so seriously...

posted on: april 3, 2006

i have been reading a little rob bell lately...
i think he's a pretty good speaker and he writes just like he speaks. therefore, i like his writing. some people are annoyed by it. one sentence statements followed by a space and then another thought. i guess i could see how people might get annoyed, especially those that are good writers. i'm not a good writer so again, i quite enjoy his writing. besides, he wears cool glasses!

he's written a book called "velvet elvis" where he posits that we should reimagine the christian faith.
basically he's saying that God spoke...and the rest is commentary. i think that's pretty good advice really. we trust and put our faith in god and the fact that he has revealed himself to humanity, not in any tradition or its interpretation of how god has revealed himself. there may be ways in which we've missed the point in the past, and it's our job as followers of jesus to continue to wrestle with and interpret how god has revealed himself.
can i share one of my challenges? for a long time i have wondered what god was going to do with my life. i have always felt that there was more. i certainly don't mean to say i am "the shit" or anything like that, because if you actually know me you would know that i have a laundry list just like everybody else. i would watch people who were having "success" in ministry whether they were teachers or worship leaders and often times think "i could totally do that!" maybe not exactly like that specific person, but i could do it as well them! i think i know what i am good at and i know what i am not good at...and i have long wondered when god would give me my "break" and really use me to reach my generation in a way that challenged them/us to actually follow jesus.
back to rob bell. he talks about this crazy idea that he used to believe which was that if the church got bigger and more successful, then it would get "easier". more money in the budget to do cool stuff and hire more people to help with the load. then he said something that floored me! "if the church gets bigger, it won't be easier...i will still have the same issues that i've always had but now everything will be multiplied"
i've got issues! i have control issues. i have communication issues. i probably have trust issues. i struggle with hugs/touch. and i don't encourage people well. maybe god is actually sparing me. can you imagine if these things were multiplied? maybe god in his sovereignty is doing me a favor by not giving me the "break" that i think i am waiting for. maybe this road is not for me.
did i mention i like rob bell.
next time i'll blog about people in life who seem to speak quietly, but are heard above the rest of the crowd...maybe these people have walked the long hard road of the soul and are living from such a different place than the rest of us that they...