08Oct, 2010

How to Give Your Home and Your Stuff Meaning

Posted by Don
1

This past week a friend hosted several pastors and I for a hunting trip on His ranch in Central Oregon. We were there for a few days, but while we were there our friend treated us like Kings. He guided us up and down the mountains, making sure each of us got a buck. He and his team paddled us across the lakes on his property, making sure each of us caught a trout. All the while, he never fired a shot or put a hook in the water. One early morning while watching the sunrise from on top of a hill, scouting for deer, he mentioned he’d only shot at one buck the entire time he owned the ranch. He simply said I like guiding more than hunting. It’s more fun. The experience got me thinking, once again, about how Jesus told us He’d gone to prepare a place for us, a place where we could some day be together. I imagine Jesus preparing a place for my friend, a place for Him to hunt, to cultivate land, to entertain friends. Jesus is creating an existence, a material place for wonderful things to happen.  It made me think about [...]

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07Oct, 2010

YOU DID IT!!!

Posted by Don
0

Unbelievably, you saved Blue Like Jazz! Incredible. I went to the Save Blue Like Jazz website and Jonathan and Zach, our fearless rescuers had posted a terrific thank you video. Just some clapping and dancing, but it pretty much sums up how we are all feeling! I’ll blog more about all of this soon, but for now, raise your glasses friends, because WE ARE MAKING A MOVIE! We did it! from Save Blue Like Jazz on Vimeo. Steve and I talked tonight and are figuring out our plan on how to make a return on your investment go to a non-profit. Essentially, the money you made would be returned to help somebody else, plus some interest as an investment. So the story may just be getting started. We are making the movie, and if the donations keep coming, we may make history. Unbelievable. Thanks for all your support. We are busy making calls to thank people, but there are hundreds of you, so give us some time and grace. Grateful, Don Miller

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04Oct, 2010

You are Changing Everything, Right Before Our Eyes…

Posted by Don
0

Last week about 500 people came to Portland for our first Storyline Conference, a conference for people who want to tell stories rather than simply consume them. I was amazed by our time together, but at the same time, I was coming off of a four-year failure, and while you always have stories that don’t work, this one hurt. Four years before, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson and I started writing the screenplay for Blue Like Jazz. We decided to make a movie that obeyed a story rather than a message, and the story was about a kid transitioning out of a faith that had all the supposed right answers, to a faith that stayed with him through the confusion and the doubt. He’s an arrogant kid at the beginning, willing to walk way from the “hypocrites” all around him, but after some very hard things happen, he’s humbled, and has to reconsider his own motives. That said, it’s not the typical story arc of a “Christian” movie. To be honest, I have a lot of respect for Christian film. The evangelical church is a subculture, and despite most people thinking I have a problem with it, I honestly don’t. A [...]

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30Sep, 2010

Storyline, An Open Letter to Attendeees!

Posted by Don
0

All of us involved in the conference are so grateful you came to Portland, and are even more grateful you are choosing to tell stories to the world rather than simply consume them. One thing I wasn’t expecting is to meet so many people who were in such very difficult places, still in very real pain, and yet trying to figure out how to give back to the world. I was blown away by that. The best part of the conference was meeting and talking with all the people we’d been praying for for months. It was surreal for us. Processing our first Storyline Conference has been interesting. There are things I love about the conference, the fact that even with 500 people in the room it felt intimate, and the fact that we got to hang out in places other than the Armory. I am already wondering how we duplicate those dynamics for our next event. We live in a world of open dialogue and I’d love your help. As I process, though, I also know the notebook needs to be made more robust, and the points need to be more clear. In addition, the story examples I use [...]

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30Sep, 2010

Fundraising Update: Creating History

Posted by Don
43

The writing of the book was a fun story. The book itself, I hope, was a fun story. The writing of the movie was a fun story. But the fundraising effort is not just another story: It’s world history. As we speak, enough small donations are coming in, one at a time, to fund a full-length feature film. And at the pace the campaign is moving, it will be the largest project ever funded on Kickstarter.com, and certainly the most people who have ever donated to fund a film. It’s a news story worthy of any news outlet on television. And we are watching it happen live. So many investors didn’t think you existed. Christians who wanted to be open and honest about their struggles, about their pasts, about their lives. It’s simply amazing. The world will know you exist, not just because of the movie, but because of the incredible story of getting this movie made. Steve and I are beside ourselves. We just don’t know what to say. Thank you is not enough.

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