One of my favorite authors, Calvin Miller, recently graduated to heaven. His poetic The Singer trilogy enlivened my imagination when I was in high school. His non-fiction book Into the Depths of God challenged my Christian walk. But the volume I treasure most has a personal story behind it.
Several years ago, I was at the International Christian Retail convention, doing a book signing for The Restorer when it was first released. As I was meeting people and signing books, a sweet woman greeted me and said, “My husband has written some fantasy, too.”
“Oh, what’s his name?” I was familiar with many Christian fantasy authors and wondered if I’d heard of him.
“Calvin,” she answered.
I stared at her name tag, with the last name of Miller. “Calvin Miller?” I sputtered. “THE Calvin Miller?” I became incoherent as I stammered out how much his work had meant to me over the years. I attended my first writer’s conference in part because he was the keynote speaker. She was gracious as I was a babbling basket case of enthusiasm.
That alone would be a cherished memory of the convention. But a few minutes later she was back, slipping me a book. “Since Calvin is signing at the same time as you, and you won’t be able to get over to his booth, I had him sign a copy for you.”
I will always treasure my autographed copy of The Path of Celtic Prayer.
The book is a celebration of a life where prayer is as integral to each day as breathing.
I’m so grateful for God’s gift of language, for the printed word, and for writers like Calvin Miller whose books can mentor us from afar.
Blessings!
Sharon Hinck
