Reddit reviews Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

I would recommend reading Blue Like Jazz
or Take This Bread they each are amazing books and both authors go through similar struggles that you described.

Read this!

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Like-Jazz-Nonreligious-Spirituality/dp/0785263705

I feel like such a douche, this is always the advice I give; but it really is a good book!

See, as a Christian this is frustrating for me. There are so many passages in the Bible that seem to conflict with one another. I generally try to see Jesus as a loving example of how to live your life, and I try to use him as a guide for my actions. Also, bear in mind that the Bible as a whole was written during a time in which society considered stoning a normal punishment for adulterers and it wasn't unusual for a father to sell his children into slavery. I'd like to think that many aspects of the Bible can now be rendered obsolete, simply because society has progressed so far.

I honestly think that people idealize Jesus in their own ways. Donald Miller's book Blue Like Jazz really paints Jesus in a portrait that suits me personally.

Blue Like Jazz was all the rage when I was in high school.

From the perspective of someone who wants to explore real Christian spirituality and communion, minus all the drama and bullshit that comes with using all the grey areas of the Bible to dominate your theology, I would highly recommend you find Blue Like Jazz. It's probably in your local library.

I can't believe no one has put this one up yet:

“There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing. (They hang there, the stars, like notes on a page of music, free-form verse, silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz.) And as I lay there, it occurred to me that God is up there somewhere. Of course, I had always known He was, but this time I felt it, I realized it, the way a person realizes they are hungry or thirsty. The knowledge of God seeped out of my brain and into my heart. I imagined Him looking down on this earth, half angry because His beloved mankind had cheated on Him, had committed adultery, and yet hopelessly in love with her, drunk with love for her.”

Who's being silent? Maybe you're not listening.

Donald Miller has a book in which he recounts stories of when he struggled with his faith. It's a very good read.
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality