Bored of Lesser Things: Living a Better Story

I know you've been there.

Standing in a line at Walmart, you spy one lane just openning. So do about twenty other people. Do you give up the safety of your lane for the hope of the other? You suddenly feel paralyzed with doubt.

Or, you're over half way through a book when you realize you hate it. But, you're committed and have to finish it. You feel trapped.

We commit ourselves to things all the time, caught up with excitement, hope- expectant of the promise this "Shiny New Thing" will bring to our lives. Time goes on and we lose sight of all the things that made that needed change seem so fantastic. We lie low in our rut of routine and habit. The glory of what could have been fades to a dull afterglow of a thing we almost did. But we're committed. And we feel trapped.

We've lost the plot.

I had a grand idea just over three years ago. "I want to start a church in a college town, reach out to those that other churches ignore or simply can't reach, and be where the people are. Oh, and I want to meet in a bar."

The early days were filled with dreams, good storylines building to something epic. It wasn't long before routine set in. Complacency grew pregnant and gave birth to apathy. Three years later, we're in a college town, we have a few people that seem to fit very well with us and not so well with others. And we're in a bar. We have some of the things we set out for, but I now feel trapped. It is as if my life has writer's block- fostered by my personal struggles as well as letting too many other people and events write my story. And by extension, in many ways I've let these other entities write the story of our church as well.

See, I don't think my story just affects me, nor does yours just affect you. Sure, I'm the lead in mine, and you're the lead in yours, but we play a role in each others. If my story is not all it can be, then neither will yours be. To differing degrees, because we are doing life together, we both end up in a rut. Trapped. Writer's blocked.

I really want to give myself points for realizing this problem I have. But these points do nothing to help me gain traction and pull out of the rut. From where I am, I still desire to see our church and my life impact others. I don't want to lead a sedentary church, so I can't be a sedentary person. I want to engage as many or more people outside the church than inside. I want to see people begin to pursue a relationship with a God I believe is bigger than my rut. I want to change things in my community, my church, and my family.

Right now, I just don't know how.

Enter the Living a Better Story Seminar. Donald Miller is putting this on in Portland, and I've really loved what he's had to say on this concept of Story. So I see there is a contest to win a trip up there, and I thought: "Hmm. What have I got to lose? Never been to Portland, maybe that will de-rut me."

In a conference about living a better story, I'd really hope to gain some insight on better crafting my character and specifically not letting other people and things write my story.

So, if by some case of random awesomeness, I were to win the contest, that would be cool. But, in the grand scheme of things, if I don't I still need to practice this idea of Living a Better Story. I truly believe that my wife, my kids, our church, my co-workers and even my community deserve for me to live a better life. If my life is 'ho-hum' and 'blah,' what reason does anyone have to look beyond me to see my reason for being.

God has given me life- I need not waste it.

For my sake, yours...and His.

www.donmilleris.com/conference