Last night I finally finished Blue Like Jazz. It was overall a great read. I enjoyed looking into the life of Don Miller and reading about his personal stories and the stories of those close to him. I like how he referred to their life journey's as songs.
He has a heart for people. He loved on the people that most people would not love. His attitude towards them was one that I have not really encountered in a Christian world (as he so thoroughly repeats throughout the book). Homosexuals, drug addicts, and pastors/people that cuss. I don't know if he was a self-proclaimed Democrat, or just had a thing against churches supporting the Republican Party. That part never become incredibly clear to me.
But I understood his point of view. If you aren't Republican, and if you aren't completely abrogated by homosexuality, abortions, the use of drugs and alcohol, then I can see where people would feel there is not place for them in the church if they have differing viewpoints (note: I my view on the mentioned subjects if irrelevant in this post).
There were some things he mentioned that really irked me. He said them so matter of factly and with such conviction that my very heart ached. There were some beliefs that I used to believe until I encountered the Love of God so wholly and so purely. There were some blanket statements that he mentioned that caused some tensions in my heart.
I long for the Church of Christ to be united, to be One. I want everyone to share common beliefs and work towards peace and harmony. Can we be one, and still be different? We aren't carbon copies of each other.
Someone shared online "I want to life a life that others will want to imitate." And while I agree with that, there is also a part of me that disagrees with that. Focusing on God? Yes. Imitate that. But so often I know that I have tried too hard to be like someone else because they seemed to have life together. They were bolder then me. They spoke up more readily. They knew that they wanted in life. They had vision and dreams. Being someone that others want to imitate is living life boldly. Living life for Christ. I don't know if I want others to imitate me. I only want this if they are imitating God that they see in me. I want to inspire others to live their life to their greatest potential. I want others to see God, not me. I want others to put others before themselves, so that they rise on heavenly thrones.
Reading authors that challenge me and inspire me are great. I am not sure there is such a thing as a "bad author." People are going to write based on where they are in life. It is my duty to read everything with discernment and through a God-filter; accepting what fits and passing on what doesn't.
God is love. God turns messes into messages. He leads me and fulfills me. Regardless of my thoughts on the book, I recommend it. Depending on where you are in your spiritual walk, it will encourage, inspire, and challenge you on so many levels. Even if that means you despise the book ... it will teach love and seeing the other side of the story.
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