The Inciting Incident

One of the things on my Christmas list this past December (yes, my mom still asks for Christmas lists) was Donald Miller's newest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I really did not know what to expect from this book seeing that Miller really had not come out with a book that had come close to the standard he set when he wrote Blue Like Jazz.

Anyways, the book basically walks through his life while making a movie about his life. Didn't catch that? I'll say it again, the book goes through his life as he is making a movie about his life. Now I'm not here to summarize or give you a good or bad review on the book, mostly because I have not finished it yet, but also hopefully you'll be persuaded to read this book.

As I have worked through the book I arrived at a part where Miller goes into discussion about this thing known in the movie world as "the inciting incident". Now there might be many of you who have heard this phrase before, but I had never heard of it before. An inciting incident is something that happens in the main character's life that forces him to respond, change, adapt, basically to do something.

As Miller works through the idea of his life becoming a screen play he begins to learn more and more of the importance of story and how it must be done well if viewers are going to engage and enjoy what they are watching.

Miller eventually looks at his real life and admits what a bore it is. No one would want to sit through and watch his life. It was quite boring, made up of the same old every day. As Miller went on I began to ponder the idea of having an inciting incident in my own life. I began to take a few trips down memory lane and to ponder what some of these incidents could be. Being turned down from a job, the end of a relationship, moving to a new city, all could be things that could be classified as an inciting incident.

But the big one in my life...LeaderTreks. Nope they aren't paying me to say this, but LeaderTreks has changed my life. My actions, reactions, views, passions, and thoughts are now filtered a different way, and quite honestly I don't think I would want it any other way.

Why am I telling you all this? Well hopefully this will make you think about what inciting incidents have occurred in your own life. When you think about meeting God for the first time are you going to be excited and say, "Hey God. Lets take a trip down memory lane and look back at what we all did during my life," or will you be more disappointed and wonder what you and God will talk about because quite honestly, not much happened.

Your life is a story. One of millions that are happening right at this moment. The good, the bad, and all that lies in between are all part of it. As John 10:10 says, "Christ came to give us life, & life to the fullest."