It has been brought to my attention that more people are reading this blog at this point than I ever thought would.. so excuse me if I suffer from a little bit of literary stage fright. There's something kind of crazy about exposing this part of my mind, one that has been only mine for so long.
Well, I started reading Donald Miller's newest book yesterday, and most of my family and friends know what happens to me when I read his books. His writing really gets down to my core in a way that honestly no one else's does and opens the deepest part of me more quickly than just about any other linguist, and as a lover of words I'd call that quite a feat. I think I read his most popular piece Blue Like Jazz at the beginning of last year and it opened to my eyes to a concept of relational religion that I don't think I had ever understood before. Christianity had previously started seeming trite and exclusive, a concept that my occasionally hippie-ish mind didn't really want to associate with at the time. I grasped onto somewhat outlandish philosophies, (my Aunt Mel will remember the "no water baptism and no college" phase) in an effort to find a system of believing that was uniquely my own, more real to me. However I still hadn't found what I was looking for.
Reading Blue Like Jazz however inspired me to have this self-addressed thought, "Crosby, it is not now nor has it ever been Jesus that is broken." Talk about conviction! I was placing all my stereo-typical cynical thoughts about the few judgmental "churchy" people I had experienced onto my precious undeserving Jesus, the only guy in history who radically loved the most dirty, messed-up people around!
It was then I understood, "Chrisitanity" the religion the world has come to know may be greedy, legalistic, and uppity; however, the Jesus Christ I know to be true is not a list of archaic theology or rules, he is not the offering bucket being passed around on Sunday mornings, and most importantly he is NOT exclusive... he is a real being obsessed with his crazy love for his dirty and collectively messed-up humanity.
...and that is what is inspirational to me today.
Saying that the picture connects to my writing today would be a bit of a stretch, it's just one of my favorite bands Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros... I thought it was a cool picture :]
Crosby, you are going to get sick of me commenting, but I just want to encourage you to keep writing, keep thinking, keep asking questions, and keep looking at the REAL Jesus in the Word. Love it. period.
ReplyDeleteoh I will never get tired of it I promise! thank you so so so much for your encouragement grace! it means the world to me :] i still am so surprised that people are reading these.. writing's such a blessing for me!
ReplyDeleteYour Insights come from such a cool place in you... I am so proud of you..
ReplyDeleteI wait with anticipation for the next one.. right on...or "write on!!"