Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Blue Like Jazz

This summer I have completely turned into a bookworm...and I'm proud of it! Over the course of my 4 years in college, I could count on one hand how many books I read for leisure. After Josh and I married, I decided that this summer I would read, read, read! So far, I've fulfilled my expectation and have read several amazing books and am in the process of finishing up three more.

For those of you who have already read Blue Like Jazz, or at least heard of it, you're probably thinking 'Wow, she is just now reading this?' Well, yes, that's correct. Josh read it a few years ago and it has been sitting in our bookcase catching my eye. I picked up a week ago and could not put it down. I took it everywhere with me, to the gym, Barnes & Noble, doing laundry, etc... I finished it last night and God really spoke to me through this book, to the point of tears. I am a HUGE "highlighter"-meaning, I underline or highlight anything I like. If you go through my Bible or any of the books I own, you'll find pen marks all through it! After I finish a book, I go through and read everything I highlight, just to kinda 'refresh' my memory of what stood out to me from the book. I decided to share with you some of the things I underlined in the book. If you've already read the book, let these words 'refresh' your spirit or if you have never heard of this book, let it inspire you to dig deeper in your faith and love others in a more real way. Enjoy!

"I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze."

"I started wondering why we have to train kids at all. I wondered if I ever had a couple of kids and I trained one of them, taught him right from wrong, and the other I didn't train at all, I wonder which would be the better kid.
"The kid you teach right from wrong, of course" (replied from his friend)
"Of course, but that really should tell us something about the human condition. We have to be taught to be good. It doesn't come completely natural. In my mind, that's a flaw in the human condition."

"There is a time when every person who encounters Jesus decides that they will spend their life following Him. Some people, like the Apostle John, make this decision the minute they meet Him, the minute they become a Christian. Others, like the Apostley Peter, endure years of half-hearted commitment and spiritual confusion before leaping in with all their passion. Still others may enjoy some benefits of God's love and grace without entereing into the true joy of marriage with their maker."

"Ravi Zacharias says that what the heart is really belonging to do is worship, to stand in awe of a God we don't understand and can't explain."

"And so I have come to understand that strength, inner strength, comes from receiving love as much as it comes from giving it...God's love will never change us if we don't accept it."

"I was watching BET one night, and they were interviewing a man about jazz music. He said jazz music was invented by the first generation out of slavery. I thought that was beautiful because, while it is music, it is very hard to put on paper; it is os much more a language of the soul. It is as if the soul is saying, something about freedom. I think Christian spirituality is like jazz music. I think loving is something you feel. I think loving Jesus is something you feel. I think it is something very difficult to get on paper. But it's no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful."


2 comments:

bunnytrails said...

Wow! I have not read that book, but sounds like I should. Maybe God gave you this period of down time to read and "soak" in Him before your job begins. Consisder it a very special time!Also, I saw your comment on my blog and we are
officially open at our booth, Not all of the vendors are ready yet, so Palazzo will wait to have the big Grand Opening when everyone is set up.I will post more pics as it grow! love you!

mary said...

Thanks for the book review. I haven't read it, but I will now. I'm so glad you've taken advantage of this time to read. Books are like friends and you will never be lonely or bored if you have a good one!