Today I found a cool quote from a cool guy named Don Miller. If you don't know him, he's a fantastic writer who has written some great stuff like Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in A Thousand Years, and now runs a REALLY great site called the Storyline Blog. He writes of God's love in real terms, and he's not afraid to be controversial- which is something I like and don't like. I was reading one of his articles that could be considered controversial, but within it, I found a beautiful truth, like a nice little nugget of wisdom.
"I’ve also found that the more I trust in Christ’s redemption to be sufficient, the less overtly religious I am. And, quite honestly, the more suspect overtly religious people become to me. When I’m with somebody who talks zealously about faith, about Jesus, about the Bible, after a while, I find myself wondering whether or not their faith is strong at all. For instance, if I were with somebody who kept talking about how much they loved their wife, going on loudly and profusely, intuitively I would wonder whether or not they were struggling in their marriage. I would wonder whether they were trying to convince me they loved their wife, or if they were trying to convince themselves. (Now that I think of it, though, some of my favorite people talk about how much they love their wives, but these are less public proclamations and more sighs of appreciation.) Faith in Christ, for me, is similar. It’s intimate. I’m more comfortable giving quiet prayers, intimate prayers. Often alone, in fact. I speak of faith the way I speak of personal matters. Of course there is a time for proclamations, but that’s the key, isn’t it? There’s a time. Anyway, I love that the New Testament is mostly intimate letters written to small groups of people who met in homes. I like the quiet authenticity of our faith."
(from relevant magazine.com)
I've said it before, but I am immensely thankful for writers and storytellers and just normal people who share the most beautiful truths in the most honest ways. They say and write things in a way that I can think, but can never find the words to express. I can't add anything to these words, so I'll just echo them. Thanks, Don Miller.
"I’ve also found that the more I trust in Christ’s redemption to be sufficient, the less overtly religious I am. And, quite honestly, the more suspect overtly religious people become to me. When I’m with somebody who talks zealously about faith, about Jesus, about the Bible, after a while, I find myself wondering whether or not their faith is strong at all. For instance, if I were with somebody who kept talking about how much they loved their wife, going on loudly and profusely, intuitively I would wonder whether or not they were struggling in their marriage. I would wonder whether they were trying to convince me they loved their wife, or if they were trying to convince themselves. (Now that I think of it, though, some of my favorite people talk about how much they love their wives, but these are less public proclamations and more sighs of appreciation.) Faith in Christ, for me, is similar. It’s intimate. I’m more comfortable giving quiet prayers, intimate prayers. Often alone, in fact. I speak of faith the way I speak of personal matters. Of course there is a time for proclamations, but that’s the key, isn’t it? There’s a time. Anyway, I love that the New Testament is mostly intimate letters written to small groups of people who met in homes. I like the quiet authenticity of our faith."
(from relevant magazine.com)
I've said it before, but I am immensely thankful for writers and storytellers and just normal people who share the most beautiful truths in the most honest ways. They say and write things in a way that I can think, but can never find the words to express. I can't add anything to these words, so I'll just echo them. Thanks, Don Miller.