Story

So this is somewhat of a reflection on a book I recently read.
It's called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" and it was written by Donald Miller.
I wouldn't say this book was "theologically sound," but it was inspiring. Inspiring for someone who is already aware of the ultimate fulfillment found in Christ alone.
The book is the story about Miller's experience of writing a movie script of his life. He realizes he is not a very exciting person and from this endeavor flows a desire to get off the couch, turn off the TV, and live life.
Miller believes in God and in heaven. However, I didn't gather he believes in the sinful nature of man. Sure, this is picky, but I kept waiting for him to get to the punch line that every man is desperately wicked and hope is only found in Christ. Instead, Miller comes to the conclusion of containing a positive attitude about people and that they are "good." Miller does take a small portion to talk about God as the Great Writer of our story, but does not run with that concept.
All in all, this book did inspire me to live a memorable life. To do things different.

I would not use it as a guiding source of knowledge, but it was a pleasant, quick read. Miller is a talented and artistic writer, so you might want to pick it up sometime if you have a few spare hours.

Here are some sections of the book I found interesting that caused me to think:

     "I've wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of life is because we don't want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. And if life isn't remarkable, then we don't have to do any of that; we can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants.

     But I've noticed something. I've never walked out of a meaningless movie thinking all movies are meaningless. I only thought the movie I walked out on was meaningless. I wonder, then, if when people say life is meaningless, what they really mean is their lives are meaningless. I wonder if they've chosen to believe their whole existence is unremarkable, and are projecting their dreary life on the rest of us" (page 59, 60).

     "A lot of people think a writer has to live in order to write, has to meet people and have a rich series of experiences or his work will become dull. But that is drivel. It's an excuse a writer uses to take the day off, or the week or the month off for that matter...

     People who live good stories are too busy to write about them. Nobody ever strapped a typewriter to the back of an elephant and wrote a novel while hunting wild game...

     I only say this because part of the reason my life had become uninspiring is I'd sat down to earn a living. Literally, I sat in a chair and typed words. And that's fine, because I like the work, and it pays the rent...I didn't want to live in words anymore; I wanted to live in sweat and pain...

     My desire to live a better story didn't motivate me to do anything...

     Here's the truth about telling stories with your life. It's going to sound like a great idea, and you are going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you're not going to want to do it. It's like that with writing books, and it's like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain...

     A general rule in creating stories is that characters don't want to change. They must be forced to change. Nobody wakes up and starts chasing a bad guy or dismantling a bomb unless something forces them to do so. ..

     The rule exists in story because it's a true thing about people. humans are designed to seek comfort and order, and so if the have comfort and order, they tend to plant themselves, even if their comfort isn't all that comfortable. And even if they secretly want for something better" (page 97-100).