b.l.j.

My book club crashed and burned, but I remember I wanted to put some quotes here from Blue Like Jazz…the book reads like a great blog, minus fotos…

“A beggar’s kingdom is better than a proud man’s delusion.”

“Believing in God is as much like falling in love as it is like making a decision. Love is both something that happens to you and something you decide.”

All of chapter 11…my favorite. If you don’t want to read the whole book, read chapter 11. Borrow it or something. It starts out as “LOL” funny and ends up very deep.

“We learn that we are loveable or unlovable from other people. That’s why God tells us so many times to love each other.”

“If it’s wrong for me to receive love, then it’s also wrong for me to give it because by giving it I’m causing somebody else to receive it, which I had presupposed was the wrong thing to do.”

“What metaphors do we use when we think of relationships? We value, invest in them; relationships could be bankrupt. People are priceless. All economic metaphor. The problem with Christian culture is we think of love as a commodity. We use it like money. Here is something very simple about relationships. Nobody will listen to you unless they sense that you like them.”

“More and more, grace didn’t seem like the think I as looking for. It was too easy. I wanted to feel as thought I earned my forgiveness, as though God and I were buddies doing favors for each other.” Can I get an “Amen!”?

If I can’t accept God’s love, I can’t love Him in return and I can’t obey Him. Self-discipline won’t ever make us feel righteous or clean; accepting God’s love will. THE ABILITY TO ACCEPT GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL GRACE AND FEROCIOUS LOVE IS ALL THE FUEL WE NEED O OBEY HIM IN RETURN.”

“Accepting God’s free love and kindness is the thing Satan doesn’t want us to do. If we hear a voice saying we are failures, we’re losers, we’ll never amount to anything, that’ Satan trying to convince the Bride that the Groom doesn’t love her. That’s NOT the voice of God. GOD WOOS US WITH KINDNESS. HE CHANGES OUR CHARACTER WITH THE PASSION OF HIS LOVE.”

“And wonder is that feeling we get when we let go of our silly answers our mapped out rules that we want God to follow. I don’t think there is any better worship than wonder.”

Just buy the book. The poor guy would really appreciate your honest purchase. Read the book and you’ll understand why.