Vickie Countryman is a Wife, Mother, RN, Coach and Master Gardener. Pictured here with husband David, we were not surprised to find that she had already made new friends before my husband and I even made it onto the boat.
Vickie uses her giftings at Seacoast Church by serving as both a Small Groups Coach for Sisterhood and as an Encourager for the Care Team. It is no surprise, then, that this book grabbed her attention since those volunteer roles involve listening to Story. And for that matter, so do ALL our roles, so let’s see what it can teach us.
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Don Miller writes in an easy going non-wordy style that stuns you with insight. I agree with Rob Bell who commented in the forward about this book “if someone said they liked this book they really didn’t read it.
This book is very convicting, powerful & unsettling. For me the book started out kind of slow but l promise if you stick with it a few pages you will never see your life story the same way .
Miller is a name dropper and has strong relationships with some impressive world changers in Christian circles. I know that’s a popular adjective but this book clearly points out how to move off of your sofa and live a life that tells a story that has meaning & be a world changer in your circle of influence .
In the first pages Don describes how a new mother looks holding her new born and perfectly captures the heart of delight that a woman has for a child she loves. “Imagine what conversations you will have with God about the stories he gives you. You get a feeling when you look back on life that that’s all God really wants from us, to live inside a body he made and enjoy & bond with us through experience.”
Don discloses his discovery of story through making his earlier book Blue Like Jazz into a movie. He states “that a good story is a condensed version of life- that a story is just life without meaningful scenes”—and he had achieved his life’s goal as a writer, but it left him feeling less than fulfilled. Almost like who wants to go see a movie about a guy who works hard & at the end of the movie the guy gets the Volvo? No one wants to see that movie nor does anyone want to see or participate in a story that is so boring & self centered .
This book used the elements that make a great movie or story to show how we can plan a story for our lives, bring others in and live a life that is intentional. How we see others and how we take our life stories & live in a way that makes a difference in the lives of others that are eternal .
Miller also shared this principle that really stood out to me about my life: “It isn’t necessary to win for the story to be great, it is only necessary to sacrifice everything. “Trying hard matters more than winning. We can each imagine what that would look like in our daily routine or rhythms of life .
A good storyteller speaks something into nothing. As we live our stories that may be empty, boring or bad he pointed out that it’s possible to change our reality by doing something different. A good storyteller doesn’t just tell a better story. He invites other people into the story with him, giving them a better story too.
When the scenes in my life are challenging I’ll remember the essence of Story. You can’t have a good story without the character overcoming conflict. In the middle of that conflict do something different to create a memorable scene. Jump in the water with your clothes on to say good-bye to friends from the dock. Stop the truck and run through that field to enjoy a sunset. Invite someone into my story. Be inspired to live a life full of meaning so that in the end and along the way you can live connected to the God who guides our life story.
Reading this book will change your story. It has forever changed mine.
the Ding of the coffee pot 