Before Blue Like Jazz

So for everyone who has read and enjoyed Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What the time has arrived. Donald Miller has written a new book. It's called Through Painted Deserts. Relevant magazine has an interview with Donald Miller about the new book that is pretty interesting. When asked about why he finds his faith more full outside of the "church property" (his faith grew the most when hanging out with "party guys in Oregon") he had the following to say:

See, the pressure to be a certain kind of person in the context of the church culture I was living in was intense. When the pressure was taken off and I was surrounded by people who would describe themselves as pagans, there was suddenly no pressure for me to perform or be like anything. They didn't care, and that allowed my faith to grow for real.

I fully resonate with that thought. Not to say that any of my "Christian" experiences as of yet have not shaped me into the person that I am, but when you are confident in your faith, there is a certain freedom that comes from being with people you can really dialogue with. At least that's what I've learned so far! And therein, is the reason for growth...