I feel like Don Miller concludes his book very much in the same fashion that he started it with.  Throughout the whole book, he questions his faith and seems to doubt his and others true relationship with Jesus.  It was not until the very end that we see Miller truly become a lover of God.  "I don't find anyone more noble than Jesus.  He gave His life for me, in obedience to His fathe.  I truly love him for it."  Miller has become a great role model for me in searching for the true meaning of my faith and being accepting of those who may irritate you based on their religion or beliefs.

My favorite part in the whole book is the last page where he compares Christianity to jazz music.   "I think loving Jesus is something you feel.  I think it is something very difficult to get on paper.  But it is no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful.  I thought that was great. This is very similar everything I have learned from these two classes this year.  I have learned that you can not sum up God in a couple sentences.  Or Christianity.  Or Justice.  REligion is not something that is, in its entirety, written in stone.  It has to come from the heart.  Of course, reading the Bible and studying texts is very important to arriving at your belief, but in the end your faith and your love for God must come from the heart.  One it comes from the heart, it becomes so much more intimate, so much more important, and so much more personal.

Project Update

My project has slightly changed by redirecting my focus towards the homeless situation in Nashville and the people of the community's views and ideas of what njustices lead to being homeless.  I still plan on going downtown to interact first hand with people walking around and the homless.  I plan on doing an interactive powerpoint with pictures and sound clips from my experiences.

The last part of BReathing Space seemed to have a dark tone towards the beginning.  It was due to the combination of Heidi's lack of faith in the foundation of the church and the fact that she kept listing the names of many faithful church goers that had died for multiple causes.  However later in the chapter she lifts the spirits of the reader back up through the victories of life that she has seen uplifted after periods of great struggle and much pain.  Stories of Angie, Ben, Burnice, Nikia and her kids were very inspiring. 

The first thing that struck me as I read the last section of the book was the idea of burning patience.  "Only with a burning patience can we conquer the splendid city which will give light, justice, and dignity to all."  I think this is a message that can go way beyond the conquering of a fallen city.  I think this can translate into everyone's life.  I struggle with patience everyday.  Waiting in the sandwich line in the caf, patience in dealing with the daily stresses that this final project may bring, and patience with many people's actions that I see and disapprove of everyday.  However simplistic and unimportant these may seem when compared to the patience Heidi must have to endure, it still remains relevant.  Everybody in our world today is always in such a rush.  Everybody is in competition to succeed greater then those around them.  I think we've lost a sense of patience to let things unfold how they may, but at the same time striving to bring about the best in our lives an those around us.  "Burning patience" is a good way to put it because impatience always seems to overrule.  Even though Heidi admits that her patience runs thin very often, I think it is her patience that I am most inspired by in the book.  The daily stresses of struggles with the actual church building itself, the money issues, the deaths she witnesses, the tears she shed, the great people she lost.  Amidst all this Heidi is patient and knows that  justice will be victorious.  I really liked how the last portion of her book was called And Still We Rise.  This sums up Heidi's incredible optimism and how ones life can be at the very bottom of the well, but still we can rise.  It only takes some faith, the help of loved ones, and the passion to better oneself so we can live to see tomorrow.