Obsessed Much

As some of you know I sometimes have an obsession with this writer that I like named Donald Miller. What can I say, I like the guy’s writing. But I am hurt. I did not make the list of his 20 or so closest friends. Oh well there is always next year. At least he was kind enough to share his letter with the world wide web. Here it is.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
I’m writing this years Christmas letter on a Ferry traveling from Orcas Island, Washington to the mainland. It’s about an hour-and-a-half trip, so I’m going to have to make it quick. I’m up here using a friend’s house for a couple months wrapping up one book and starting another. So far, my two weeks on the island have been terrific. God has showed up in ways I never expected, and the break from traveling has proven a needed respite for my soul. The house overlooks the Pacific Ocean, with two islands blocking the mainland, so the mountains behind Vancouver, Canada and Bellingham, Washington provide a backdrop for the miles of water, bald eagles, winter ducks, sunsets, sunrises and low clouds that snag like cotton as they pass through the evergreens. I find myself watching for sunset light every night, and getting in my car to drive across the island if the air is the slightest pink. Often, the sunset is a dud, but there have been times I’ve gotten lucky and seen the sky flame out in the last few minutes of daylight. Flames so bright you think the clouds are alight. It’s a writer’s paradise, and while there are only a few thousand people living on the island, talking to folks in town gives you the impression half of them are trying to wrap up a book.

The year has been a good year. There are times in your life you look back on and wonder how you didn’t know, in the moment, things were going to seem so delightful. And there are times when you know, very well, in the moment, this will be a season you will understand as a time God was choosing to show His love through blessing, through meeting new people He loves and places He took great care in creating. This is one of those seasons. Perhaps each season is, and I am only slow or dull in realizing this truth.
Of the great memories:

I bought my first house this year. My friend Tony Kriz is a mortgage broker and pulled no less than a miracle to get me a loan. As a writer, I hadn’t made much money till last year, so finding a loan meant hard work for Tony. But I found a house near close friends and felt like God was saying buy it. Tony said it probably wasn’t possible, and there were at least two times he called me with the bad news it wasn’t going to happen. I knew each time that if God wanted me to have the house, He would provide, and each time Tony would call with the bad news, he would hang up to call, sometimes minutes later, with odd and sudden hope. The short of it is, I got the house. It’s a small bungalow-type thing near Reed College. I have become obsessive about yard maintenance, and often struggle with the evil pride of comparing my meticulous yard with the neighbors, which is nice but could use fertilizer and a more consistent watering schedule.
I also toured for a little while with a band called Jars of Clay. The band asked me to come on the road and open for them by reading from a yet-to-be-published book. It was a bold move to ask a writer to open by doing a reading, but audiences seemed to be patient and kind and gracious. I spent a total of two weeks traveling with the band, living in a tour bus, sleeping in a bunk the size of a coffin, and staying up late to talk with the guys about music, life, family and what following Christ looks like. I learned a great deal, was convicted by the lives they live, and consider them dear friends. They are working on a new album now, and one of the greatest nights this last year was sitting on the bus after a concert and being able to listen to some new songs for an upcoming record. They are terrific, especially one about not wanting to be left alone. I think it is one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard, and while the album is not out yet, and I’ve only heard it a few times, the chorus rings in my head like some kind of anthem…"Do you know what I mean when I say I don’t want to be alone." I am not sure what the new album will be called, but I whole-heartedly recommend picking it up when it comes out. These guys are the real thing. Also, on that tour, was Sara Groves and her family. Sara is a new favorite musician and songwriter. Her record Add to the Beauty is of the best albums of 2005 and she is a gem.

Early in the year, for reasons I don’t understand, I found myself being quite negative. I didn’t realize it, but I had the bad habit of complaining, and seeing the difficulties in life and not the blessings. One of the things God taught me was that I should not burden people with my problems by complaining and whining, that this sort of thing affects people in a negative way, as though I were asking them to carry heavy baggage, not realizing they had baggage of their own. I realized I was doing this so made a commitment to stop. I noticed, as I stopped complaining about tough stuff in my life and started sharing the reasons I thought life and God were good, I found there was much to feel blessed about, and that, after a while, it was hard to find anything negative. It’s been a change I’m grateful for, and can look back on as something God brought me through, a habit He rescued me from.

Well, I’m grateful that you would take time to read this letter. I know these Christmas letters can be boring because the temptation is to share the good stuff like a publicity piece. Thanks for taking the time. The truth is it has been a good year, and God has done amazing things. I hate not being able to know what is going on in your lives, but I trust we will get time together soon and I can hear your side of the story. Many blessings to you this holiday season, and I hope your journey with God is remarkable in 2006. I know our time here is very short, and there is much to see and do, a Kingdom to participate in, and a King to worship. So I wont keep you any longer. All of His blessings to you…

Sincerely,
Donald Miller

P.S. John MacMurray and my book will be out in February. I am literally writing the last chapter today and tomorrow. The book will be called "To Own a Dragon."

P.S.S. The Ferry is arriving in Anacortes. Perfect timing. I wish we could have done this in person.