Looking at Life

I know... I know...I know that Blue Like Jazz has its critics. Some feel that every book they read has to be filled with deep theological content and correct political and/or social thought; maybe I am just shallow (you don’t have to be so quick to agree) and I find a certain humor in seeing bent out of shape church-goers feel that all Christ-followers must fall into the lock-step of “I don’t drink, I don’t chew and I don’t go with girls who do” as the single standard-barer of our faith---and I really don’t drink, certainly don’t smoke or share the “life” experiences Miller writes about in his adventures at Reed College. (Maybe because I remember when I was one...)

Yes, Mother. I do jot notes in my Bible and underline it in yellow and I no longer wear a suit to church. Don’t get me wrong, it’s OK if you do dude up in your Sunday finest, but it’s OK if I don’t. I don’t think you have to really dig too deeply into Jesus’ words to see that he had a lot to say about this sort of hypocrisy. Yes, BLJ is earthy, irreverent and frank; it is also real and thought provoking when you give it a chance.

This I Believe

In order to grow along our journey, one must muse about life-changing events or those people, experiences and events that have shaped or reshaped (or shall we say continue to shape and change) our life. In “Living with Freaks”---Miller’s look at living in community-p. 175---changed his perspective… it changed him to become others-centered. As he writes, “I didn’t like the feeling of having to work with people…living in community made me realize one of my faults: I was addicted to myself.”

I don’t know about you; I believe one of the exciting things about the possibility of becoming connected in our core group is that I expect that each of you will gently remind me when I’m acting as if I was addicted to myself and, even better, model for me what a others-centered life is all about.

What are some of the life-changing events that have shaped your life? Or even a better to question to ask ourselves, when was the last time a person, experience or event helped reshape your life?

My prayer is that living in connection with one another, the Holy Spirit will work mightily in each of us in the “renewing of our mind.” Selah

Grace,

Bob