SOME of what I learned from Donald Miller & Susan Isaacs:

Saturday night our church hosted Donald Miller (with Susan Isaacs) on his Million Miles Tour. This was something to which Hubby & I have been looking forward for months now.

After the evening was over (and after we loaded up the merchandise table, got a few pictures with Don, and saw everyone off) we rode home trying to process everything we heard. I lamented, like I had after Catalyst, that there never seems to be time in my life to really contemplate the big things I encounter. One minute I'm overwhelmed with information or inspiration, and the next I'm off to whatever mundane mommy thing that needs to be done.

Or in this case, human thing. My parents had graciously brought the girls home & put them to bed, but I was so worn out when we got home that I made some cookies (frozen dough) and went to sleep myself. And now, the further I get from the moments spent listening to these two incredible writers, the harder it seems to recapture them. But, since only about a dozen people from the audience were members of our congregation, I want more people to hear the cool things I heard. And, since I obviously felt compelled by what was said, I have to push aside the things battling for my time and reflect. At least, I have to try.

Susan Isaacs: She wrote a book called Angry Conversations with God. It's basically about taking God to marriage counseling. Her talk was raw, honest, funny and fabulous. What struck me most was the idea that, more than anything, we (or at the very least, she & I) struggle with trying to have control in our relationship with God. Towards the end of her dialogue with God the Father (who had a british accent, just because He can...) God reveals that when we say "I really want to make this work" we're really saying "I really want this to work for me." I haven't read the book yet, but I am getting ready to start. I'll keep you posted, I'm sure!

Donald Miller: I've read every one of Don's books except for the newest one, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Searching for God Knows What is my favorite, but the things he shared about A Million Miles make me think it will be stiff competition. The idea for the book came from attempts to make a screenplay of Donald Miller's life, and what he learned about making a compelling story. For the most part, the rules for screenwriting and lifewriting are very similar. It involves a person (one who is seen as a good guy because of self-sacrifice and "saving the cat") overcoming conflict to get what they want. But they have to want the right things- big things. Important things. Not cars or boats or even an uncomplicated life, because who would want to watch those stories?!

Other than the idea of embracing conflict and being proactive in writing the story of my life, the biggest thing that stuck out to me was a reminder of Viktor Frankl's thoughts on meaning. It's been a while since I've thought a lot about theories of psychoanalysis! Miller mentioned Frankl in direct contrast with Freud: "Freud said man is motivated by pleasure. Frankl said man is motivated by meaning and when we can't find it, we numb ourselves with pleasure."

Wow. If that is not enough to make me stop toying with the idea of cancelling the satelite service and putting a timer by the computer, I don't know what could. I've said for months now that we (in our house, but generally speaking too) spend too much time simply wasting time. I find that I especially seek this time out when the answers don't come easy, or when it's hard to pray. How sad. Rather than pushing forward, I avoid. And rather than think about what I'm avoiding, I choose something to occupy my mind & my time. Like novacaine for my soul, only there is no dental work, or work of any kind, to justify the numbness.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. We all have things we "do to unwind" or to "take our mind off of things." You're probably thinking of yours right now. And in small doses, maybe an escape every now and then is healthy. But what if it is actually the worst thing we can do for ourselves? Something to ponder.


Speaking of pondering, I'll be doing as much of that as I can for the next few days. I'm sure I'll have other things from Saturday night to share... and hopefully some more meaningful things of my own.