Schultzee Time: July 2010

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Blue Like Jazz

- "I have become an infomercial for God, and I don't even use the product."
- "I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God."
- "If we are not willing to wake up in the morning and die to ourselves, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether or not we are really following Jesus."

This is the 2nd time I've read Blue Like Jazz, the 1st was in college. I enjoy most of it because it comes from a Christian's point of view who is cynical & has not found much in the church's he has been to. The quotes above are just a few examples of epiphanies Donald Miller has had in his life during the journey of his Christian faith. Regardless of how much he wants people to change, Christians to change or the Church to change it always comes back to How HE Lives & How HE Treats Others.

Part of the book that hit me the most:
- "And that's when it hit me like so much epiphany getting dislodged from my arteries. The problem with Christian culture is we think of love as a commodity. We use it like money. ... If somebody is doing something for us, offering us something, be it gifts, time, popularity, or what have you, we feel they have value, we feel they are worth something to us ... I used love like money. The church used love like money. With love, we withheld affirmation from the people who did not agree with us, but we lavishly financed the ones who did. ... but love doesn't work like money. It is not a commodity. When we barter with it, we all lose. When the church does not love its enemies, it fuels their rage. It makes them hate us more."

I could say why I think this is so powerful but Jesus says it better than I would.
Click here to check it out: Luke 6:27-36

Monday, July 5, 2010

Arkadelphia Family Fun

Here are some other pics from our family reunion to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. It is Laurie's mom's extended family that gets together for a few days every 3 years in some remote location in the middle of who knows where. But it is on a lake & we party on jet skies, speed boats & pontoon boats so it is a good time for sure. Isaac was a big hit with the older girls as you can see.