July 11th, 2007 Summer Bible Study - Blue Like Jazz

Hot like Jazz was more descriptive of the day. Matt and Nancy's hospitality for our potluck and book discussion on Blue Like Jazz: Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality was appreciated by all while we tried to stay cool in the downstairs area of their house.

The potluck definitely became an antidote to the heat with salads, melons and lemon squares. The pleasant discussion over the meal was about summer activities and plans.

We started our talk on the book with stories of our childhood experiences with church and God. It ran from those for whom church was a central activity, those who were pastor's kids to people who had no church in their childhood.

We read a chapter from the book about Don Miller's struggle to accept God's grace and answered a question about sympathy versus compassion. It became obvious we were not that much more comfortable with the sympathy/compassion difference. Pastor Mark talked about sympathy coming from a place where a person who might be helped and the person who might provide the help were not on an equal footing and that with compassion helpers and helped were coming from a place of equal footing.

After that the talk felt very self-conscious. When we talked about our work ethic getting in the way of wanting to be helped, there was a shadow judgment that seemed implicit for those whom that is not the case. Pastor Dayle brought up how, for many in the congregation, financial difficulties came with life events like illness, divorce, and unexpected loss of job or death. We talked about how hard it was to accept potentially not being in control of our future due to such circumstances.

As we moved from concern to concern the God given spiritual gifts Pastor Mark talked about the Sunday before last entered my mind. There was intensity, a desire to walk the walk God intends for us that animated everyone present. I wasn't precisely sure which gifts this intensity falls under from the list but I was grateful to be talking to these people.

Everybody appreciated the book that inspired this conversation and the planning that went into making the evening possible.