevant's Short Story Contest

Relevant Magazine recently held a short-story contest as a promotion for A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It was a great idea, and the stories that came in were terrific. And when they asked for short stories, they really meant it. Each story had to be under 140 characters. I thought I'd reprint the ten winners. Great stuff.

Cosette: The plane touches down and my seven years with out a sister are over. The little piece of China fits perfectly in my arms. Our family, complete

Vagabond...

Non-religious Thoughts on Edible Spirituality

My old friend Leigh Vickery, who writes a food column in Tyler Texas interviewed me recently about all things food, including restaurants in Portland, something I don't often get asked about, so I thought it would be fun to repost it on the blog. Thanks so much, Leigh! Bon Appetit!

Do you cook? If so, what do you enjoy cooking?

I don't cook for myself very often but I cook for others on occasion. It's a crime I don't cook more because I have a terrific kitchen. I bought a condo from a former...

Reflections on Endless Self Promotion

If writing a book about writing a movie about a book you once wrote about yourself isn't the ultimate act of narcissism then doing a 65-city book tour promoting said book must be.  I've never been more tired of any human being than I am of myself these last few weeks. It's endless talk about why I wrote a book and why it's important. Each night I give a presentation and two days each week are filled with radio interviews in which I explain why this book matters and why people should part...

A Tour Update

We've been on the road for more than a month now, and have more than a month to go. Already we've accumulated some epic memories, including boating on Lake Washington with author Barb Pine, and enjoying a trombone serenade in the lovely and hospitable home of the infamous Rob Bell. And, night after night, the fact that anybody, much less hundreds of people, would pay $15 to come out and hear an author speak amazes both Susan and me. 

My favorite part of each night is guiding the audience into ...

On Morality and Narrative Law

Without some form of morality, it is difficult to tell a good story. In any meaningful story, and therefore in any meaningful life, a character must have a sense of right and wrong, and that sense of right and wrong has to be universal. If his sense of right and wrong aren't universal, he is a psychopath, and if he has no morality, his story is not going to be meaningful.

Many people are moral for religious reasons, stating their morality comes from the Bible or a sacred text (which, while...

Million Miles hits Shelves Today

It's been several years since I've released a new book. And add to that this is my first hardback. I told an audience on the book tour that, perhaps, this is the first book I've ever actually been proud of. Not sure if that is because I've grown up or if the other books just seemed flat to me. Regardless, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years hits stores today. 

I waited until today to thank you, the people who read this blog. The truth is you had remarkably influential input in the editing of t...

The Million Miles Tour hits California, Arizona and Colorado!

The Million Miles in a Thousand Years book tour is leaving the Pacific Northwest and heading to California, Arizona and Colorado. The book releases in one week, though you can already get it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and even some stores, but the live event has been running for a week.

The crowds have been great so far, and we are certainly having a good time on the road. When you come to an event, you'll be treated to Susan Isaacs who performs a piece from her one-woman show Angry...

Update on The Mentoring Project and the Fatherhood Task Force

As I've wrapped up the book and started the book tour, I've definitely been wearing two hats. Publicly it's been getting the word out about the new book, but behind the scenes the locomotive that is The Mentoring Project has moved forward at a dramatic pace. In the past six months or so, we've hired a new President and a new communications director, and are currently planning our dream team to take our vision forward. As I speak on the road, I'm asking for people to partner with us in...

On the Road

We are in our van on the way to Spokane. We were able to score a big passenger van with wifi so I get to update this blog at 70 mph. Tonight will be the 4th of 65 events, and so far the events are going well. I got slammed with a head cold but for some reason each night it doesn't affect my talk. We are in that early part of the tour where the crew is getting to know each other, and so far so good. Out with me is Susan Isaacs, who opens the night with a monologue from her one-woman show...