“Blue Like Jazz,” by Donald Miller

I was warned when I bought this book that its free-flowing, stream of consciousness style might throw me off. I was told that I may want to talk it over with someone because I might find its contents unsettling, and that I might not make it through it because I might disagree so strongly with what it said.

Yes, it threw me off…..but only in the best of ways.

Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller, was incredible. I loved it. It is definitely written in a disjointed style, clearly flowing straight from someone’s thoughts rather than from a defined outline. It is bold and honest and real. It is refreshing.

In an extremely honest way, Donald Miller writes about his own journey to the Christian faith and his experiences with others who were exploring the possibility of giving their lives to the Lord. He writes about their struggles with the church (in a chapter called “Church: How I Go Without Getting Angry”) and about the struggle of becoming a part of a community of believers (in Chapter 15, entitled “Community: Living With Freaks”).

It is brilliant, and honestly, it was what I needed. I live a pretty sheltered life, wrapped in the comfortable company of other Christians. Blue Like Jazz reminded me of a time in my life when I, too, was a foreigner to the concepts I now consider home, and when I, too, struggled with what it might mean to give my life away. It reminded me of people I have known who were struggling with these ideas, too, and who probably are still struggling because I resolved the struggle in my own life and – shamefully – lost touch with those who no longer had much in common with me.

The book reminded me of an element of my life that is missing: relationships with those who do not believe. It reminded me of what I have in my relationship with the Lord and forced me to consider where I might be if I had never been enveloped by grace.

It was a phenomenal read, and I highly recommend it….but only if you are ready to be thrown off and unsettled and rattled.