Anne Marie Miller

Category: Current Events

  • Down Heaven’s Grey Cheek

    It would make sense
    that upon my awakening
    as the birds begin their morning song
    the sound of rain would accompany them

    Tears are falling
    down heaven’s grey cheek
    and landing in the lap
    of the soil of the earth

    —-

    I will be taking some time off from online life to focus on quieting my heart, my schedule, and spending time with my family for the next few days as my uncle passed away last night in Texas.

    Please keep our family in your prayers, especially his two daughters, who are my age, and have now lost both parents in what appears to be a time that was too early in taking them.

    Thank you.

  • What’s Missing from Today’s Books?

    On Saturday, Michael Hyatt, my friend and CEO of Thomas Nelson (who is printing Permission to Speak Freely) tweeted the ECPA’s 50 Bestsellers List for March 2010.

    I noticed a few interesting things in the list:

    • Even though this list is for March 2010 faith-based bestsellers, only 21 of the 50 had been published in the last twelve months.
    • The average price point for the books published in the last twelve months was considerably higher ($19.64) than the older books on the list ($15.39).

    This made me think two things:

    • Some books will live long. These books typically have strong writing, meet a universal “felt need,” or the author has a loyal following (a celebrity, a pastor of a large church, etc.). These books will continue to spread in both breadth (how many people read them) and depth (more people developing loyalty to that author).
    • The recession is not to blame for declining book sales. Large groups of people are willing to pay more money for good content.

    It also made me ask the question, “Why aren’t there more recently published books on the list? What does the market want that current authors and publishers aren’t providing?”

    I did a survey on my blog last summer, and a majority of you read fifty books or more a year, so it’s safe to say you are “the market.”

    Would you indulge me a bit and share what content in books adds value?

    What disappoints you?

    What determines if you purchase a book – Word of mouth? Previous work? Random chance?

    Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. They will help shape me as an author and I can assure you there are people in the publishing industry who eagerly await your response too.

  • Don’t Wait for the Government to Help

    Last weekend, I had the opportunity to share about Compassion International at a church in Virginia. The Sunday I spoke was just three days after I returned from Haiti. One of the things I shared was about how we can’t wait for the government to help Haiti. We have to help now.

    When we were there, the relief effort we saw happening was minimum. I can count on one — maybe two — hands how many relief trucks we saw.

    And I can count on one finger how many UN food lines we encountered.

    Please don’t misunderstand me. I realize there is relief work happening in Haiti. And yes, even some via various government agencies.

    However, I can tell you from my firsthand (yet admittedly unprofessional) experience the most efficient way aid is getting to the people who need it the most is through organizations that don’t have to work their way through the mysterious and convoluted bureaucracy that’s at the airport, where aid is being delegated.

    That is where Compassion International comes in. If you’ve been around my blog any given length you’ll know my heart beats for the mission of Compassion.

    Because Compassion was on the ground, assisting children, families, and communities through local churches in Haiti before the earthquake happened, they already have the infrastructure in place that guarantees the money that is being donated is going directly where it needs to go, without it taking a long detour around various government and non-government organizations.

    It goes from your wallet, to their headquarters in Colorado Springs, to their national office in Haiti, where it is then distributed through a time-tested and culturally proven system to help release children from poverty.

    Why am I pushing this now?

    Because there is an amazing event called Help Haiti Live in Nashville tonight (Saturday, February 27) benefiting Compassion’s work in Haiti. It’s at 7:30 pm CST and if you can make it, you can still get tickets for the actual concert.

    If you can’t make it, you can watch it online for free here.

    Yes, watch it online for free.

    But be generous in your donation.

    Be confident with it also. Because I can personally assure you that it won’t get tied up in red tape.

    We can’t wait for the government to fix Haiti. We can’t wait for the millions of dollars of supplies to reach people who haven’t eaten for a month and a half. We are charged both Scripturally (and morally, if you don’t subscribe to a Christian faith) to care for mankind.

    Don’t wait.

    I’ve seen it with my own eyes and touched it with my own two hands.

    Haiti can’t afford for you to not step up now.

  • A Practical Way to Provide Clean Water in Africa (So Easy, Your Cat Can Do It)

    Over the last couple of years, I have LOVED getting to know the heart behind Nashville-based Blood:Water Mission. When I fasted from the Internets for Lent last year, I also participated in the 40 days of Water Challenge.

    It’s easy. You drink only water for 40 days.

    From February 17-April 3, keep a tab of what you would have spent if you ordered something at a restaurant or at Starbucks (they do have free water there, you know…) and at the end of the 40 days, donate that money to Blood:Water Mission.

    HOW IT HELPS:

    If you saved $5 a day just by cutting out a visit to your local bar or barista, then you’d save $200 in 40 days.? That’s enough to provide clean water for 200 people for an entire year! Also, you get to tell people WHY you are doing it, and the story is one that needs to be told!

    HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

    Fill out the form here and they’ll send you a cool little Forty Days of Water bracelet like the one my cat is wearing in the picture below. He’s totally in. They’ll also send you some information and a card to help you keep tally.

    BUT WAIT…THAT’S NOT ALL…

    You know the whole “cycle across the country” thing I’m doing this summer? The goal of the trip is to raise funds and awareness for water wells in Africa through Blood:Water. And, just as a heads up, I will have a really cool way you guys can help do just that on my 30th birthday next Friday. So, make sure you come back for that!

    But for now…February 17-April 3, 2010. Only water.

    Are you in? (Don’t forget to register!)

  • Guest Post by Seth Godin: Why is it So Difficult to Be Human?

    Today, these words are given by the ever generous Seth Godin.

    His guest post is titled “Why is it So Difficult to Be Human?” and it was written just for you. I think he shares a very profound question that many of us have asked on this blog before.

    He also contributed on many other blogs today, of which you can find a list here.

    ——-

    Why is it so difficult to be human?

    What does it mean to be human anyway?

    A key part of being a real person – a human being – is showing up, especially when it?s difficult, particularly when it?s frightening to do so.

    Showing up counts for a lot. Why? Because it’s scarce.

    Someone who will comfort you on the phone in the middle of the night, then throw on a bathrobe and drive to your house. That’s precious.

    Someone who tells you the truth.

    Someone who exposes herself, is present, connected and willing to let you hurt them.

    These are the things we seek out as people, and yet we rarely find them. And yet we are rarely willing to be this person.

    We built institutions, organizations and religions to make it easy to avoid being this person. The rules and principles and jobs and buildings and code words and admonitions… they all exist to protect us from the truths we’re afraid of and from the interactions we’d rather not have.

    They organize us, and organization is a wonderful way to be protected.

    We go to work and we hide. We hide behind the religion of our brand or our team or our Dunder-Mifflin employee manual. We go to a foreign country and we play tourist, because actually going there is too difficult, too risky, to exposed.

    Showing up counts for a lot.

    When we show up, we connect, we make change, we are transparent, and yes, we’re human.

    Caring hurts sometimes, and that’s inconvenient.

    The good news is that more than ever, value accrues to those that show up, those that make a difference, those that do work that matters.

    The good news is that digging deep and fighting that voice that begs us to shut up instead of show up really pays off now, in more ways than we can count.

    Faith in yourself, in your friends, in your colleagues and most of all, faith in your ability to impact our future is the best strategy I know.

    —-

    Seth Godin’s new book LINCHPIN comes out today. It’s about art and gifts and connection and making a difference. And you should really read it because it’s really great.

    And also, you should get a few of his other books if you haven’t yet. Three of my favorites are Purple Cow, The Dip, and Tribes. All three of those have shaped my perspective and execution of how and why and when I do what I do. You won’t be disappointed!

    —

    Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a ?sponsored post.? The company or identity who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission?s 16 CFR, Part 255: ?Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.?


  • Just Another Post about Haiti

    The poverty of Haiti is not new to me.

    I’ve blogged about it before and even given up money I was going to spend on a tattoo to help some friends adopt from there. I gave up Starbucks for a year to help deworm children.

    Even though I’ve never been, it’s a place that’s always been on my heart.

    I can’t imagine what a 7.0 earthquake feels like. I was in a tiny earthquake in California a few years ago, but it only shook my hangers and rattled the walls a bit. Before I even knew what it was, it was over.

    Today, I’ve been getting emails and tweets and text messages from people I know that are in Haiti, or that have a friend in Haiti. I’ve been hearing assessments on damage and body counts in the tens of thousands from various sources (none official). It’s on the news and the radio and the internet.

    One would think that someone who just wrote a pretty bold post on Christians and poverty merely two days ago would be running around selling all her possessions, booking a trip into Port-Au-Prince and donating every last penny out of our bank accounts to help.

    But I’m not.

    I’ve been in a state of overwhelming numbness.

    The numbness is something I talk about when I speak about poverty…that when something seems hopeless we simply shut down because we don’t have the capacity to process what tens of thousands of people dead look like. We can’t process what it would be to pass by a family crushed to death on the side of the road. We can’t process an entire city’s infrastructure is demolished. The safest places, like hospitals and orphanages are collapsed on those who had nothing left to hold on to.

    It’s left me so broken I’m just awfully numb.

    I even bought Starbucks on my way to Whole Foods to pick up dinner. That makes me feel weird. Kind of.

    A few minutes ago, I opened my inbox for the first time in several hours and I was surprised by the amount of people who wanted to know where to give money, or how they could help.

    What? I thought everybody knew.

    But that’s not the case.

    Something that is obvious is that Haiti needs our financial resources right now. Because I believe in the work of Compassion International, you can donate to their disaster relief fund here and give to very specific needs.

    I have no words to give you. No words of hope right now, or even “God has a plan for this.” I just don’t. I’m not mad at God. I’m not…anything.

    And I have a feeling I’m not the only one who is confused, and hurt, and upset, and broken, and…lost…beyond words.

  • Breaking News: New Survey

    (*On a quick note, I changed hosts for my blog over the weekend and if you encounter any problems, I’m so sorry. They are being worked on!)

    I just finished reading a survey and as I write this, am literally boiling with a combination of red-hot anger and red-hot despair.

    The Bliss Institute recently commissioned a study on what “Conservative Religious Activists” deem important and what “Progressive Activists” deem important. You can download the entire study here, but for definition’s sake:

    “Conservative and progressive religious activists have distinct profiles in terms of affiliation, practice, and belief”

    “Conservative religious activists are almost exclusively Christian.”

    “Progressive activists are markedly more diverse in terms of religious affiliation. No single faith tradition makes up a majority of progressive religious activists.”

    I’ll let the chart do it’s work, but let’s just say that only 23% of us “Christians” (the survey defined it even further as a majority of Christians being mainline protestant, um, people like you and me) think that poverty is an issue we should stand behind and fight.

    The red in the survey represents a majority of “Christian” folk.

    The blue is just your average, ordinary Joe.

    Jesus himself said something about how people will know we are followers of Christ. (John 13:35)

    According to this survey people will know we follow Christ by how much we fight gay marriage and not poverty and disease.

    We care so much about abortion, about children before they are born. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

    However, I’m wondering if the phrase “Sanctity of Life” in our political language should be changed to “Sanctity of the American Unborn” because according to these statistics, there are quite a few people who don’t care what happens to the child (or the parents or the siblings) once that baby is actually born.

    If they these people really did care, well, actions speak louder than words…

    …What about the 30,000 children who starve to death every day because of hunger?

    Or the millions who die from malaria each year?

    Or the millions who die from diarrhea because they have no clean water.

    This is horrific.

    This must change.

    We must begin to engage this “Christian” world view that poverty is not an issue and help them see that caring for the poor is at the very heart of Christ.

    I don’t know what that looks like yet, but we’ve got to start somewhere.

  • You Ask, I’ll Answer

    It’s been a while since I did a post where you guys ask me any question, and I’ll do my best to answer. The questions can be about writing, speaking, life, spirituality, or why possums die under my house.

    A few ground rules:

    • I don’t mind talking about theology, but I won’t argue. There are very smart people who can debate both sides of major theological issues well, and if they can’t agree, chances are we won’t be able to figure out the answers in this format.
    • I also don’t mind discussing politics, but again, I won’t argue. There are also some very polarizing issues on which I won’t voice my opinion publicly. If you ask one of these questions, I’ll let you know by politely declining to answer. :)
    • There are several of my frequently asked questions on the FAQ page of FlowerDust.net. You might want to check and see if your answer has already been given there.

    I’ll be checking these throughout the upcoming days to respond to as many as I can, and maybe pull out some interesting conversations for a future blog post.

    You ask – I’ll answer! Go!

  • What Matters Now-A Free eBook from Seth Godin

    Oh, where to begin!

    sethgodinThere are so many things I adore about?Seth Godin (and I know many of you feel the same), but?one thing I love most is his ability to collaborate and communicate in quick, memorable ways. He cuts through the junk and leaves you with a thought that will leave you thinking for days (if not?months years indefinitely).

    Seth released a free (of course!) eBook today with 72 brief (about 200 words each) and meaningful snapshots from people all over the world, including one from yours truly, asking us to share a few words on?what matters now.

    —–

    My little snippet is on page 6, and is titled?Fear. Because I think so often that fear stops us dead in our tracks.

    How do we move forward when all we hear is fear filling us up with impossibility?

    Some of my favorite contributors to this project are?Seth Godin,?Elizabeth Gilbert,?Jessica Hagy,?Jacqueline Novogratz,?Howard Mann,?Michael Hyatt,?Steven Pressfield, Megan Casey,?Merlin Mann,?Penelope Trunk,?Arianna Huffington, and?Dan Roam (and many others – these were just a handful!)

    What Matters Now is totally free, totally inspiring, and the time you spend reading through it will definitely be the best fifteen minutes of your day.

    —–

    Just click the image below to download your copy (and share it with a friend or two or forty-seven).

    What Matters Now

    And, since we’re all about free downloads today, I thought I’d also point you in the direction of two free downloads from my first book Mad Church Disease, and a free excerpt from my forthcoming book, Permission to Speak Freely.

    Happy free reading Monday! :)

    —–