BLUE LIKE JAZZ Week Two

I really enjoy the parts of the book where Donald seems to find a way to reconcile being a Christian while attending a highly secular college. To me, this has always been one of the hardest parts of Christianity. How do we maintain our Christian life and identity while having to live within a secular context?

I think one of the most important parts of these chapters for me was the fact that Donald acts as a Christian model for non-Christians whether he chooses to or not. He doesn't go around proselytizing. He simply provides an active example of what a Christian should be for others. And it seems that this approach is very effective. It can be very hard for Christians to overcome all of the horrible things that have been done in the name of religion. Non-Christians often come to us with very valid arguments such as Donald's friend Laura.

I thought the part of the chapter about Laura seeing Christianity as irrational was especially interesting. It DOES seem irrational. As Donald put it, "I think Laura was looking for something rational, because she believed that all things that were true were rational. But that isn't the case. Love, for example, is a true emotion, but it is not rational."

The end of Chapter six really spoke to me as well. It seems like all have to do is to believe and then everything else should fall into place. So, why do we continue to struggle? "I thought that if God would make it so I felt convicted all the time, I would never sin." Wow. That sounds familiar. Why CAN'T we feel strong about our faith all the time? And why CAN'T we conquer sin with self-discipline? I have wondered this myself many times. I'm looking forward to seeing Donald's explanation.

Peace Unveiled

Chapter 2 seems to be a favorite among us! Miller's thoughts about his own self-absorbtion resonated with me; living in a house full of mirrors that causes him to see nothing but himself at every turn. So much time thinking about and reassuring himself and not leaving much room in his heart and mind for anyone else.

Self-absorbtion is another of those time wasters that Malady talks about (the passage she noted also caught my attention). A lot of my own time is spent thinking about trying to be a good person that I end up spending comparatively little time actually being good.

What we've read so far in Blue Like Jazz makes me reconsider what it really means to find peace in my life. I've realized that I spend so much time using self-reflection as a protective cocoon for myself that I spend less time engaging the world in a meaningful way. It's ironic because making a difference in the lives of others is the whole point of self-reflection. As I overheard my wife say recently, "You're cheating the world if you don't become all that you know you're capable of."

So here's what I'm adding for Lent: every month I will sign up for two classes, charitable functions, or some other activity that makes me get out of the house to work with and think about someone else for a few hours. It's measurable and I'm pretty sure I can do it.

Here's to making that a permanent condition.

BLUE LIKE JAZZ Week One

Dear Gary and Purl--

Raise your hand if you identified with anything that Donald talked about in the first three chapters. (my hand is raised) I think that many of us as children view God as a "slot machine God." If we are good little children, we will be rewarded. If we are bad little children, we could go to HELL!!! Or, we can just turn to God to push the reset button and all is forgiven.

My favorite chapter this week was Chapter 2. I love this passage:

"I believe the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God."

I think we are often distracted by religion. We focus so much on the practice and the ritual that we lose sight of the spirituality. I have seen so many churches torn about by people disagreeing on certain ritual aspects of their church and forgetting about the real reason why they are there. There are lots of other things to distract us in everyday life as well. Some people may say that alcohol, drugs, sex, television and other secular pursuits are evil. I'm not sure I believe those things are inherently evil. (after all, even Jesus enjoyed wine!) But when they distract us and cause us to waste time, THAT is when they are a problem.

I also like how Miller explores the idea that we have to LEARN to be good. It doesn't come naturally to us. And it is something we have to work on every single day. As Miller says, WE are the problem. We have to start any good work with ourselves before moving on to anything or anyone else.

I hope you are enjoying the book so far!!!

-Malady

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.