Category Archives: Donald Miller

Jun 08 2011
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Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller, Love

Defining the Christian Life

The Christian Life.

If you were to ask a crowd of people what the Christian life is, you would get the same amount of different answers as you would people answering the question.  Some of the answers might be wealth, blessed, strange, and some would have not idea where to begin.  What is the Christian life?  What part of the Christian life is the part that makes it worth being apart?

Once again, answers to these questions would vary depending on who you ask.  But I choose to think that the Christian life boils down to one basic answer: Love.

In his 2003 book Blue Like Jazz, and now soon to be released movie, author Donald Miller talks about love and the Christian life in a great way.  Miller states:

Jesus didn’t just love me out of principle; He didn’t just love me because it was the right thing to do.  Rather, there was something inside me that caused Him to love me.  

Millers observation does not only bring clarity to the love of Jesus, but also gives us direction to the Christian life.  There is a recognition that there is something inside every one of us that love covers.  Miller precedes these comments by saying,

I think the most important thing that happens within Christian spirituality is when a person falls in love with Jesus.

I  believe this is true, not for the benefit of the one who falls in love with Jesus, but rather for those that will now interact with the one who just fell in love.  Whenever we fall from something, there is an eventual impact.  When we fall in love with Jesus, the impact must not be singular, but must be multiplied to others.  The Christian life is then the act of a person falling in love with Jesus and recognizing that following in love with Jesus means seeing the “something” inside everyone else and filling that “something” with love.

May 16 2011
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#Cat11, Andy Stanley, Clarity, Donald Miller, Listening

Clarity: Framing the Obvious

There are a lot of things that make a great communicator.  I recently had the opportunity to go to Catalyst Dallas and see so many great communicators.  Some of them had passion.  Others had facts, and others took us on a journey through their words.  But all of them were very clear when it came to their purpose.  They knew what they were going to say and how they were going to say it; they were clear.

As I was listening to Donald Miller speak, something seemed to hit me:

Clarity is digging out the obvious and framing it for the world to see and understand.  

In a recent podcast, Andy Stanley had stated that he often gets attacked by people who say that he is not “deep” enough.  His response, “I am not, not deep, I am just clear.”  Too often we mistake confusion for being “deep” and fail to see the value of clarity.

Having clarity,

  •  keeps everyone on the same page
  • allows people to retain and remember what is said
  • refreshes everyone who hears it
Clarity digs out what is already known, but frames it in a way that creates a wonderment in the souls of people.  Different speakers have different ways to communicate, but really good communicators tend to be clear.  When we are clear, people not only leave with understanding, but also see what was already right in front of them.  In essence, having clarity gives light so that they can see clearly for the first time.
May 14 2011
1 Comment
#Cat11, Andy Stanley, Catalyst Dallas, Christine Caine, Courage, Craig Groeschel, Donald Miller, Gary Haugen, Leadership, Matt Chandler, Wisdom

Catalyst Dallas #Cat11

Catalyst Dallas was an amazing experience that I continue to wrap my head around.  There was great leadership insight as well as just great teaching.  Wanted to share quickly some of the following that I loved from the conference.  There is definitely more than this collective list, but wanted to share some of them with you.

Andy Stanley

As most of you know, I love Andy Stanley.  I have read pretty much every one of his books and still listen to his podcasts on pretty much any subject.  He is wise, clear, and practical.  Andy talked about 3 faces of courage: 1.  The courage to stay, when it is easier to go, 2.  The courage to leave when you want to leave, 3. The courage to ask for help, when it would be easier to pretend that everything is OK.  Under the last face, Andy reminded us that “Secrets are dangerous and are usually fear related.”  Andy also reminded us that when it comes to fear, “We should only ever fear not knowing if we are in God’s will.”  How true is this?!

Gary Haugen

I love Gary Haugen.  He is the president and CEO of International Justice Mission.  There organization goes across the globe to help stop child sex trafficking.  I have heard him speak before, and he still has the fire, compassion and drive to save those that are enslaved.  Haugen asked this question: “As Christians, is it our goal to seek to be safer or become braver?”  Haugen also stated that, “If we expect to know exactly where we are going, the cost, and whether or not we will succeed, then we are not acting bravely, but are seeking to be safe.”  Courage takes stepping out into the unknown, and believing God will sustain.

Christine Caine

This is the second time I have had the opportunity to hear Christine Caine speak and she hasn’t disappointed.  A few words to describe her is passionate, encouraging, and action-oriented.  Her and her family stated the A21 Campaign which helps end sex trafficking around the world.  Caine asked us the question, “Is the blessed life, the safe life?  The purpose of life is not to end up in a coffin safely.”  Caine is so passionate, but moved to action.  Caine stated that, “Emotion is not compassion; compassion is action.”  Great stuff from Caine…If you ever get a chance to hear her, you must go!

Donald Miller

I absolutely love Donald Miller.  He was in the top 3 of all the speakers we heard.  Miller talked on the story of Joseph in a way that gave fresh perspective on God’s will and path in our lives.  I love this line that he gave us: “Never take control of your life, just take responsibility.”  God is in control, just be responsible wherever God puts you.  Awesome!

Craig Groeschel

Craig is a great communicator.  Love his books and talks every time I get a chance to be apart of them.  Craig gave a great message on how the church’s generations need to work together.  To the older generation, Craig stated that they must not judge, fear or put down the younger generation, but rather believe in them.  To the younger generation, Craig stated that they must show honor and respect to the older generation.  In humility they find responsibility and leadership.  This was a dynamic talk.  Extremely good all the way around.  Great for all generations to hear.

Matt Chandler 

Probably the best talk in my mind, and he didn’t even get to finish it all because of time.  I would have loved to have not taken a break and just kept learning.  Chandler talked on how we disciple people.  His answer: “Preach the gospel continually.”  I love this statement: “Grace driven effort is violent.”  Chandler talked on how we have lost the weight of sing.  There is so much that I could write on this talk…Simply powerful.

Andy Stanley – Last Session

Once again Andy hit a homerun to finish it up.  Some of the principles he spoke on:

  • The less you do, the more you accomplish
  • Do only what you can do
  • Some leaders buy into the myth of being “well-rounded”
  • Leaders forget to distinguish between their authority and their core competencies.  ”Leverage your authority as little as possible.  Make as few decisions as possible.”
  • Your weakness is somebody else’s opportunity.
  • Stress is often related to WHAT you are doing, not HOW MUCH you are doing.
  • Leadership is not primarily about getting things done “right”.  Leadership is about getting things done through other people.
This was a great conference.  So much more that I could write about, and I might later down the road.  I first have to see how to apply these principles to my life, leadership, and roles.
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