Monday, July 09, 2012

A Million Miles

One of the most remarkable things about my Summer so far is the amount of reading I have been able to do. I have read some great works of non-fiction (Love Does, by Bob Goff; Breaking Night by Liz Murray; The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls) The book that I want to go back and re-read again already is Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

I have so much I want to write about this book and the way it spoke to me...but, honestly, VBS started today and the 78 tweens I led used all my brain cells. I urge you to check out these great quotes from the book. Each one could inspire an entire post of its own (And a few of them certainly will in the weeks to come.) In the meantime, here are a few to whet your appetite and get you thinking:

 “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” ― Donald Miller

“I think this is when most people give up on their stories. They come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. But they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can't see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger. They take it out on their spouses, and they go looking for an easier story.”
― Donald MillerA Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life


“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”
― Donald MillerA Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

So many good, challenging words to ponder...

5 comments:

  1. I bought it and have already read it twice! His humor is as refreshing as a cool summer rain and he inserts it in the most unlikely places. If everybody in the U.S. read it, they would all identify with every word he says. Think I may read it again!! I bought it after you recommended it so.....thanks, Jennifer!

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  2. Do you recommend Love Does by Goff?

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  3. Patriot- I enjoyed Love Does. It is not a theologically heavy/challenging book, per se...but it WAS an enjoyable read. I liken it to sitting around a table with a person with amazing life stories to share. Think Forrest Gump, but nonfiction, Christian and law school :-)

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  4. I loved The Glass Castle -- it left me amazed at how children/adults can survive horrible circumstances, and the rare people who breathe life into us when we need it. I promptly passed it along to my sister and mom!
    Nancy

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  5. I read your blog every day and have for a long time now. Something about this blog post made me buy the book and I just finished reading it and WOW- thank you SO much for this recommendation. I have pages of notes from the book that I wrote as I read it. I LOVE how God sends the words that I need to hear at just the right time in my life. One day I would love to tell you just how much your blog has blessed me- but for now know that you are a blessing to so many!

    Blessings :)

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Thank you so much for your comment! I appreciate and read every one. One of my favorite parts of blogging is learning from other people's life experience.

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