Guest Post

Blue Like Jazz

A review by Adiel Gardner

Deep theological books on doctrine have always been difficult for me to read (I like books with a little whimsy to them!) but I love asking questions about why God made us and what for and pondering the different facets of our spirituality. So Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz was perfect for me. Miller writes with an artist’s soul as he leads the reader through a slideshow of pivotal events in his life and tells how God persisted in revealing Himself through them. This book was written for unbelievers who are asking questions about Jesus or people who have been disappointed by Christianity because of the imperfections of Christians, but it is a beautiful read for anyone who enjoys hearing stories of how God does amazing things in the lives of average, every day saints. 

Miller writes with a refreshing, down-to-earth honesty about his sins and the things God taught him through living with hippies, attending a very anti-Christian college and hiking in the Grand Canyon. Each chapter covers a different aspect of Christianity, but he devotes two chapters to talking about love and these were the chapters that stuck with me the most. He writes about truly loving our enemies - not as their superiors, but as their friends. He writes about how he had to learn to accept love from God before he could accept it from other people. And he writes about when he first fell in love with Jesus.

Blue Like Jazz reads like a friendly chat over coffee in a cozy little café. Miller touches on some crucial aspects of our faith, but he never sounds churchy or preachy as he tells us his story - the story of an average guy being dazzled by a not-so-average God.