by Donald Miller

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review by Curt Ankeny

Donald Miller’s latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a great addition to his other books. Blue Like Jazz was a best seller and this book will probably be close—currently #4 on Christian Booksellers Marketplace. Subtitled What I Learned While Editing My Life, Miller shares his experience of re-examining the course of his life while working with two film makers, Steve and Ben, who approach Miller about writing a movie script based on his life. He is brought up short when Steve and Ben suggest that his life is boring and needs some adaptations in certain places to make it more interesting to viewers. Miller begins to reflect on his actual life and discovers that he has been more of a viewer than a do-er. He concludes his life thus far has been a series of random experiences and his life hasn’t been one of challenge or real accomplishment. In the process of writing a movie script, Miller is introduced by Steve and Ben to concepts of constructing a story. He gains further insight about the concept of story when he attends a seminar by Robert McKee who presents 36 hour seminars on story. McKee’s basic premise is that the elements of a story involve a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it, the same concept with which the script writers are working to form a compelling movie about Don Miller’s life experiences.

Miller begins to consider how the stories of people he has met have formed what they have become. Miller shares examples of positive stories created through taking risks: building orphanages, encouraging their children to write to world leaders and asking them to share their greatest hope for their country and the world, raising awareness of the basic needs of people in other countries.

Miller applies what he is learning and takes some risks—hike the Inca Trail in the Andes to Machu Picchu; drum up the courage to actively search out his father in Indiana whom he has not seen for 30 years; take up bike riding and join a group riding from L.A. to Washington, DC, to raise money and awareness about the need for fresh water wells in sub-Saharan Africa; securing funding to start a mentoring program in cooperation with local churches in Portland that now provide 80 young people with father figures. In taking these risks and challenging himself Miller notes that “I’d started an epic story of my own. And life no longer felt meaningless. It felt stressful and terrifying, bit it definitely didn’t feel meaningless.” This is particularly true when he decides to track down his father, thinking at one point he is dead, but finding out through his mother that his father is indeed alive.

While kayaking the Jervis Inlet in British Columbia with some friends, Miller has a chance encounter with a man named Bob and his family that leaves a lasting impression. Bob and his family live in this remote area in a large house they built to host world leaders. The suggestion from Bob’s children regarding hosting world leaders was to invite them over for a sleepover and ask them where they put their hope and video the interview. Bob encouraged his children to write letters to world leaders and invite them to visit. Over 1,200 letters were written and some 29 leaders responded.

Bob put his family on planes and flew to other countries to allow his children to meet and to interview some of these leaders. At the conclusion of their visits Bob gives them a key to their other home in San Diego and invites them to stay there—one has done just that. Others have stayed at their lodge in the woods and have hung their country’s flag on the banister of the deck.

The children are now in high school and college. Bob and his wife helped write a great story for their family. Bob notes that we shouldn’t be afraid to embrace whimsy, that life can be special if we are only willing to take some risks. Bob’s experience speaks to Miller’s thesis that we can write or even re-write our story if we choose.

Miller reflects on the idea that when we live a story is like taking a canoe trip: it starts out quickly from the shore but gradually slows down and we realize that our story isn’t going to be over soon, the shore is still a long way off. The point, Miller states, is that in a story it is never about the ending. It is about our character being formed and molded in the hard work in the middle. Relating this to our spiritual life, we Christians are striving for perfection, thinking that we will actually experience it in this life, but that is totally false. We will only experience perfection when we see God/Christ in heaven and experience eternal life. The experience of living life to the fullest here on earth, blessed and guided by God, is part of our journey. God wants us to risk things in life and not always play it safe. I am reminded of a couple of country songs—Garth Brooks asks if we are going to stand outside the fire and Leann Womack sings that she hopes if given the chance to sit it out or dance, “I hope you’ll dance.”

Miller, in deciding not to play it safe in many areas of his life and sharing those insights with us has written a book that we should also consider as we write our own stories, stories that have meaning and purpose and honor God through actions that may be risky but can be life-changing not only for us but for our families and people we may have the opportunity to meet and to possibly help bring change in their lives.

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