A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: A Review

I've been waiting for this book for more than two years. It was at least that long ago now that Donald Miller spoke at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI on the subject of Story. It was a talk that I have gone back to probably a dozen times. It's a talk that led me to dream, and then to ultimately step out and begin planting a church - Story Church. I must admit that I am already a Donald Miller fan. I've read Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What, and To Own a Dragon. Each of these books has played a key role in my spiritual journey. But even as a fan, I don't think I was ready for what A Million Miles has done to me.This book...

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First Preview

Now that we're two days removed from our first preview, here are some things that we learned as a team:1) We knew we had a lot to setup, but we didn't really have tasks assigned. So we ended up looking like a 5 year old soccer team - all of us together running around chasing the same problem.2) Flexibility is the name of the game in a portable environment. When we showed up, there were 200 chairs set up and the back wall of the gym was open into the cafeteria. While we ended up getting it closed and most of the chairs put away, right from the start we had obstacles we weren't planning on.3) We needed start times for each of our jobs. What time should we be at the door greeting? What time should the band be done? What time should kids registration start? etc.4) Our screen is too big. Seriously...

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Today

Today is the day. It's so cool to work toward something and pray about something for years and then finally get to catch a first glimpse of it. Today is the first preview service for Story Church. We'll be meeting at 6pm at Spring Valley Elementary School. I am so proud of our team. They have worked so hard over the last few months to get ready for this day. They have given of their time, their resources, and have served this community without any negativity or complaining. It's quite humbling to know that there are literally hundreds of people praying for us today. At my home church in CA they will be showing a video from us today, and spending some time praying for us and our service. Many others have committed to pray for us on this day as well. I feel a sort of nervous excitement. Part...

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Fire

In case you missed it, CA is on fire. And I'm not just talking about the economic condition. You may know that I have only lived in NC for a year. Before that, I spent my whole life in a little city called Yucaipa in southern California. CA regularly gets fires this time of year, and right now there is a major fire in my city of Yucaipa and the surrounding hills. Many of my friends have had to evacuate their homes. I have many firefighting friends as well. Please pray that God will send cooler weather and that those fighting the fires will have success and safety. (Thanks to Ron Sheveland for the pho...

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