Rob Bell...

I have been looking forward to this for a very long time. I heard Rob Bell speak 3 years ago in Atlanta, GA at the National Youth Workers Convention. I still listen to the recording of his message once a month. It had a great impact on me. It still does every time I listen. There are people you just connect with, connect with their style, connect with their teaching. You appreciate their thoughts and how they can translate those thoughts into words that can move people. I long for that type of gift, but it is not in me. I have met three teachers in my life that I can say have reached out to me with their words and have made God real to me. Don't mistake the last comment, I have been touched by many people along my path that have changed my life in one way or another. These three people are extraordinary teachers to me and share their gifts with me. The first is Steve North, he opened a new world to me, a world with Jesus being more than a picture on the wall. The second is Steve Good, he continues to stretch me and change me and I can't wait to hear what is next from him. The third is Rob Bell.

Last night, we sat at the feet of our rabbi. We drove to Cleveland to hear Rob Bell. He is on the "the gods aren't angry" tour. The proceeds of the tour go to an overseas mission. Rob is a little dramatic, surprisingly funny, and amazingly deep. He walked out on stage and began to speak. "There was this cavewoman...".

Rob (if I may call him Rob for the sake of the blog) went on to tell a story about how we as humans from the beginning have felt as if we had to work to gain favor from the gods. The vicious cycle of sacrifice, favor, more sacrifice to increase favor, gods offended, more sacrifice required, and so on and so forth left the human race not knowing where they stood. He told stories of different gods and why they were worshiped and how this type of sacrificial worship is doomed to fail for us. Rob went on to talk about how the one true God changed this with His Son, the only true sacrifice. He talked about father Abraham had many sons...and many sons had father Abraham :), and as Abraham did as God asked and went up on the mountain to sacrifice his first son, Rob taught us about how our God is a god who provides.... He provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead of his son. A god who provides. A god with which you know where you stand.

Rob continued this theme though out the talk. Weaving personal stories about people in his life with truth from scripture. He landed on rituals and how over the ages we have become accustomed to rituals. We use rituals to help us understand, cope, comfort and redeem ourselves. I don't feel as if Rob was against rituals, but that we have sort of lost the understanding of why we continue to practice them over the centuries. Rob connected the ritual of sacrifice in the old testament, to the sacrifice of Jesus in the new testament, all the way to the cutting (self mutilation) of todays generation to cope with the craziness in their lives. Rob felt as if the need to cut stems from the need to sacrifice. God chose to sacrifice Jesus at the altar of the cross (Rob made altar references all evening) because we as humans could make the connection. We could find comfort in the sacrifice in some strange way. He wrapped the talk up in an amazing way, tying in that all of this is done out of love. Love wins.

There is no way I can describe the entire talk in two paragraphs. I would not want to attempt that task. Rob talked for an hour and 45 minutes without notes. Impressive! One item worth mentioning... Rob sneezed and in his words, "Twenty one cities in twenty six days and I sneeze in Cleveland. I have been fighting that since Cave woman!". He was shook for a few seconds, but his sense of humor took over and made a great recovery. I am still trying to process everything he talked about to come up with my own conclusions. I can say that it was amazing. I can say that some how I am changed. I have ideas I have never even entertained in my mind. That notion excites me tremendously. I am sure there will be another blog to put down my thoughts, but not tonight. I am still soaking in one of the best talks I have ever heard in my life. I sit here, still covered in the dust of my rabbi. I am sure Rob Bell does not appreciate the rabbi reference, but I have been following his teaching for almost 4 years. Anxiously awaiting his next sermon, book or video. Awaiting his dust...