I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn’t resolve. But that was before any of this happened.

Such is the Author’s Note at the beginning of Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller. Excellent book, one that’s hard to put down, and when you do have to, you can’t wait to pick it up again. This book isn’t just for Christians, either, but to anyone dealing with issues of faith and its relevancy in today’s world, anyone who’s striving to find purpose and direction in life.

In a nutshell, Blue Like Jazz is a autobiographical account of Miller’s spiritual journey, his growth towards Christian spiritually. As he takes us down this road, he pulls no punches, being blatantly honest about who he was and who he is becoming. He’s very human and honest in his accounts, sharing how each of them has shaped his beliefs and who he is. He talks about drinking, cussing and other subjects that many Christian authors consider taboo and doesn’t try to paint himself as a saint or someone with all the answers. He’s not hiding his doubts or covering up the fact that he has questions and issues about faith and God, just like the rest of us do. His writing will resonate with anyone who has struggled with the contradictions and issues of faith.

For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained. Christianity, unlike Christian spirituality, was not a term that excited me. And I could not in good conscious tell a friend about a faith that didn’t excite me. I couldn’t share something I wasn’t experiencing, And I wasn’t experiencing Christianity. It didn’t do anything for me at all. It felt like math, like a system of rights and wrongs and political beliefs, but it wasn’t mysterious; it wasn’t God reaching out of heaven to do wonderful things in my life. And if I would have shared Christianity with somebody, it would have felt mostly like I was trying to get somebody to agree with me rather than meet God. I could no longer share anything about Christianity, but I loved talking about Jesus and the spirituality that goes along with a relationship with him.

The book is written with a conversational tone, and you get to know the author, his friends, and others that are introduced throughout the book in such a way that you can relate to them, often deeply. For example, there’s a brief mention (maybe two paragraphs) of a park ranger in one of the chapters, and though his time in the grand scheme of the book is short, this is one of the characters to which I can relate the most. I actually feel for the guy and his plight touches my heart, though I barely know him.. These sentiments are as much a result of Miller’s writing style as they are from the actual purpose and meaning behind the stories he shares.

This is, without a doubt, a quote worthy book. I wasn’t but a couple pages into it when I started marking insightful and deep passages that hit home with me. I’ve already shared some of these quotes and I’ll put up more soon. I’ve actually got a whole other post centered around a couple of these quotes that will most likely be up within the week.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I’m giving it a strong “A” and I’m definitely looking froward to reading his other books - Searching for God Knows What and Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance (which is being re-released as Through Painted Deserts : Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road later this year.)

More editorial and customer reviews are available at amazon.com

Also, be sure to read this interview with Donald Miller by Dick Staub. (Thanks to Glenn for the link.)