Art Is Hard

I guess this is my offical Donald Miller entry. I didn't expect to run into him. I wanted to meet the guy but he had to go somewhere after I saw him speak on Thursday. If you don't know who he is, he's the author of two somewhat profound books called "Blue Like Jazz" and "Searching for God Knows What"...which my friend Michael Rice ( http://dailyrice.blogspot.com/ ) astutely calls: "required reading for the high-school youth group members and semi-cool-20-something Christian types". I first heard about Blue Like Jazz from my friend Jon who at the time was, ironically, co-leading a small group of high school youth along with a semi-cool-20-something christian type at his church (Actually he bordered more on the complete cool side but I'm trying to compliment Rice here on a observational job well done).

Miller spoke this week at the University of Texas. I got to go one night and he was a good speaker, very conversational, funny and insightful, just like his books. I read Searching for God Knows What on the plane back from Seattle a couple of weeks ago and I found it very appropriate subject matter that complimented a lot of the things that I've been mentally restling with in the realms of Christian "religion" and "spirituality" and the importiance of the relashonal aspect of faith...relashonship with God and fellowship, the many things that can be learned, though relashonships with peers.

I didn't get to attend for his final speaking engagement on Friday...so I didn't expect that I would meet him. I mainly just wanted to shake his hand and tell him that I appreciate his books. Today I was working at Mozart's, not thinking about much except rearranging the bakery cases next to the bar. I had been looking down for several minutes trying to finish because we were approaching our normal level of Sunday Afternoon sales activity that can be best described as a feverish. I got things arranged like I wanted and looked up and there just three feet away across the counter was the extremely recognizable face of Don Miller. Now I'm not the type that goes nuts over celebreties, even people who can be described as such in a very loose way within the context of a small like minded group (as defined by Michael Rice above)...but I was nevertheless pretty startled. Suprised enough at least to blurt "holy s--t"...just quietly enough that I don't think he heard it (allthough if he did I would be funny to have those words as the introduction to my first conversation with the man). (My language gets colorful when I am either angry or just suprised (this will be the topic of another thread about a certian character flaw involving my choice of words in certian situations).

To make a long story short (because it really isin't a long story anyway, allthough with all of these parenthetical references it seems to be turning into one)...I got to meet him, tell him that I really appreciate his books, mention that he had meet several friends of mine (which prompted a request that I deliver a shout out for him, so if you guys are reading this and you met him on Friday, he says hi). I also got to make him an espresso shake...and I made sure that it was a good one.

In retrospect I wouldn't have been suprised if he had dropped in during one of the days he was speaking. Miller often speaks and writes glowingly of the time he spends in coffee shops, and we've got the best darn coffee (and setting) in Austin so of course he would show up eventually. I just thought he had left town by now...but hey, it's Austin, I can understand someone staying longer than they had to.

Thus ends my only foray into name dropping for the week.

In case you're curious about the title, it doesn't have anything directly to do with the entry. I'm just listening to Cursive and it's a cool title for a song so I went with it. Allthough I do consider Miller's books to be artistic in the way that they draw from personal experences to make good points, something that is hard to do, just like art. Of course, at Mozart's, I tend to make drinks that are good enough that mabye you could call them art. Derek Eacho, Ethan Graham and Don Miller have all consumed the art of Jordan Stewart this week. If you're thinking that this paragraph is self serving, then you are right. But I'm just joking around...mostly.

- Jordan