Blue Like Jazz
by Donald Miller
This semi-autobiographical work, subtitled "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality," is a collection of essays and personal reflections chronicling the author's growing understanding of the nature of God and Jesus, and the need and responsibility for an authentic personal response to that understanding.
Don's book has a certain authentic warmth about it. It is one of the few books I have read that felt conversational (Call of the Wild was a book that felt conversational to me). Each page was like talking with a friend at a coffee shop. And in this case, a very funny, honest and intelligent friend. This book reminds me that there are a lot of people in the world that love God (Jehovah God, the god of the Bible). And to many of us, God is not so easily filed into comfortable little places like denominations and church bylaws. God is a being and this book begs the question, "How do I respond to this entity?" When you find out about God and his "person" as revealed in Bible scripture, how do you interact with him?
Donald, if you ever read this, thanks! This book made me want to become a writer.
Would I recommend this book: YES
Friday, July 30, 2010
Just Do It!
Just Do It!
Naaman’s servants said to him, “if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!”
2 Kings 5:13 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
How much easier can it be? Just do it! In this story, Naaman, a king’s servant, had leprosy (skin and nerve disease that usually lead to death). Naaman was sent to see a great healer named Elisha. Being used to the pomp and circumstance of royalty, he expected a certain type of greeting from the host himself. Instead, he never actually got to see Elisha. All he received were a set of instructions from Elisha’s servant. The directions had three parts:
Go
Wash seven times in the Jordan
Be healed
I am a little like Naaman myself. I find it most difficult to simply trust God and do what he says. I figure, there has to be more to it than that, right? Everything in this life has value attached to it based on the amount of work you have to do to obtain it. We pay largely for things with value. The things that are free or nearly free are considered almost if not worthless. Besides, if you earn it, you can show it off to your friends and neighbors. You can show them what you did. Maybe I (or we) suffer so much because we have forgotten to simply do what God says, so we can be healed. Naaman’s healing was not in the Jordan, but in the obedience.
What has God asked you to do? Has God been needling you about a long overdue apology you owe someone? How about laziness or prayer or reading the Bible? Are you still blaming your problems on others and the past? Why not forgive them and be healed?
What has God asked you to do, so you can be healed? Just do it, and be healed!
Naaman’s servants said to him, “if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!”
2 Kings 5:13 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
How much easier can it be? Just do it! In this story, Naaman, a king’s servant, had leprosy (skin and nerve disease that usually lead to death). Naaman was sent to see a great healer named Elisha. Being used to the pomp and circumstance of royalty, he expected a certain type of greeting from the host himself. Instead, he never actually got to see Elisha. All he received were a set of instructions from Elisha’s servant. The directions had three parts:
Go
Wash seven times in the Jordan
Be healed
I am a little like Naaman myself. I find it most difficult to simply trust God and do what he says. I figure, there has to be more to it than that, right? Everything in this life has value attached to it based on the amount of work you have to do to obtain it. We pay largely for things with value. The things that are free or nearly free are considered almost if not worthless. Besides, if you earn it, you can show it off to your friends and neighbors. You can show them what you did. Maybe I (or we) suffer so much because we have forgotten to simply do what God says, so we can be healed. Naaman’s healing was not in the Jordan, but in the obedience.
What has God asked you to do? Has God been needling you about a long overdue apology you owe someone? How about laziness or prayer or reading the Bible? Are you still blaming your problems on others and the past? Why not forgive them and be healed?
What has God asked you to do, so you can be healed? Just do it, and be healed!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Providence Upon Nonbelievers
Providence Upon Nonbelievers
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom.
Ezra 1:1 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
In this verse, King Cyrus sounds like a follower of Yahweh, the God of the Jews. But, he isn’t. In his mind, his intention is to win the loyalty of the Jews by allowing them to return and reestablish their way of life. But in other portions of the Bible, God makes claim that He, the God of the Hebrews, uses the just and unjust for his purposes. Do you believe that?
Many years ago, I had packed a large military style duffle bag. I ate my last meal and stuffed my last $30 into my pocket.. You see, I was about to be homeless. I had no job and therefore could not pay my rent. I had nowhere to go, and figured it best to just disappear. I was going to drive my car until it ran out of gas. Wherever it stopped is where I would live. I decided to visit a few people before my disappearing act.
During my farewell rounds, I stopped in to see an old friend at his job. He asked me why I was so far away from home because he was in Lansing, Illinois. At the time I lived in East Chicago, Indiana, about fifteen to twenty miles away. I lied. I told him I was job hunting. As I exited the building, my friend yelled out, “Good luck job hunting!” Just then, another person yelled back to me.
“You need a job?” he asked.
“Yeah!” I said loudly and then only whispered, “I need a job . . .”
“Well, be here at twelve tomorrow!” and he went back to his office.
One of the guys said, “Welcome to the family.”
I asked if that guy was serious and they suggested I show at noon, or he would come looking for me.
Was Tom, (the owner of the company and person who offered me the job), a believer? No. Did he think that he had given me a job? Yes, but I also believe God used Tom to change me from destitute to solvent. And I didn’t even understand that until years later. I think God was after me. I think he used the hearts of the unsaved to get to the unsaved. I think God wanted to quiet my earthly need so that my spirit could be prepared for His arrival. I used to wonder if God worked in the hearts of unbelievers. That is sort of a silly thought because if he did not get inside the hearts and minds of the unsaved, none of us would be saved.
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom.
Ezra 1:1 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
In this verse, King Cyrus sounds like a follower of Yahweh, the God of the Jews. But, he isn’t. In his mind, his intention is to win the loyalty of the Jews by allowing them to return and reestablish their way of life. But in other portions of the Bible, God makes claim that He, the God of the Hebrews, uses the just and unjust for his purposes. Do you believe that?
Many years ago, I had packed a large military style duffle bag. I ate my last meal and stuffed my last $30 into my pocket.. You see, I was about to be homeless. I had no job and therefore could not pay my rent. I had nowhere to go, and figured it best to just disappear. I was going to drive my car until it ran out of gas. Wherever it stopped is where I would live. I decided to visit a few people before my disappearing act.
During my farewell rounds, I stopped in to see an old friend at his job. He asked me why I was so far away from home because he was in Lansing, Illinois. At the time I lived in East Chicago, Indiana, about fifteen to twenty miles away. I lied. I told him I was job hunting. As I exited the building, my friend yelled out, “Good luck job hunting!” Just then, another person yelled back to me.
“You need a job?” he asked.
“Yeah!” I said loudly and then only whispered, “I need a job . . .”
“Well, be here at twelve tomorrow!” and he went back to his office.
One of the guys said, “Welcome to the family.”
I asked if that guy was serious and they suggested I show at noon, or he would come looking for me.
Was Tom, (the owner of the company and person who offered me the job), a believer? No. Did he think that he had given me a job? Yes, but I also believe God used Tom to change me from destitute to solvent. And I didn’t even understand that until years later. I think God was after me. I think he used the hearts of the unsaved to get to the unsaved. I think God wanted to quiet my earthly need so that my spirit could be prepared for His arrival. I used to wonder if God worked in the hearts of unbelievers. That is sort of a silly thought because if he did not get inside the hearts and minds of the unsaved, none of us would be saved.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Last Words
Last Words
The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words:
“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!”
At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 5:13 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
It’s been about fourteen years, so some things are harder to remember now, but the words from this praise song could have been the last words I said to my father. He and I were never big talkers, to each other that is. I think most of my life I was so afraid of him there was no room for intelligent conversation, just preservation. My dad was in the hospital and a few days before he was released, I went to visit. I wanted to talk to him about God so badly, but I was really nervous. We sat speechless for some time. Then I just came out with, “Daddy, you know God loves you right? No matter how or when you decided to leave him, he’s never left you. He is good, isn’t he? He has been good to us.”
Dad never said a word, but his tears spoke volumes. Volumes I am still not sure I really understand. Not long after that, he would leave the hospital only to return catatonic till his death.
Dear God I hope that was the right thing to say. I hope it was enough . . .
My brother, Curtis, spoke to my dad about the Lord just before he slipped away from us and he says dad is saved. I do not know if my dad is in Heaven or not. If so, thank God for Curtis!
My last words to my dad may have blown it. I tried to speak to others about God before they passed on too, like Uncle Rick and John. I wanted my last words to them to be meaningful and about God. I do not know if they are in Heaven either. But they do not bother me as much as the ones that I never spoke to at all about God. What about Tom, my grandparents, Aunt Caroline, two uncles and my father-in-law? I hope God has forgiven me for not speaking up. Fear held me silent too long and that may be the biggest thing I regret in this life.
I pray the last words you have for family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and even people you don’t know or the ones your hate will be words of wisdom, words that speak life, words that lead others to Jesus, because God is good! His faithful love does endure forever. And I think people need to know that.
The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words:
“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!”
At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 5:13 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
It’s been about fourteen years, so some things are harder to remember now, but the words from this praise song could have been the last words I said to my father. He and I were never big talkers, to each other that is. I think most of my life I was so afraid of him there was no room for intelligent conversation, just preservation. My dad was in the hospital and a few days before he was released, I went to visit. I wanted to talk to him about God so badly, but I was really nervous. We sat speechless for some time. Then I just came out with, “Daddy, you know God loves you right? No matter how or when you decided to leave him, he’s never left you. He is good, isn’t he? He has been good to us.”
Dad never said a word, but his tears spoke volumes. Volumes I am still not sure I really understand. Not long after that, he would leave the hospital only to return catatonic till his death.
Dear God I hope that was the right thing to say. I hope it was enough . . .
My brother, Curtis, spoke to my dad about the Lord just before he slipped away from us and he says dad is saved. I do not know if my dad is in Heaven or not. If so, thank God for Curtis!
My last words to my dad may have blown it. I tried to speak to others about God before they passed on too, like Uncle Rick and John. I wanted my last words to them to be meaningful and about God. I do not know if they are in Heaven either. But they do not bother me as much as the ones that I never spoke to at all about God. What about Tom, my grandparents, Aunt Caroline, two uncles and my father-in-law? I hope God has forgiven me for not speaking up. Fear held me silent too long and that may be the biggest thing I regret in this life.
I pray the last words you have for family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and even people you don’t know or the ones your hate will be words of wisdom, words that speak life, words that lead others to Jesus, because God is good! His faithful love does endure forever. And I think people need to know that.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Jabez’s Example
Jabez’s Example
There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
I have been looking sideways at this prayer for several years now. It is a good prayer if you really know what it means and your life is such that this indeed matches your need. Maybe you are just like Jabez and this heartfelt desperate call to God gives voice to your suffering. On the other hand, I would not recommend looking at this prayer as a magical incantation to simply get the stuff you want. And frankly, I never pray it because I do not want my communiqué with God to be a set of manufactured requests. Though, I admit I would not turn down a blessing like this if God decided to offer it.
As I go through the scriptures, this verse stands in stark contrast to everything around it.
The would-be academic in me would like to point out that Jabez’s name means Pain or Sorrow. That usually, the men named their kids and in this instance, no father is mentioned. There is also no mention of a wife and children for Jabez. Many times children were named for their personality or to reflect the life they were born into. Some were even named as messages to the nation of Israel (See Hosea 1:4, 1:6 & 1:8-9). The pain and sorrow could have been childbirth, or it could have been the pain and sorrow of being a single mother. Though all of those things could be applicable in someone’s life, the thing that differentiates Jabez is the example he laid out for the people around him and for us today. Very simply, he placed his trust in God. He asked for God’s supernatural and physical blessings. He asked God to be with him. He asked for protection from the evil he might do and from the evil of others. I do not think the blessing in this prayer is for God to give us stuff. The blessing in this prayer is that someone has shown us that God hears the prayers of the sorrowful, and the prayers of those in pain. We all feel sorrow and pain because of life’s circumstances. But the source of the sorrow and pain is that most of the time, we live life without including God.
There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
I have been looking sideways at this prayer for several years now. It is a good prayer if you really know what it means and your life is such that this indeed matches your need. Maybe you are just like Jabez and this heartfelt desperate call to God gives voice to your suffering. On the other hand, I would not recommend looking at this prayer as a magical incantation to simply get the stuff you want. And frankly, I never pray it because I do not want my communiqué with God to be a set of manufactured requests. Though, I admit I would not turn down a blessing like this if God decided to offer it.
As I go through the scriptures, this verse stands in stark contrast to everything around it.
The would-be academic in me would like to point out that Jabez’s name means Pain or Sorrow. That usually, the men named their kids and in this instance, no father is mentioned. There is also no mention of a wife and children for Jabez. Many times children were named for their personality or to reflect the life they were born into. Some were even named as messages to the nation of Israel (See Hosea 1:4, 1:6 & 1:8-9). The pain and sorrow could have been childbirth, or it could have been the pain and sorrow of being a single mother. Though all of those things could be applicable in someone’s life, the thing that differentiates Jabez is the example he laid out for the people around him and for us today. Very simply, he placed his trust in God. He asked for God’s supernatural and physical blessings. He asked God to be with him. He asked for protection from the evil he might do and from the evil of others. I do not think the blessing in this prayer is for God to give us stuff. The blessing in this prayer is that someone has shown us that God hears the prayers of the sorrowful, and the prayers of those in pain. We all feel sorrow and pain because of life’s circumstances. But the source of the sorrow and pain is that most of the time, we live life without including God.
Friday, July 2, 2010
The Big Show
The Big Show
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
1 Kings 19:11-13 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
For the longest time I always expected whatever God said or did, it would be big! He did big miracles like splitting water in half or raising the dead. Our church was big, so I expected that God only deals in big. Bigger is always better right? Size matters! The universe is big! Creation is big. I used to hear people say, my God is a big God! In college, the professors would say we needed to think global in our ministries! I figured God must be involved in the real big ministries, the ones that were on television or the ones in the mega-churches. Peter Gabriel says in his song named Big Time that he will pray to a big god, kneel in the big church and that his heaven will be a big heaven. I like his suggestion in the song that his mind is getting bigger because of the fancy words he knows. He goes on to say he has a big mouth, fat head, bigger eyes, big car, big belly, big house, big bank account and big circumstances. Big, big, big!
When God comes to meet with Elijah, he shows up big but, he only whispers. In the same way, the biggest thing I have ever heard from God, was that he designed me (Psalm 139) and that he has covered all the things wrong with me by his son’s sacrifice (Isaiah 53) which was also only a whisper. The biggest ministries I have been involved in were also the smallest. They were whispers to the homeless about where to find food. They were a soft knock on the door to deliver Christmas presents to kids. Those things don’t seem so big. Or are they?
No, I don’t think big churches and television ministries are bad. They serve a purpose that God understands and controls. But, maybe the biggest thing any of us can do for God is to bless one single person. Maybe the most earth-shattering and explosive thing we can hear from God is the small whisper that He loves us and wants us to leave our sin behind. Then, we can see how big He really is.
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
1 Kings 19:11-13 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
For the longest time I always expected whatever God said or did, it would be big! He did big miracles like splitting water in half or raising the dead. Our church was big, so I expected that God only deals in big. Bigger is always better right? Size matters! The universe is big! Creation is big. I used to hear people say, my God is a big God! In college, the professors would say we needed to think global in our ministries! I figured God must be involved in the real big ministries, the ones that were on television or the ones in the mega-churches. Peter Gabriel says in his song named Big Time that he will pray to a big god, kneel in the big church and that his heaven will be a big heaven. I like his suggestion in the song that his mind is getting bigger because of the fancy words he knows. He goes on to say he has a big mouth, fat head, bigger eyes, big car, big belly, big house, big bank account and big circumstances. Big, big, big!
When God comes to meet with Elijah, he shows up big but, he only whispers. In the same way, the biggest thing I have ever heard from God, was that he designed me (Psalm 139) and that he has covered all the things wrong with me by his son’s sacrifice (Isaiah 53) which was also only a whisper. The biggest ministries I have been involved in were also the smallest. They were whispers to the homeless about where to find food. They were a soft knock on the door to deliver Christmas presents to kids. Those things don’t seem so big. Or are they?
No, I don’t think big churches and television ministries are bad. They serve a purpose that God understands and controls. But, maybe the biggest thing any of us can do for God is to bless one single person. Maybe the most earth-shattering and explosive thing we can hear from God is the small whisper that He loves us and wants us to leave our sin behind. Then, we can see how big He really is.
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