Thoughts about Blue Like Jazz

So, this week I finally started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. My husband kept talking about how good it was, and it is part of my quest this summer to read some "good, enlightening non-fiction". I read all the time, but usually novels, and many times the chick lit kind. Anyway, I am really enjoying Blue Like Jazz so far. This guy seems to be the same "kind" of Christian I am, if that makes any sense. Are there different kinds of Christians? Yes, I guess there are. Does God want there to be different kinds of Christians? That's an interesting question. I don't suppose he would want us all to be the same. He gave us all different brains after all. I love and respect my friends that have different ideas about Christianity than I do, and I hope they do the same for me.
One of the things that I hope sets Christians apart is our desire to do good. I hope that as Christians we seek to change lives by being obedient to God by serving and being a voice for those who cannot do for themselves. I am a big talker about being aware of the atrocities going on the world around us and the needs in our own backyard, but I often fail to put all that talk into action. I felt like Donald Miller was writing about my life when he said:

"I talk about love, forgiveness, social justice; I rage against American materialism in the name of altruism, but have I even controlled my own heart? The overwhelming majority of time I spend thinking about myself,pleasing myself, reassuring myself, and when I am done, there is nothing to spare for the needy. Six billion people live in this world, and I can only muster thoughts for one. Me." (Blue Like Jazz, p. 22)