a book review: Blue Like Jazz

Blue Like Jazz:

Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

 

Donald Miller

 

I read Blue Like Jazz my senior year of college, with a group of girls that gathered in the 206 (also known as the APT) each week to hang out and talk about life. I remember liking the book a lot then. And liking the little community of ladies even more.

APT 206, how i fondly remember you.

 

Recently in my quest to read all the books with book marks in them on the my shelf I picked it up again.

 

* I have finished 5 of 13 of the bookmarked books so far, by the way.

 

Although I have read Blue Like Jazz previously, it was like reading a new book this time. With 7 years of life experience added since my first reading the perspective from which I read the memoir was a bit different.

 

More than my goal to read all the bookmarked books, i was inspired to re-read it because of the recent movie that was released based (loosely) on the book.

 

Both are good as individual pieces, but comparatively they had to walk away from the style of the book to have a storyline worthy of 90 minutes of entertainment. The movie carries the same ideals and presents a similar message, but i must say, I will always like the book better. But for me that is true of almost anything that goes from book to movie.

 

From a spiritual standpoint, i thoroughly enjoy a story of someone else's journey toward God. However, I feel it important to warn the reader to not take everything written as ultimate truth. Although reading someone else's journey may be useful, encouraging, and life changing, it is important to remember that our only source for ultimate truth, if we are believers, is the Word of God. We must remember that contemporary inspirational writing is not the Word of God, but a way through which to learn and be pushed toward a deeper desire to know and seek truth in out own lives and to find the answers that He has set before us.

 

I could write a full post on what I gleaned from each chapter, but I am going to try and limit myself to the 5 quotes that I took the most from. This post could get long, but here goes:

 

"Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way."

 

And the first quote is in the author's not. Ha. Since my first reading this has been my favorite quote. This is so very true of life. At contra, there are some mildly creepy men. Some of them are uncomfortable to dance with because of their smell and particular breed of creepiness. One day this quote popped into my head while observing one of them. He loves contra. Even if he is creepy and smelly, he loves it. And that day I realized how judgemental I was being. I still don't enjoy dancing with him because his scent really is that displeasing, but...I can now appreciate him as he is, just doing something that he loves.

 

If I am with someone who enjoys something that I am not fond of, watching them enjoy it makes it enjoyable to me. If I went to a basketball game by myself, I would not enjoy it. But if I went with an avid fan, I would, because they love it. (Unless they are one of those terribly angry obnoxious fans)

 

Watching someone else love something really does show you how to love it and how it could possible by lovable. And how to love them as well.

 

I hope that through my life people close to me can see how I love God by how I live and hopefully learn to love Him as well. (which I am sure I fail at daily)

 

"They talked about Noah and the ark because the story has animals in it. They failed to mention that this was when God massacred all of humanity." pg. 30

 

Another thing that stuck out to me in this reading that I also remember from the first reading was the above line on pg 30. Although I have known this story for as long as I can remember, this never hit me. The Bible is not a children's book. It is full of death, murder, adultery, war, deceit, adventure, love, redemption, etc. If many of the stories were made into movies they would not be G rated.

 

The story of God is scandalous and adventurous and the American church (myself included) has turned it into flannel graph and potluck dinners to support the purchase of new window treatments.

 

There is so much more to the story God is writing.

 

Imagine if we all did what we were capable of and what He is calling us to.

 

"Jesus, please let me be the good soil." pg 48

 

Along with the paragraph on page 47 where Don's friend Penny talks about how the Bible is best read while eating chocolate and smoking cigarettes, this quote rings true to me (minus the cigarette). I want to be the good soil (Mark 4.1-20). I want to soak in the teaching and grow and produce good fruit.

 

And then the line on pg 77 comes around and kicks me in the teeth. "Ultimately, we do what we want to. I like to think that I do things for the right reasons, but I don't, I do things because I do or do not love doing them." I want to love the right things. I want to be the good soil. But is seems many times, I want to be comfortable more. And I think that each day can be a step closer to loving the right things. But it can also be a step further. And I pray that God helps me to develop a love for Him that overtakes my love for self because I know I cannot change myself without Him.

 

"All that beauty happens right above the heads of more than a million people who never notice it." pg 203

 

I have a fascination with nature and all the beautiful things that are in it and how it all works together. From sunrise to spider webs, I think it is all magnificent.

 

Photo credit: maggieCphotography

 

Here he is talking about how People don't stop to take in the scenery. Even just looking up for a minute to catch the sun setting overhead.

 

I went to see sunrise at Pretty Place at least 4 times a week my last month as Camp Greenville. I stop to soak in the lake and clouds reflecting here regularly. A friend of mine was changing my oil a few weeks ago and I was hanging our while he did it and turned around to say something to him and lost all train of thought when I saw a rainbow in the distance and my most girly excited voice said, 'oooooo, a rainbow!' He just looked at me like I was crazy.

 

I am so very thankful that God blessed me with parents that placed in me an appreciation for His creation. It breaks my heart a little to think that not everyone can do this.

 

I never feel more full of God's spirit and grace than when I see a sunrise. Like Lamentations 3.22-23 says, He faithfully renews us every morning. No matter what we do, the sun will rise.

 

His creation sings His wonders and calls us to worship Him.

 

I'm glad I worship a God that can't be boiled down to something that makes complete sense.

 

"I loved the fact that it wasn't my responsibility to change somebody, that it was God's, that my part was just to communicate love and approval." pg 221

 

I think this is a very important thing to grasp. We can't make someone believe in God. Only His spirit can that. BUT. We can show someone how to love. We can plant a seed. We can lead the way.

 

We can love without condition.

 

OK. 5 quotes was the limit. there are more I could write on, but this has far exceeded my usual blog length.

 

Overall, it was a very good time for me to read this book again. It opened a path for many conversations with guests at work. I was reading it one breakfast and a guest stopped to talk to me about it. He has not read it, but recently watched the movie. I recommended it to him and he took my tray to the dish room for me. I never caught his name.

 

I think the most important thing I can take from it is the idea of love and that we are not here to judge one another. As John 13.34-35 says:

 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

 

We don't need programs and flashing lights. We need to love well and love much.

 

Thanks, Don, for sharing your story with the rest of us through a good read, film, and re-read.