A couple months ago I launched the Million-Miles Film Contest in which participants were invited to upload a 90-second film that told a story. A story is simply a character that wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. Many of the entries were great. Thanks so much for taking part. I’m pleased to announce the winner of the Million Miles Film Contest is Mark Nehrenz, for his film “Holding Out for Justice.” Congratulations, Mark! We will be sending that check for a thousand dollars right away. Great work. Here is Mark’s film, along with the runner up: Runner Up: Josh Avery, I Protest for Love
In Million Miles, I talk about structuring your life like a story so that, when you’re done living it, it will have been more meaningful. I also talk about how if you’re life story were spelled out on the back of a DVD cover, what would it say. Something like: “Donald Miller desperately wanted the new Volvo, but he didn’t have enough money. So he got a job at a local grocery store and worked the nightshift till he could afford the down payment….” Not so exciting. But change those elements around (what the character wants and how much conflict they are willing to endure) and you’ve got the stuff of a great story and a great life. I didn’t say it in the book, but I actually tried this a couple years ago. My storyline went something like: “Donald Miller wants to write more books and pay lots of unhealthy attention to Amazon reviews…” and my heart sank. I think that was about the time I started The Mentoring Project, and I’ve been happier (and more engaged in my own story) ever since. So I thought I’d invite you into that little experiment. Maybe you and your friends, or [...]
15Apr, 2010
Lets say you were married and had two kids, and lets say you had me over for dinner, a young writer whose books you enjoy. And lets say after dinner you put the kids down, and I end up reading them a story. You go back into the kitchen and start doing the dishes, and I sit there by your kids and tell them a really dark, creepy, perhaps inappropriate story. Lets say I tell them a story that no kid should really hear. Of course, I’d never do that. I’m no creep. I only say that because the truth is, if we don’t tell the people around us stories, somebody else will. A story is just a person that wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. And we are all telling stories. But stories aren’t neutral. The stories we hear change the way we see life. Stories teach us what is worth pursuing, what is worth living for, what is worth sacrificing for. If we are a person that wants a volvo and is willing to work overtime to get it, than the moral of the story we are teaching the world is work hard and some day [...]
13Apr, 2010
So a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the most powerful question you can ask: What if? The response was overwhelming. Comments flooded in that were both heartbreaking and inspirational. I’m guessing the post got a lot of people dreaming about the possibilities in life. So here’s a challenge. What if we followed through on some of our what if questions? In short, the blog post said storytellers, when they’re writing their stories, often ask the question what if to keep the story going. What if my protagonist falls in love, or quits their job, or adopts a kid? And those same kinds of questions can radically change a story in a persons actual life, too. But the only way the question can actually have power is if you follow through. So here’s the challenge: If you’re part of a small group, read the blog entry to the group, pass out index cards and have people write down five “what if” questions. Now here’s the trick…people are going to write down stuff they can’t control, like what if I hadn’t lost my job or what if my wife hadn’t left. Those are great questions to process, but they [...]
I’m not the greatest speaker in the world. In my line of work, that is inspirational speaking (speaking associated with faith but different than preaching) there are a lot of speakers better than myself. I count Rob Bell as one of these, and Francis Chan has always amazed me. My pastor, Rick McKinley is one of the best speakers I know. And in my travels to different churches, I’ve met dozens of speakers you have yet to hear about who astound me. But I speak. And when I prepare a talk, I’ve discovered I prepare differently than the average speaker. To be honest, I’m not strategic about this, it’s just how my mind works. But first, here’s what I don’t do, and it’s a common mistake: I don’t present and defend a point. In other words, if my point is that we need to engage the fatherless, I don’t open by saying we need to engage the fatherless and then list reasons. Thousands of speakers do this, and it’s not very effective. Did you know sitting and listening to a speaker is one of the very worst ways you can learn anything? It’s true. And the reason the have a [...]
