BLUE LIKE JAZZ Lenten Reading Plan

I have to admit that I find this book a quick and enjoyable read so I have already done my first week's readings!!!!

Here is our plan:

FEBRUARY 6-12 Chapters 1-3

FEBRUARY 13-19 Chapters 4-6

FEBRUARY 20-26 Chapters 7-9

FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 4 Chapters 10-12

MARCH 5-11 Chapters 13-15

MARCH 12-18 Chapters 16-18

MARCH 19-EASTER Chapters 19-end

BLUE LIKE JAZZ Week One

One of the characteristics of Generation X has often been described as "a need for fulfillment." We look to be "fulfilled" in all aspects of our lives from our jobs to our relationships. This need spills over into religion as well. I think many Generation X-ers who were raised within a religious system became disillusioned with it during their high school and college years. We experienced a "disconnect" between what we were being taught in church and what we were living in the "real world." Sometimes, religion was just too inconvenient. It sometimes appeared to lack relevance.

I think Donald Miller does an excellent job of describing this disillusionment and the failure of Christianity for many individuals of our generation. So much of his story rings true for me. I hope it will for you as well.

We'll begin our journey on Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent. I would like us to try and read the first three chapters before February 13. That should get us through most of Donald's earlier experiences with religion. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!!!!

A Lenten Challenge

Hello my friends!

It is hard to believe that Lent is almost upon us. I can't believe that Ash Wednesday is on February 6!

I did not grow up with the tradition of giving something up for Lent. No one really did that in my church. I was always fascinated when others did it. When I grew up, I decided that it would be more productive for me to ADD something to my routine rather than give something up. The addition would be something specifically religious. My church has a Lenten book club every year. The entire congregation reads the same book together and our services during Lent use themes from the current book. This year, we are using a Lenten devotional. I will definitely use the devotional but I decided that wasn't enough.

I would like to encourage you to read BLUE LIKE JAZZ with me for Lent this year. I will post weekly "assignments" to keep us on task and then we'll discuss what we have read. We'll start on Ash Wednesday. I hope you'll join me!!!

Night Reading

I've picked a new nighttime activity in recent months and I wanted to share it with you. Throughout my adult life I've never been able to read at bedtime because I always immediately fell asleep. But these days I have more trouble falling asleep, which is partly why I've been able to take up reading at that time of day (or night, as it would be).

I've found that the Bible is the perfect book to read just before bed. The chapters are very short and I can cover two or three of them in just a few pages. I like that aspect of the Bible because I can only last for a few pages before I get tired, but still feel like I'm accomplishing something.

But what really matters is the way the Bible makes me feel, especially as I end the day. Amy, your post today made me think a lot about what the Bible does for me. I use the original 1611 version of the King James Bible because its use of the English language is unlike anything I've ever encountered.

I didn't expect that reading the Bible would be such an experience. As I'm going along, I feel a kind of quiet wisdom emanate from the pages. It's as if the book takes on a persona and tries to communicate with me. It's the kind of communication I can only sense during times of focused attention and solitude.

All of this may sound strange, but I also like the size and weight of the book, how the pages feel, the look of the text, and even the way my book light shines on it. It is remarkable and was completely unexpected. It's very comforting, I have to say.

I'm rereading Ecclesiastes right now and will post about it when I'm finished. I would be interested to learn about any experiences you've had with reading the Bible.

Hard or Easy?

Dear Malady and Purl,
I finally finished reading Mere Christianity and I enjoyed the book. A chapter that really intrigued me in the final book was the one called "Is Christianity Hard or Easy?" Lewis talks about the necessity of giving up your "natural self" to become truly good.

I really identify with the struggle that happens between my natural self (the selfish part of me that wants to let myself go wherever my thoughts and feelings take me) and the part that wants to grow and leave the world a better place.

Lewis says the natural self is perfectly..., well, natural and is a part of life. That you have to indulge it to keep your batteries charged up. But then he talks about "killing your natural self" to move into a realm of true enlightenment.

I'm wondering if and how this is possible. Have you tried to do this, even in some small way? If so, could you share any of your experiences? I would like to know how you interpret what Lewis is describing here.

Testify

I think one of the hardest things about being a Christian in this day and age is being open and vocal about it. Because a lot of times, people just write you off as a right-wing kook. (and as a left-wing kook, that is really offensive!) So many people use God and religion as weapons against other people. It corrupts something that should be so beautiful and unifying.

My friend Ellen has a lovely and graceful way of expressing her faith. Today, she posted a wonderful confession about how God has worked in her life. I encourage you to read it.

LINK

Forgiveness

Dear Malady and Purl,
I've finished the third book in Mere Christianity. I would like to go back and talk a little about the chapter on forgiveness. There is a paragraph (p. 119 in my book) that I found quite powerful:

"I have often thought to myself how it would have been if, when I served in the First World War, I and some young German had killed each other simultaneously and found ourselves together a moment after death. I cannot imagine either of us would have felt any resentment or even any embarrassment. I think we might have laughed over it."

Lewis talks a lot in this chapter about "loving thy neighbor" and, for the first time, I think I understand the significance separating a dishonorable action from the person who committed it. When I reflected upon Lewis's example, I thought of something that I had once done. It wasn't a single event, but instead a series of instances that had taken place over time.

It began when I told someone something that was going to really hurt that person. And it did. I wasn't prepared to say it, but I thought it the best thing to do at the time. I'm not sure I even knew then that what I said was going to be harmful. I had opted for honesty, not necessarily because I value honesty, but (for better or for worse) because that quality is an instinctual part of me.

My ignorance and inexperience lead me to repeat this thing to other people I cared about. In the end, things seemed to turn out mostly OK, but my actions inevitably colored my relationships with everyone involved. All of these these people are important to me and I have already spent a lot of time trying to make things right with each of them. Reading this chapter made me realize again that cultivating my sensitivity toward other people's feelings is paramount to the life I'm here to live.

But I find some solace in what Lewis has to say. I positively hate how I handled that situation, but I know in my heart that I was doing the best I could as I blundered. I was drawing from my own history, experience, and what I knew. I take even more solace in knowing that all of us gain wisdom through suffering. These are what give me hope that one day we'll be laughing over it.

-Gary