A while back, our neighbor lent us a book that she said was one of her favorites. Chuck read it and then left it for me to read. This was MONTHS ago! Well, I finally got around to reading it. It's called “Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality” by Donald Miller.
I must say, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read even for me. It's written a bit differently than some of the other books I have read. It's almost like the author is talking to you, having a conversation with you. It's a little strange at first. But, once you get used to it, it's quite nice to read something written that way.
It's all about God, but in a non-pressuring, realistic way. Here is a summary from Amazon about it:
Miller is a young writer, speaker and campus ministry leader. An earnest evangelical who nearly lost his faith, he went on a spiritual journey, found some progressive politics and most importantly, discovered Jesus' relevance for everyday life. This book, in its own elliptical way, tells the tale of that journey. But the narrative is episodic rather than linear, Miller's style evocative rather than rational and his analysis personally revealing rather than profoundly insightful. As such, it offers a postmodern riff on the classic evangelical presentation of the Gospel, complete with a concluding call to commitment. Written as a series of short essays on vaguely theological topics (faith, grace, belief, confession, church), and disguised theological topics (magic, romance, shifts, money), it is at times plodding or simplistic (how to go to church and not get angry? “pray… and go to the church God shows you”), and sometimes falls into merely self-indulgent musing. But more often Miller is enjoyably clever, and his story is telling and beautiful, even poignant. (The story of the reverse confession booth is worth the price of the book.) The title is meant to be evocative, and the subtitle-“Non-Religious” thoughts about “Christian Spirituality”-indicates Miller's distrust of the institutional church and his desire to appeal to those experimenting with other flavors of spirituality.
So I recommend you give this book a shot. It's just a different way to look at things and it's very insightful. I can't wait to recommend it to more friends.
Have you read it? What did you think? Have you read any other good books lately that I should read?
