Through Painted Deserts

Currently Reading
Through Painted Deserts
by Donald Miller



The above isn't entirely true. I actually finished Through Painted Deserts and am now working on Searching for God Knows What by the same author. However, I've been wanting to write about Deserts for several days now and this is the first chance I've had to make a halfway decent attempt at it. After reading Blue Like Jazz and this book, I wonder if Donald Miller is capable of writing anything that is less than spectacular.

Through Painted Deserts, originally released in 2000 as Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance, takes a different approach to God and spirituality than Miller's other books. Actually, the premise of this book is a simple road trip from Texas to Oregon, a memoir of sorts. If I were to say nothing else about this book, I think the following statement would serve to convince you that it's worth the $15. While I was reading it, I wanted to quit my job, drive across the country, climb mountains, and camp. If you know me even remotely well, you know (or would at least be able to guess) that all of those things are not exactly at the top of my list. I'm the stable, logical, indoor type.

What I love the most about Miller's writing is that it evokes beauty. The flow of his words, the mental pictures he paints, the way he describes God. Simple, yet complex. Suggestive, but not pushy. His writing inspires me to be a better writer, to think more deeply, to be more creative, to recognize beauty all around me, to be less legalistic, to live simply, and to love fiercely. The daily grind that I get caught up in causes all of these things to fall by the wayside and I become this selfish person focused on being successful and obtaining more- more attention, more friends, more admiration, more "stuff." What's so striking about this to me is that I have always considered myself to be a person who isn't concerned about success, at least not in comparison to many others. I realize after reading Miller's writing that when these things are no longer the focus, our eyes are opened to so much more.

Through Painted Deserts is terribly funny, painfully honest, and not especially deep or profound. It's one of those books that just is, and doesn't claim to be anything more. Don't expect a modern-day theologian's theories about life, death, or eternity. It's a book for anyone who thinks that maybe life is just a little bit too complicated and wonders if there could be another way to go about living. Driving across the country and sleeping in a VW van, for example.

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A note to Donald Miller:
So Don, if you ever google yourself and come across this blog, thank you. Also, you might find it interesting to know that I am single and although ten years younger than you, I'm a mature 23 (almost 24.) I'm a Texan through and through, but I wouldn't be opposed to moving to Oregon. You make it sound like it's the most incredible place on earth. If you're interested, have your people call my people...or just email me. ;-)