Clearly, it's a bit of a gamble to say someone is not being authentic in their Christian lives -- which Miller does say about certain groups -- but it still can be a valid point. While only God judges our hearts, an exhortation to be genuine in our worship is crucial.

So what does it mean to be an authentic Christian? Basically and obviously, it means that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He alone can save us from God's wrath, and that you repent of your sins. The fundamentals of the Gospel. Often this is exhibited by a verbal declaration, or even a silent, inner, personal acknowledgement in your head. But while no man can ever say, "Your heart is not right before God" (unless it's clearly obvious), real, authentic, genuine belief isn't always there. Or perhaps it's even often not there.

Matthew 28:19 was not written just for kicks. "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations" is a way of demonstrating our verbally acknowledged faith. Similarly, John 14:15: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." This is where authenticity starts to kick in. As we've all heard, it just won't do to be a Sunday Christian, and then Monday thru Saturday act as much as we can like normal people and hope that we won't have to pray for things, and certainly try to avoid actually articulating the fact that "God was merciful to me this week" or "What are the Biblical ramifications of this idea of yours, Bob?" Often (and don't deny it), it is actually painful to mention God, the Bible, or Christianity if we're not in the Church sanctuary, even to our Christian friends.

But then we try to go and convert non-Christians; we do our Christian duty and witness to them. Or at least, we feel as though we should and feel guilty if we don't. While this is a good and necessary component of Christianity (Matthew 28:19), it doesn't work very well if the Authenticity factor is missing. It's a very transparent form of Christianity. As Miller says, non-Christians don't want to feel as though you're selling Jesus to them. They want to see a real relationship. They want to see your desire for God, not the straight why's and how's and "you-must-do's" and "or-else-you'll-go-to-hell's". They want to see belief.

God knows this. He was being smart in a God-sort-of-way when he wired people like this. It is called Accountability. Our goal is the purity and authenticity of our own hearts. Then come others. This is why Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:5, "for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?" Probably also why all airlines instruct, "Please secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others."

This in no way discounts rational argument, logic, and Biblical debate with non-Christians. "Come now, and let us reason together," exhorts Isaiah 1:18. But logic often acts as unfortunate enemy against emotion and authenticity.

"The Worst Story Ever Told" is almost not an exageration.  He's taking us through a story in Judges.

Last Sunday, he shared the beginning of the tale: A man has a concubine.  Some unnamed issue pops up.  The concubine returns to her father.  The man goes after her.  The father convinces them to stay much later than they intended.  They begin the journey home.  It looks like no one will take them in.  Finally someone  does.  That night, a band show up outside the mans house.  They demand the traveling man.  They want to rape him.  The home owner offers his daughters instead.  At some point, they settle on the concubine.  The concubine is raped and abused all night.  In the morning she is on the doorstep of the home.  She is not moving.

Next week, Marty will explore the next part of the story.  The man cuts the woman into twelve pieces and sends the pieces of her to the twelve tribes of Israel.

The sermon was one of my favorites of Marty's ever.  He focused on the idea that Israel had no king at the time.  People were living in whatever ways they wanted.  The barometer for everyone's choices was their own personal pleasure.

Having my attention drawn to the story, I have a number of thoughts and questions.  Some of these are about parts of the story Marty hasn't adressed yet.  Some of these are topics not related to his sermon, or perhaps issues he simply didn't have time for. 

First off, is it worth noticing the ways that this story appears to be a bit different than several of the other stories in Judges?  Specifically, basically nobody in the story is given a name.  Perhaps a related note: it's a lot more about the little people, the man on the street, than hot-shot soldiers, warriors, people of royal blood.

Should we take this to mean that the original person who wrote the story down believed it to be literally true but simply did not know the people's names?  Is it possible it's meant as a parable?

Secondly: What's up with the father's constant delay of their leaving?  My best guess about this is that it indicates that the father, the concubine, and the other man lacked character.  They couldn't delay gratification.   Perhaps there is also something in here about poor boundaries or a lack of commitment.

The man did not commit to marriage with the women.  She was "simply" a concubine.  The woman was not committed enough to stay with the man and work out the problems.  When they returned, rather than letting her return to her adult life, the father wanted to keep his daughter around in his own household.

Thirdly: Is one of the sins running through all this the "life raft" mentality?

In the amazing "Blue Like Jazz" Don Miller recalls a thought experiment people used to engage in.  They create a cast of characters.  The scenario is that the ship is sinking.  The life raft is not able to carry everyone.  The question is: Who deserves to go?

Miller believes that such a question is contrary to the teachings of Jesus.  I think he's right.

When that house is under siege, they are basically in a sinking ship.  They find themselves wondering who they need to throw out in order to keep the life raft afloat.  It's no surprise that they only consider throwing out the women: first they think about the daughters and eventually they settle on the concubine.

There's probably all sorts of parallells to Marty's point about the fact that these people were not living by God's unchanging standards.  Miller points out that life raft mentalities usually reflect cultural prejudice.  In this case, the culture devalued women.  They were first to be thrown off.

I've got some more thoughts about things later in the story.  But I think I'll end this post for now, on that last thought.

Semi-recently, he relayed some questions that someone recently asked him, and invited readers to share how they might respond:

1. Can a Christian be a Democrat?
2. Are all Democrats "baby killers"?
3. Must all Christians be Republicans?

The first person to comment mentioned an article/interview with best-selling author Donald Miller, (Blue Like Jazz is the only one of his that I've read), who is currently campaigning with Obama's "Faith, Family, and Values Tour".

It's really well worth a read.   Though I try to stay out of political debate as much as possible, meaning I may not 'do my homework' as much as others do, I have to say that quite a few of Miller's comments and opinions resonated with a lot of my gut feelings about various election issues. And the last paragraph says it all.

And that's all I'll say about that.

..

Last night I was so tired that I went to bed way before my regular bed time. I knew it was a bad idea and that I would soon have to pay the price. But I was so tired that I did not care. So, sure enough, I woke up at 2am and could not sleep for the next three hours.

After listening to a few chapters from Isaacson's recent biography of Albert Einstein, I decided to pick up up Don Miller's Blue Like Jazz. It turned into a lesson about my inclination to steal dignity from others. I learned that, when I get that certain feeling of pity for someone in need, I am millimeters away from steal that person's dignity.

What I read made me think about situation not long ago where I stood in line at the grocery store. The young couple in front of me apparently did not have enough food stamps to pay for their things. They considered their options and then chose to leave the milk behind. As they did this, I developed that sinking internal feeling of pity for them. I mean, they were standing there with their infant baby and all.

Don Miller tells the story of a similar experience. Except the person in front of him in the line was a woman who was paying groceries with food stamps. She was so ashamed by the experience that she "never lifted her head as she organized her bags of groceries and set them into her cart. She walked away from the checkout stand in the sort of stiff movement a person uses when they know they are being watched." (84)

I find it hard to watch people who are ashamed of themselves or their own situation. It is hard because I start feeling ashamed for them. I do not just feel like helping with their need. I also want to help them get rid of their shame. But - hey - that is all wrong, is it not? That is what I had to admit when I read Don Miller's reflection on his desire to buy that woman's groceries for her:

"I realized that it was not the woman who should be pitied, it was me. Somehow I had come to believe that because a person is in need, they are candidates for sympathy, not just charity. It was not that I wanted to buy her groceries, the government was already doing that. I wanted to buy her dignity. And yet, by judging her, I was the one taking her dignity away." (84)

..

As an evangelistic tract Blue Like Jazz is too narrow. Jesus is presented as a nice fellow who meets one at the campfire and swaps stories. He’s a listener, a friend, accepting, warm, kind, and gentle. And Jesus is all these things. But the meta-narrative of the Bible, also reminds us that Jesus is terrible. He is the judge, the king, the warrior, the avenger (Rev. 19:2). The good news is not merely that Jesus wants to listen to your story, but rather that he wants to save you from his just wrath.

The postmodern convert who comes to Christ the friendly listener has yet to meet the authentic Jesus. He’s met the aspects of Jesus that are most comforting to contemporary Westerners, but he has never experienced the stripping bare of all fleshly dignity before the reigning king of the universe. And this nakedness before God is necessary for salvation.

Likely, right now someone in your church is reading Blue Like Jazz or some similar book. It will resonate with them in style and content—it is cool and Christian. And it is extremely unhelpful. The only antidote seems to be twofold. The first is to reintroduce young Christians to the biblical Jesus: the person who died an agonizing death for their sins, who will tread the winepress of the wrath of God, and who listens to their prayers. The second is to begin the battle against the cool. The godly must begin to prove in the pulpit, in writing, and in their lives that Christianity is the deadly enemy of the cool. And the cool is the Western postmodern entertainment driven culture that has tutored our children and ourselves for the last fifty years.

HT: Micah

I don't get to help him with homework very often. When I do get the chance it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Today we decided to do his homework at Starbucks. Since it takes at least an hour, and since half of that is silent reading, I decided to grab a book. As I was looking through the bookshelf for something to read he handed me his Bible. What a kid!

He really warms my heart, and I cannot imagine a life without him in it.

.

.

.

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God's Word for Boys, handed to me as I was looking for something to read.

And yes, that is Blue Like Jazz in the background.   I'm re-reading it for the 3rd time... 'cause it's that good!  If you've never done so, I highly suggest reading it!

As most of you already know, I have chosen the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller for October.

An extremely Christian friend of mine had read this book, and decided that it is exactly the sort of book that I would write. Since she was traveling at the time and wanted to get me a souvenir, I was presented with a copy of the book upon her return. I know nothing of the book, but my friend knows me pretty well, including the fact that I am a devout atheist, so I was excited to read the book. This is the reason you all get to read it along with me.

All of that being said, we are currently scheduled to meet at 1:00pm on October 26th at Cabin Coffee in St. Charles, MN. Click here for a map.

Cabin Coffee is only open until 2:30pm on Sundays, so we may want to meet earlier. Go ahead and post a comment regarding what works best.

***************Update**********************
Well it's been decided; we will be meeting at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 25. We are still meeting at Cabin Coffee in St. Charles, MN, and the map can still be found here.

Lastly, post a comment letting everyone know whether you'll be present for the October meeting.

Let me know if I missed anything.

Recently . . . I have no idea when it was . . . yesterday maybe, a thought popped in my head.

Has there ever been a book written in the last 50 years by a Christian that ALL Christians loved?

Think of some of the bestselling books in recent years.

Blue Like Jazz, The Purpose Driven Life, The Shack, The Prayer of Jabez, etc.

Think of books by bestselling authors like Max Lucado, Eugene Peterson, George Barna, Anne Rice, Anne Lamott, Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, John Hagee, John Eldredge, T.D. Jakes, John MacArthur . . . you name it.

(Note to the sloppy reader: I'm not endorsing or unendorsing any of the above in this post, I'm just listing highly popular books and authors off the cuff.)

Even if you were to find a book that has a plethora of positive reviews on it, you won't fail to find a few negative ones that trash the book.

Point: It seems that every incredibly popular book in the Christian world is *always* hated and opposed by *some* Christians. Perhaps that opposition is deserved at times. Perhaps it's not.

In short, we followers of Jesus just can't seem to agree.

I find this interesting to say the least.

as I have said before, Mark 9:24 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it so accurately captures faith as I experience it.

I agree with Mr. Guiness that anyone who has ever believed anything has experienced doubts. Doubts have to be named and faced. Doubt only becomes destructive if it is swept into a closet for dealing with later.

As quoted by C.J. Mahaney, here is a clip from the first chapter of Os Guiness' book on the proper role of doubt in a believer's life.

“Christianity places a premium on the absolute truthfulness and trustworthiness of God, so understanding doubt is extremely important to a Christian. Of course, faith is much more than the absence of doubt, but to understand doubt is to have a key to a quiet heart and a quiet mind. Anyone who believes anything will automatically know something about doubt. But the person who knows why he believes is also in a position to discover why he doubts. The Christian should be such a person.

Not only does a Christian believe, he is a person who ‘thinks in believing and believes in thinking,’ as Augustine expressed it. The world of Christian faith is not a fairy-tale, make-believe world, question-free and problem-proof, but a world where doubt is never far from faith's shoulder.

Consequently, a healthy understanding of doubt should go hand in hand with a healthy understanding of faith. We ourselves are called in question if we have no answer to doubt. If we constantly doubt what we believe and always believe-yet-doubt, we will be in danger of undermining our personal integrity, if not our stability. But if ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt. If doubt is eventually justified, we were believing what clearly was not worth believing. But if doubt is answered, our faith has grown stronger still. It knows God more certainly and it can enjoy God more deeply.” (pp. 15-16).

here is the way that I put it in an email last fall.

I would say that as I have gotten older I have experienced a change myself in how I view and experience God. I have become less and less sure of some things and more and more sure of others as I have grown older.

I am much less sure of many of the specific doctrinal things about which I used to be certain. I am much more certain of the reality of a personal, living, loving, relational God because I have experienced the wonderful joy and privilege of spending time with Him getting to know Him and letting Him get to know me.

Based on my experience, I can confidently assert that God is real and that He loves you right where you are in whatever circumstances you find yourself.

Recently I read the book Blue Like Jazz. [] You should definitely get a copy and read it. It is like no other book I have ever read. Donald Miller says the following on page 51:

            "The goofy thing about Christian faith is that you believe it and don't believe it at the same time. It isn't unlike having an imaginary friend. I believe in Jesus; I believe He is the Son of God, but every time I sit down to explain this to somebody I feel like a palm reader, like somebody who works at a circus or a kid who is always making things up or somebody at a Star Trek convention who hasn't figured out the show isn't real.

            Until.
           
            When one of my friends becomes a Christian, which happens about once every ten years because I am such a sheep about sharing my faith, the experience is euphoric. I see in their eyes the trueness of the story." (emphasis added)

I know exactly what Don means in that quote. The only thing I would add is that when I spend time with my God, my Savior and my Father in Heaven, the experience is euphoric. To be known completely and yet still completely loved is liberating. I personally feel the trueness of the story.

hat tip to Challies for the link to C.J. Mahaney.

Donald Miller the author of popular "postmodern" books like Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What, he is also a speaker, blogger, music connoisseur-fan of The Smiths...and Morrisey!, smoker, beer lover, hopeless romantic, Christian and Democrat. For some this may be disappointing. Even disappointing enough to cancel a Blue Like Jazz church book club. Whatever your reaction to knowing this, here is the prayer he prayed:

Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Hep us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen.

The first book that comes to my mind when I think of Don Miller is Blue Like Jazz.  I think it's fair to say that even if you're not a Christian there's a strong chance you'll really enjoy this, Don's best known book.  I came to this book with some apprehension, fearing it was a bandwagon-book, but my fears were quickly allayed.  I read Blue Like Jazz last summer, and maybe it was just the time in my life, or maybe the sum of a lot of things on my mind at the time, but I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed reading it.

One of the best things about Donald Miller's books is his writing style.  He has a very natural writing style, very conversational, and at the same time very poetic.  He writes like a person who enjoys writing, and like a person who enjoys reading the writings of others.  I think this is, for me, one of the reasons I so enjoy reading his books, because it's a small connection (not that I think I write as well as The Donald...).  Relating to the audience is the author's primary task, and I think most people can and do relate to the questions Don Miller writes about, the struggles that define his life.  He describes in his writings how he grew up a Christian culturally, but didn't like it.  He talks about deciding to walk away from God, about seeing God as a slot machine that grants wishes, and many other anecdotes that bring a sense of both the mundane normalcy and the sublime to his conversations with the reader.

I'm currently reading a re-write of his first book, Through Painted Deserts. So far I would only recommend this book to someone who loves Don's other books and is looking for a less deep, much more roundabout discussion of the issues he presents in Blue Like Jazz.  Through Painted Deserts is, as I see it, less about faith and more about Donald Miler; it is very much a memoir of a time in his life.  Still, there are some glimpses of the deep sense of who-Don-is-as-a-Seeker, and I am enjoying reading this little re-write.

Don Miller's other book that I've read is sort of a follow up to Blue Like Jazz and it's called Searching for God Knows What.  In this book there's definitely a more refined presentation, easier to follow, and at times it seems that Don Miller has backed away from (or at least clarified) some of his more controversial theological positions (from Blue Like Jazz).  I also really enjoyed this book, arguably even more than BLJ, but I think if you're only going to read one book by Donald Miller it should be Blue Like Jazz.

For more info on Don Miller check out his website at donaldmillerwords.com or read his blog at donmilleris.com.

A friend of mine is a performer and he is doing a live show based on this book in Toronto this weekend! Here is his website http://www.jasonhildebrand.com/

If my wife and I can find babysitting, we will be there.

Details: Sunday September 7, 2008

Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Location: Creative Soul Cafe

602 Queen Street West (above Mac Fab), Toronto

Click here for a trailer for the performance.

Here is a description of the show:

Blue Like Jazz // Live is a solo theatrical multimedia performance based on acclaimed post-modern author, Donald Miller's book. It is a personal, raw and humorous reflection on spirituality, God, and community. It is an honest and unexpected journey - a scrapbook of one man's life.

The performance incorporates the use of video and motion graphics projected onto a 12'x7' video screen backdrop. It also features an original jazz music soundscape.

The purpose of Blue Like Jazz // Live, besides being an amazing theatrical experience, is to be a catalyst for drawing people into a deeper exploration of the soul and to foster community.

Adaptation and performance by Jason Hildebrand
Video and motion graphics designed by Storystream Creative
Original jazz music soundscape designed by Paul Neufeld

Admission: Pay-What-You-Can

I hope to see you there!

i have been reading blue like jazz recently, and i like it.  i haven't finished it yet, but i have just a couple more chapters to go.  miller's styleis mostly unpretentious, often humorous, and very honest.  i don't agree with everything he says, but then i also don't agree with everything my mom and dad say.  he made three homonym errors and one sentence had me saying "what the crap is that supposed to mean?," so i wondered for a little while if he needed a good copy editor.  but then i remembered that he wrote this book way back in '03, so he's probably mastered tricky things like homonyms in the intervening five years.  but just so you know, mr. miller, i'm good with things like homonyms.  but anyway.

i was a bit disappointed when i found out that he isn't bald.  not that i thought he was old as the hills and therefore losing his hair or anything, but he just ... sounded bald.  you know, like phil dalhausser, the "thin beast."  the trendy kind of bald.  he also reminds me of this writer fellow i know (who also has a lot of hair).  it gets kind of creepy after 240 pages, hearing a voice in your head that is definitely not your own reading this weird and kind of whimsical book about Christian spirituality and life and cartoons.

but telling you that i "like" miller's book isn't really telling you much, now, is it?  so here's what i like about it, more specifically.

he talks a lot about self-addiction.  in the chapter on community he describes his first experience with living with other guys after six years of living alone, and all the conflicts that occurred because he was used to the universe revolving around him. 

life was a story about me because i was in every scene.  in fact, i was the only one in every scene.  i was everywhere i went.  if somebody walked into my scene, it would frustrate me because they were disrupting the general theme of the play, namely my comfort or glory.  other people were flat characters in my movie, lifeless characters.  sometimes i would have scenes with them, dialogue, and they would speak their lines, and i would speak mine.  but the movie, the grand movie stretching from adam to the antichrist, was about me.  i wouldn't have told you that at the time, but that is the way i lived. -- donald miller, blue like jazz, pg. 180

i read that and was like, holy crap, that's me exactly.  and not in an excited way.  through this year God has been showing me that i have to learn to live outside of myself, that there's no way i really can live if the person i'm wrapped up in and always thinking about is me.  and for a long time it has been.  because of my self-centered attitude i've screwed some relationships up pretty badly (whether those people know it or not -- sometimes it's just a heart screwed-upness that threatens to come out in my actions).  other relationships that have developed in a somewhat better way recently leave me wondering whether i love these people for who they are, fallen beings made beautiful by Christ, or if i love them because they seem to like me and i feel happy when i'm around them.

and seriously, what the heck kind of friendship is that? 

it kind of sucks for a while when you realize that you're a totally self-absorbed being.  my tendency is to become introspective and root around in my heart for a while until i find something tender and then just sit and mope and think about what a failure and fake i am.  but this, you know, just feeds more into the self-absorbed thing. 

another thing i've been thinking about is passion.  God is a passionate Being.  did you know that?  He is passionate about people, passionate about His Bride, the Church, passionate about His glory.  and He created us to be passionate, too.  part of overcoming self-absorption, i think, is becoming passionate about Christ's message and about His love.  well, duh, that's more like all of it, really.  but the whole idea is caring about something and Someone bigger than yourself.  and that is hard at first, getting out of the me-rut.  i think it's an instance where you just sort of have to throw yourself into reading the Word and serving and loving other people. 

if you actually want to read a review of blue like jazz, check out this other writer fellow.

but, there have been a number of recent events that have reminded me of the importance of giving. particularly to anyone who considers themselves to be a follower of Christ.

my introduction to blood:water

last winter i had the fortune of attending a christopher williams concert. he's an incredible musician who makes a trip to our neck of the woods at least once a year. what he can do with a single drum is incredible.

i always appreciate musicians who share about their own faith between songs. christopher williams is one of these musicians. at one point during his performance, still beating his drum, eyes closed, he began sharing with us a bit about a program some of his friends had started. his friends just so happened to be the band jars of clay (one of my favorites, by the way, with lyrics deep enough to swim in). the program they started up was called blood:water mission. he explained how, during a trip to Africa, the band had experienced the local people's overwhelming need for clean water. how they routinely walked miles and miles on end, each day, just for clean water. the kind of clean water that flows freely from my faucet (if they're lucky), the clean water i take for granted every single day.

he went on to describe how the goal of this program was to put clean water in place for such people, eliminating the need for such rigorous daily trips. defending against disease that comes from unsanitary water conditions. and then he punched me in the stomach. not literally, but close.

he had this to say:

"for every $1 donated to the blood:water mission, one year's worth of clean water will be provided to someone in need."

my own purchases in terms of clean water

i couldn't believe it. and i still have trouble with it, to be honest. $1 means so very little to me, and yet it could do so very much through this program. and then i began putting this into terms of my own purchases. for instance, for every $3 latte i purchase, without thinking twice about it for that matter, i could be providing clean water for someone for three years. incredible.

and i don't say this to guilt anyone, except, perhaps, myself. rather, i tell you this to explain how this information affected me, and how it continues to affect me.

not long ago i was visiting a good friend of mine, ryan, and we were chatting over coffee. the $3 coffee in hand sparked this memory, and i shared the story of the blood:water mission with him, and how incredibly selfish i felt for enjoying a latte that could just as easily have provided clean water to someone desperately in need. i also explained how i had began thinking of my own purchases in terms of potential clean water for those in need.

he then told me about the bowling alley that sat a few stories above our heads, and how the cost to play one hour's worth of bowling there could provide a group of 75 people with clean water for an entire year. or clean water for one person's entire life. and it was at that point that i began feeling sick. sick of a world that turns such a blind eye to others' pain. and a world i've become so accustomed to.

riding for clean water

after a few months, though, the brutal truth of this point soon faded amongst life's busyness.

thankfully, it was again brought to my attention when i heard of a bicycle ride across the united states to raise awareness for the blood:water mission. among a number of other riders was don miller, author of the book blue like jazz and another good friend of the band jars of clay. (to those unfamiliar with the book blue like jazz, i strongly encourage you read it. in fact, go get it now, read it, and then come back. i'll wait). done? good. great book, huh? this book has changed the way i look at my relationship with Jesus Christ. it also changed my perception of what it looks like to be a Christian in a world so full of pain, and a culture that tries so hard to paint politics and religion in shades of white and black, when more often that not their true colors shine forth in shades of gray.

don developed a blog devoted to sharing with readers everywhere stories from the road (although they've since finished the ride, you can read about the ride here). check it out, there are some great stories of people touched by this mission, including a woman who, when told about the purpose of their mission, decided to give $20 to blood:water. don later found out this same woman had just had her car repossessed earlier that day.

Christianity and charity: common-sensical giving

i am so thankful i decided to attend that concert last winter. it brought more than just good music to my soul. it brought a reminder that there are needs in this world outside my own. my selfish heart and desires often consume this reality, and it was a crucial reminder for me.

many years ago i remember reading something CS Lewis wrote on the topic of Christian giving, something that has stuck with me ever since.

he wrote, "if our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, i should say they are too small. there ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charities expenditure excludes them." (Mere Christianity, p. 86)

oh, if that were only the case for my life! alas, it is not. in fact, it is far from the truth. so far, in fact, that the opposite is true: there are charities i would very much like to give to, charities with needs of critical importance, yet my own selfish desires and corresponding expenditures do not allow me to do so.

and yet, the culture we live in tells me i am 'normal.' it is perfectly acceptable to spend more on coffee in a given month than what i spend on providing clean water, warm meals or educational supplies for those in need.

but what does that do for our testimony? what does this lifestyle tell those friends, family members and co-workers who we so desire to taste and see that God is good when we do not honor Him with our giving? when we simply pass by those in need on the opposite side of the road? when we fail to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak?

oh, how many times i have felt like that rich young man who approached Jesus and was confronted by his attachment to material wealth! for, if we were only to see clearly how rich and how deep the glory of God is, and how much a relationship with Him is worth (it is immeasurably more valuable than anything else this world has to offer), then how shoddy and how worthless our material wealth would seem, and how common-sensical it would be to take every opportunity we have to give it up to help others. to show those in need the love of Christ in a very real way. to be His hands and His feet.

Lack of funding.  They need another $2.8 million to complete the project.

It's actually a funny interview- what with Steve Taylor and Donald Miller involved.  The target audience of the movie doesn't have the money to invest.  And those who do have the money have never heard of the book.

I like this part:

Both men say they won't invest any of their own money into the project.

"Writers don't make much money anyway," laughs Miller. "Like Obama says, it's above my pay grade."

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Angst Personified"][/caption]

Taylor took out a sizeable loan against his home to help make The Second Chance a few years ago, and says he'll never do it again.

"I should have called that move The Second Mortgage," he says. "I made a deal with my wife back then that we'd only use that strategy once."

Miller and Taylor both say they're sure the film will get made.

"I'm convinced it's going to happen," says Miller.

Asked if there was any chance the project will die, Taylor quipped, "Not unless I die first." But when pressed for a timetable, he added, "Are you pre- or post-millennial?"

Seriously...when I saw Donald Miller praying at the DNC, all I could think about at first is how slim that dude looks.  Then I started putting it all together.  The guy's a genius.  Way to go D-man!!!

Donald and Barack Exchange E-mails

Here’s video from that night along with text of the prayer.

“Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Hep us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen.”

Note that there is a rather remarkable lack of theological content here-- which is unsurprising, since Miller's book essentially denies the propositional nature of the Bible. Note how man-centered it is. And note that, until the closing, there is no mention of Jesus Christ at all.

In other words, take out one line at the end and this could be a prayer to pretty much any deity ever conceived. Which, unfortunately, confirms some of my greatest concerns about Miller's theology (or lack thereof, as it were).

I want to say right away that I am grateful for such dialogue. It rarely hurts to have a talk, unless one can discern with certainty that you are being used in such discussions to manipulate perception on certain issues. While some have accused Obama of political expediency in his attention to Evangelicals, only seeking to win a few such votes when the Republican brand has disappointed many in this constituency, I am not going to make a definitive judgment on Obama's motives.

Anyhow, Cameron Strang was invited to pray at the DNC, and one he found out it would be on opening night before a nationally televised audience, he had second thoughts and refrained. You can read his blog about the whole thing (http://relevantmagazine.com/releblog/cameronsqa/why-i-accepted%e2%80%94and-then-declined%e2%80%94an-invitation-to-pray-at-the-dnc/).

While I understand Strang's choice to opt out of such a prayer, I do wish he would have given it more thought before he agreed. He did admit that he was humbled at being asked and perhaps generated an automated "Yes....yeah, that would be awesome". While I commend the wisdom of refraining from such a prayer, I wonder why Don Miller (author of "Blue Like Jazz") wouldn't heed the same caution Cameron exhibited. I realize Cameron was in a bind and felt some obligation to refer someone who would fill his post, but apparently he must have known that Don Miller wouldn't have the same reservations...that troubles me and I wish Don Miller would have refrained from such a prayer.

On another point, I appreciate Cameron switching his affiliation from Republican to Independent. I made such a switch several years ago precisely because of some of the reasons listed by Cameron. I would say that Christians should be "trans-partisan" (above it), and asses both parties in light of the values that one feels to be best reflected by the candidates running for office, irregradless of party affiliation. Having said that, I did support Mike Huckabee...even financially, because he best represented the "wholistic pro-life" position I hold, which not only embodies the protection of life in the womb, but beyond the womb as well. I care deeply about quality of life, accessible health care beyond mere delivery, an overhaul of the adoption process, protection for the elderly, opposition to systemic poverty as a result of government corruption, etc.

I care deeply about life in all aspects and am also assessing each presidential candidate. I am leaning heavily towards one at the moment. Anyhow, even if Mike Huckabee had been the Republican candidate and invited me to pray at the convention, I would decline precisely because I would not want to give the perception that I speak and pray for all Christians. While I may support that candidate, I would avoid platforms that would perpetuate the perception that Jesus is a Republican. Having said that, I would gladly accept an invitation to pray at the Inauguration as I would feel compelled to pray for the civil magistrate, as all Christians are called to do. I would also gladly serve as a chaplain or guest pray at the congress or Senate, for my presence would be as a man only captive to God and not any particular political party. I would best represent Christ in such a setting.

Thanks for watching and listening!