Blue like Sad...

     When I was growing up Mom read lots of good books to us, and taught us to love reading good books. Mom always read the books first though, black sharpie in hand to mark out bad words or whatever she thought was inappropriate for us to read as children. When reading Blue like Jazz I want to use a sharpie, or some scissors (don't judge me I am just being honest) as I read and "clean up" poor Donald Miller some. Of course, I can black out lines in his book but that doesn't remove those thoughts, feelings or events from his life or person. If I did "edit" Blue like Jazz, it would leave a very nice Christian sounding book that maybe focuses a little to much on a misunderstanding of God's love. Everyone would see Miller not as he is, but as I think he ought to be. This would destroy his book. Granted I still wanted to do it, but it doesn't need doing.
      I wanted to do it because I didn't want Miller to be someone like me. I didn't want him to be ugly and beautiful at the same time. I've gotten to used to reading people's beautiful side and this makes me forget sometimes that people have an ugly side. Even Christians. That's the compelling thing about Miller's testimony, his transparency. I decided I would be transparent in this post to reflect that quality of the book. So I may say some pretty nice things, but I also may say some supremely offensive things. (Suck it up and bear with me.)
     When (if) you organize your books, don't put Donald Miller up there with Ryrie, Spurgon, Edwards or Piper. Don't even put him with Rob Bell. Put his book in the category "testimonies". That's exactly what Blue like Jazz is. Donald Millers Testimony. If you read it like a theology book it will make you mad. If you read it like a novel it will make you sad. Instead read it how I believe Miller intended it to be read, like a journal. A testimony.(Just a warning though, if you read it like a journal and testimony it still might make you mad and sad just for different reasons.)
     Please don't get me wrong here. Miller isn't someone I would say I agree with theologically, but that isn't the point. It isn't the point of his book, and it isn't the point of any relationship period. I think Miller would agree with me that if you try to make agreement the point or your goal, you aren't really caring about the person.
     Blue like Jazz addresses nearly all the issues of life, at the very least touching on the major ones. But the subject that comes up most is: love. Not just anything about love though, Miller is constantly looking at situations where people (whether believers or unbelievers) show love and in light of that evaluating the church on how its doing its job of loving people. His first mistake his is very definition of love. When he writes about the church lacking love, he is looking at an example in the world, comparing it to the church and then pointing a finger at the church saying "they aren't loving."
     Fundamentally, (he isn't crazy about  fundamentalists by the way:) love could be defined as God, or Jesus Christ himself. So, rightly, it scares me that Miller looks to the world to define who Jesus Christ is.  Most of his decisions as recorded in his book are based on his feelings, and so he decides his spiritual position many times. I don't want to give the impression that he ignores the Bible, but (this is going to sound supremely fundamentalist) he doesn't give it near the position of authority it intrinsically has in defining who God is. Also he attacks the church quite a bit in a way that I do not believe is respectful of the position it has in God's working on earth or beneficial to other believers. Those are the things I have the most issue with in his book.
     In summery, the positive: Donald Miller is right to question, anytime Christians see each other not lining up with Jesus teachings it is our responsibility to question with the love and word of God as our driving force. To question our actions that is, not the Bible, which is something Miller is not very careful about. Miller is right, that who Jesus Christ is (even if he may have slightly humanitarianistic view of Jesus), is what needs to be communicated regardless of centuries of followers misrepresenting Him. Miller is right that openness, and honesty need to define Christians instead of facades.
     But in all honesty, Blue Like Jazz makes me incredibly blue. Blue like sad. Sad that Miller never has experienced the rock a Christian father's love can be, and sad for all the times he searched for God's love in all the wrong places. Sad that He doesn't know Jesus as he could.Sad the closest thing he's seen to what he calls the love of Jesus, is the love in a godless hippie community. Sad that so many lost people are being completely ignored by the Christian community. Sad that I have to admit some of his harsh attacks on the fundamentalists (thought from a slightly warped perspective) are well deserved. Sad for all the people who will read his book and still not have the slightest clue who Jesus really is.
     I didn't intend this post to make you blue too. Instead, when you look at the fields white with harvest, allow the Holy Spirit to move you with compassion to pray the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers.So if you need to be sad, be sad, as long as it drives you to act on your beliefs. The best place to start is always on your knees.
(Your knees is a good place to be when evaluating a book like Blue Like Jazz also. So if you read it, do so with much prayer for discernment.)

As I stared out the screen door at the torrent washing down our street, a song by Sara Groves started playing in my head. Called "Rain" it has been one of my favorites by her for a long time. I always thought is was kind of cheating to post song lyrics as a blog post, but I am going to do it anyway!

Rain

By Sara Groves
Call it what you will I call it rain When troubles come and pat against my soul Go in if you like, I will remain And let the washing waters make me whole Just when I’m sure that I can't bear the rain A tiny leaf starts pushing through the ground In a place where the ground was too dry to sustain it A new tiny flower can be found Once I was stuck I thought things would never change As I watched a cloud pass through the sky Right before my eyes it took a different shape And I knew, so were the clouds in my own life I see Him in the rain I feel Him wash away What I do not understand So new life can spring up once again The flowers come to show that All that rain was helping me to grow. By the way, I love rain, and all that comes with it.The clouds, thunder, lighting, puddles, and especially.....dancing in it! Enjoy the rain.