Thursday, January 26, 2006

Blue Like Jazz


I have just recently finished don Miller's book, Blue Like Jazz and am kicking myself for not reading it earlier. I got a signed copy "with love" and it is now a really treasured book to me. You can get your own signed copy if you buy it directly from his website, where you can also get the images from the book. And by images, I mean cartoons.

Like Phillip Yancey, I drink up the writing of Miller, as he is a writer who writes of theology. As opposed to other authors, who are theologians who theologize about writing. If that makes no sense, think of it this way, Miller's book is easy to read, but will challenge and convict you if you allow the Spirit to work in your heart through it.

Here are some quotes and questions that affected me:

p.2 "the chasm that separated me from God was as deep as wealth and as wide as fashion."

What's your chasm?

p. 15 "there was this blowhard preacher talking about how television rots your brain. He said that when we are watching television our minds are working no harder than when we are sleeping. I thought that sounded heavenly. I bought one that afternoon."

p. 20 "I AM THE PROBLEM."

p. 91 the interaction about worshipping the golden calf might be the best paragraph ever written.

p. 135 "So we started praying every week that God would teach us to live missoinal lives, to notice people who needed to be loved."

So Kimball says that we need to pray missionary prayers - do you have any idea what that sounds like?

No comments: