What got me all choked up, though, was her name. I knew immediately where the name came from. I was there when the name Payson was born, sort of. It was a few years ago and we were all riding our bikes across America. We’d been in the desert for a week, riding through temperatures as high as 112 degrees.

The day we rode out of Phoenix was one of the hardest days of the trip. We rode over mountains and then more mountains. Every range we climbed revealed another range. Our hearts sank each time we topped a massive, hours-long climb. We slept in a rock quary for rest, literally flat on our backs on piles of rocks. We drank gallons of water but never quenched our thirst, and our stopping place was hours and hours away. The ride was so tough a friend and I actually got off our bikes and walked the last few miles, our tires flat from punctured tubes. We walked into town long after sunset. But we made it.

Jesse and Brianne were riding a tandem. No kidding, they rode together, as a married couple, all the way across America. These people are not small on perseverance, and Jesse is one of the toughest men I’ve ever met.

So Payson, their first child’s name, came from a day when they decided not to quit. They decided that no matter what challenge lay in front of them, they were a team and they’d live together and die together.

Here’s the e-mail they sent. I hope you find it inspiring, and I hope it helps you remember no matter what you’re going through, that pain creates beauty. Keep pedaling.

So here it is… the story you’ve all been waiting for. I’m sorry it has taken so long to get it posted. I wanted to be able to sit down for a minute & give a good explanation.
Yes, Payson is named after Payson, Arizona.
You may recall the ride…

It had to be about 115 degrees out, the mileage was probably around 90 for the day, and there was no shade, not a shadow… (You may recall our lunch break & nap in the rock quarry that Greg calmly ended with his assessment, “Y’all know this is prime rattle snake territory don’t ya?”)

The ride to Payson was NOT for the faint of heart. I struggled all day “thinking” that my breaking point was sooner than it actually was…
Some of you may remember me getting in the van, expecting to have Jesse join me… Well… “Manimal” went on riding the tandem ALONE! That is one of the more heart breaking images I can picture these days; seeing my husband push through and do something alone that we were supposed to be working at together.

I got back on the tandem the first chance we had to pull off & finished the day out. I feel like that was the day we learned to ride as a team. 

I also will never forget feeling that Payson was the most refreshing end to a ride that we experienced the whole tour. The air was crisp & cool. It was the first time we smelled PINE TREES! 

So essentially, our daughter is named after a journey where we pushed through & learned to work as a team, where we learned the truth about ourselves & I like to think of her name meaning something like, “Refreshing.” 

Her middle name is Grace. It’s not meant to refer to the Grace of Payson. It’s a separate idea all together about hidden strength. People tend to think of Grace & associate it with Ballerinas. I think of Grace & think of the difference of living by the law vs. living by Grace. Living by Grace is SO MUCH HARDER. It takes so much more wisdom and strength. So there you have it. Payson Grace Olson. She’s our daughter. We’re excited to see what God does through this precious girl & are so glad that you are all a part of the memory she is named after.

Welcome to the world, Payson. Welcome to the beauty God has made. May you have adventures of your own, and a community to get you through, and something beautiful at the end of your journey that you could have never expected. We’ve been waiting for you. We love you.

A Reminder that Beauty Comes from Pain is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

When you register for Storyline, you’ll not only be attending the conference, but you’ll be in on the first screening of the movie! And not only this, but director Steve Taylor and Cinematographer Ben Pearson will take the stage after to take questions and film some DVD extras for the movie. Our deadline to get a watchable version of the film is set in stone, and the 500 people in the audience for Storyline will be the first to see the film. We can’t wait for you to see it!

We will be screening the film in several cities, but that schedule has not been determined. We will also be holding screenings for our backers, but if you want to see the movie first, register for Storyline today! Come on out!

Here’s some behind-the-scenes footage to get you excited. It’s going to be incredible. We are all pretty nervous. Can’t believe it’s actually going to happen!

Video Update 5 – Blue Like Jazz the Movie from Blue Like Jazz The Movie on Vimeo.

Special Blue Like Jazz Screening at Storyline is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

Last year about 500 new and old friends came up for Storyline and spent two days going through five lectures, small group meetings and a robust workbook analyzing our gifts, our skills and our passions in an effort to map out how God has wired us so we can participate with God to do amazing things. If you find yourself wondering what could be next in your story, Storyline is for you. Check out the website and lets take this journey together!

To register, simply click this link, watch the video and tell your friends. Tomorrow, I will be making a special announcement about a treat that only Storyline attendees will experience. Stay tuned!

Storyline is Coming Up! is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

Today is the last day to get the pre-registration price for the Storyline Conference.

If you’re needing a bit of clarity in your life, or wanting to jump-start the story you are living, come visit Portland in June with hundreds of other people who will be mapping out their personal storyline at our two-day conference.

How long has it been since you’ve performed a life evaluation? Here are five reasons to attend Storyline:

1. Because you can walk out of the Storyline conference better understanding what you want to do with the rest of your life.

2. Because you’ll come to understand why some roles in life don’t work for you and others seem to work great. You’ll understand the “kind of character” you play in life’s story and be able to shape your story around that role.

3. You’ll have a broad map showing you where you currently are in your story and be able to list the priorities you can focus on now so the story is as impacting as you hope it can be.

4. You’ll meet people from all over the country who are interested in the kind of life you are interested in and are hoping to tell the world a better story with their lives.

5. You’ll get to spend a few days in Portland, one of the best cities in the world. Come on out and join us!

Five Reasons to Register for Storyline is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

Producers tried to remedy the lack of interest by ratcheting up conflict, but this didn’t work. Conflict without a story is still confusing. Interesting characters without a story are confusing as well. The producers at Sesame Street worked hard, then, to make every scene, every segment a very clear story, and because of their work retain the average child’s engagement an unheard of 80% of the time they are watching the show.

I reread The Tipping Point recently and wondered about how this study relates to our own lives. I posit that we all do the same thing, not with television, but in life. That is, we check out when we don’t understand what is going on. We distract ourselves. Or, worse, we ratchet up the conflict or numb ourselves with entertainment.

Let me ask you this: What if your own life was so engaging that entertainment seemed boring? I mean what if you were involved in projects that so captivated you that turning on the television would be a distraction from your real life? Can you imagine such a possibility?

The elements of a meaningful story are the same as the elements of a meaningful life:

1. A character.

2. That knows what they want.

3. And is willing to overcome conflict.

4. To get it.

Do you know exactly what you want and why? And do you appreciate or bemoan the conflict you endure? Is your story more interesting to you than television? Is all of life boring or is just your life boring? Do you believe you can make changes that will make your life more interesting? I do.

If you want to know more, come on out to Portland for the Storyline Conference in June. You’ll leave, I hope, with a better understanding of the elements of a meaningful life.

For now, though, maybe you could take out a notebook and write down everything you want in life. If the list looks boring, your life will be boring. So make a second list. What would you want that perhaps would be more engaging, and perhaps even more risky?

Now turn the page in the notebook and write down all the conflict you might endure trying to get what you want? What could happen? What are you afraid of?

Now reread the list of things you want to accomplish, and all the conflict you might endure trying to get it.

If you feel like living a more meaningful story, then go for it. If not, there’s always television. I hear Sesame Street is interesting.

Related (not sponsored links):

The Tipping Point

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Is Your Life Confusing? is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

1. Think about how many books you’ve purchased and given away. Count them on your fingers and toes.
2. If you bought them for a book group and got paid back, it doesn’t count.
3. If you bought them with a company credit card or church credit car, unfortunately it doesn’t count, either.
4. If you shoplifted them they don’t count.
5. If you bought them so you could burn them they don’t count.

6. If you are my mom, they don’t count.

Take the number of books you bought and let me know in the comments how many you’ve given away. The five people who gave away the most books will get a free case delivered to their door. We will contact you through your e-mail address in the comments. The contest closes sometime in the vaguely near future.

In all seriousness, it means a lot that you guys have spread the word about Million Miles. I’m very grateful. It’s awesome to be able to put more books in the hands of the people who’ve been the biggest supporters. Can’t thank you enough.

Get a Free Case of Million Miles! is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

If you’ve read the book and would like a free copy of the paperback, simply:

1. Embed the below video on your blog and come back to the comments section here and post a link to said blog.

2. Link to the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Powells Books within your blog.

* or post the video on facebook.

The first thirty people to do so will get a free paperback in the mail (somebody will contact you for your mailing address) so you can give it away or read it again and not care if you spill coffee all over it. And check back tomorrow because I am giving away several cases!

You can get the code to embed the video off of the Vimeo site where the video is housed, or by clicking here. Thanks so much!

* We will probably go over 30 pretty quickly. If you post the video, though, we will e-mail you a link to a free download. Thanks again.

Get a Free Copy of Million Miles! is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

1. The Storyline Conference. If you attend one conference this year, come see us in Portland. The Storyline Conference was a smash hit last year and this year we are going to make it even better. The conference was inspiring to hundreds, and this year it will be inspiring to you. Register you and your cool friends here.

Storyline Conference from shieldsfilms.com on Vimeo.

2. The Paperback to A Million Miles in a Thousand Years comes out next month. If you’ve been wanting to read it but don’t want to spend the hard-back dough, you’ve got your shot in a couple weeks. Buy one or a case or a truck load! They’re on the cheap, baby!

3. Blue Like Jazz the movie will hit theaters this fall. We are still a long way off, and we will certainly ramp up promotion leading up to the release, but stay tuned to this blog to find out more. It’s going to be great, and I think you’ll like it, unless you are very sensitive, in which case you won’t like it at all. But you’re not sensitive, so you’ll like it. Chances are I’ll be coming to a town near you to screen the film. Lucy, my dog, will be driving an R.V. around America and I will be riding shotgun. We will be showing the film to anybody who will watch it, nursing homes, insane asylums, hippie communes, you name it, maybe even your house, unless you are sensitive, in which case we will show it on your house, like on your garage door when you aren’t home.

4. Much later in the year, if all goes well, I will be releasing a book called “The Way of a Creator.” The book is in process now, and I’m working my insanely fast fingers off on it. It’s about becoming a person who speaks something into nothing, makes things happen, changes reality for themselves and for others. It’s also a little provocative, because I talk about how evangelical church culture breeds a community of fear, which makes people consumers rather than creators. Start firing up the torches, haters!

It’s going to be a great year. Looking forward to seeing you guys at one of the screenings, or at Storyline!

Good Stuff Happening in 2011! is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

I had dinner with Max Lucado last year, and he said his editors sent back his latest book marked up in red. Can you imagine? Can you imagine telling Max he needed to change anything? I wouldn’t have the guts, much less the sensibilities to actually say what of his words aren’t terrific. But Max surrounds himself by editors who will tell him the hard truths. These are trusted friends, and they’ve been working with him for years. And they are also part of the reason he’s sold more than 60-million books. He said the latest rounds of edits were hard to take. He said he thought by now he’d be a “good writer.” But he took them in, he sat down, and he edited the book. I read Outlive Your Life on a plane on the way home from Nashville, and it’s the best Lucado book I’ve read. In fact, it’s the best book I read this year. I’ll be talking more about it in the coming weeks.

But this isn’t a blog about editing books. It’s a blog about editing your life. If you are like me, it’s easy to surround yourself with people who don’t tell you about your blind spots, your weaknesses. I told my friend Dave about a piece of criticism that was thrown at me last month, and he helped me dismiss it as a person consumed with bitterness. But he didn’t stop there, he asked me why I was sensitive about it, and pointed out that part of that persons criticism was actually true. And you know what? Dave was right. He wisely helped me separate the criticism from the motive of the messenger. A friend who can do this for you is a friend indeed.

Not having people around who can show us our blind spots is a sure path toward self destruction. I’m not talking about surrounding yourself with critics. People who offer empty criticism, especially if they don’t know you, are of little help. But if you have friends who are honest with you about your character defects, and yet are obviously for you, you’ve been given a gift.

Here are a few tips on editing your life:

1. Ask for criticism from people who care about you and love you.
2. If you are sensitive about some criticism that has been thrown at you, there’s a good chance some of it is true. Analyze that, separate it from the messenger who may not have your best interests at heart, and work on that area of your life.
3. If you suspect a friend is competitive with you or controlling, don’t include them in your circle of editors. They aren’t going to be able to give you objective advice.

4. Don’t get into an editing relationship with a person who can’t see their own faults, or admit to their mistakes. These people are usually the fastest to offer criticism of you, but it’s not objective or helpful criticism.

Relationships with good life editors (lets just call them good friends) are gold. If you find one, hold on to them forever.

Do You Have a Team of Good Life Editors? is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog

Yesterday morning I caught the news story that the miners trapped in a Chilean mine will likely be rescued this week.

If everything goes as hopes, the men will be freed this week. A small rescue vessel will be lowered so the men can be freed one at a time. There will no doubt be difficulties, and likely their rescue will take days, perhaps even weeks. And yet according to reports, the men have not been arguing and fighting about who will go first, but rather, who will go last. The news report said the men have bonded in their time together, and a brotherhood has been created amongst the workers.

It reminded me of that age-old truth in narrative, that character is only molded in conflict, and if you want your characters to bond, you have to put them through hell. While it’s nice to go on a vacation to rest with friends, likely the people you will bond with most are the people you’ve experienced mutual hardship.

In narrative, when a protagonist or group of protagonists are overcome by conflict, the result is a tragedy. But when the protagonists overcome the conflict, the result is a comedy.

Few of us are experiencing the kind of conflict the Chilean minors are experiencing, but every family, team or community will encounter trouble. Groups that stay together while under fire will bond, and the result will be better than if the hardship were never to have befallen them.

Here are some keys for a team to survive conflict:

1. Invite God into the conflict. Structured, daily prayer will give people a sense of hope. Bring God into the conflict and trust that He is there with you.

2. Commit to having patience. It’s going to get tough, and nobody is going to get what they want out of the situation, so settle in and have some patience.

3. Have compassion. Some people register pain more than others, but resentment is an open door for the conflict to win. Don’t resent somebody else’s pain, even if you suspect they are playing the victim. Give them what they need for much longer than you might need it yourself.

4. Take some time to grieve. If there’s conflict, it’s likely because somebody, or something (a vision or a desire) has died. Moving on too quickly is not helpful. Give yourself a great deal of time to grieve what has been lost. Giving yourself permission to grieve will stop the voices of condemnation for feeling so weak. Weakness after a loss is part of the healing process, and so it should be associated with strength.

5. Serve one another. If it helps, go to a calendar and find a date a month or even a year out. Commit to serving everybody in need until that date. Of course we should always be servants, but pointing to a date on the calendar breaks up a tough commitment into an actionable step, and will stop you from trying to overly control the situation, a mistake a lot of people make when times get hard.

6. Listen. Listen to everybody involved. Make a list of names if you have to, and make appointments with everybody experiencing the conflict, and simply listen to how they are feeling. Try to formulate their thoughts and repeat it back to them so they know you understand. Share your own feelings with them. Much of the pain involved in a tragedy is the feeling of being alone and not having people in your life that understand. Listening will help people not feel so alone.

7. When the grieving is done, map out a vision and process to rebuild what was lost. Give yourself permission to slowly move forward.

8. When the time is right, write down all God has developed within you because the conflict took place. You’ll be amazed at His ability to redeem a tragedy and make something beautiful grow as a monument to the beautiful thing that was lost.

Have you been through a very hard season? What helped you make it through the conflict in your story?

How to Guide a Team Through Conflict is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog