By far, THE biggest influence on me in terms of how I think about church and ministry well, besides Jesus himself, is a man named ROB BELL! Rob is the founding pastor and teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The first time I had ever heard of Rob was from a wonderful older lady from the previous church I was at. She handed me a CD and the message on it was titled, "In The Dust Of The Rabbi." I listened to it, and was absolutely blown away by what I heard. His message was so not what I was used to. I mean adding small things like the Jewish roots of what we read in the New Testament was not something I was used to, as I usually found Jewish history very far removed from myself and the New Testament. One of the highlights during this time, was that I got to hear Rob speak in person at the National Youth Workers Convention in Dallas, TX in 2004. I sat through six hours of just him speaking about what works and what doesn't when we are these kinds of people who are meant to speak the truth of Jesus into people's lives, specifically how that truth speaks to our own life.
Rob also has this series of DVDs called Noomas which are short films in which he teaches about issues of faith, life, death, doubt, hate, etc. Wonderful and precise. I have used these in a class setting and were great discussion starters. I highly recommend checking these out. My favorites are "Bullhorn," and "Sunday." Great stuff!
So, over the years, I have been very much influenced by the way Rob thinks about and visions the church in ways that frankly, were not taught to me or even conceived in seminary, much less my experience in churches. I have this ritual that I have followed since the fall of 2004. I go to the Mars Hill website, and I download the sermon (most of them are by Rob, some aren't as they might have guest teachers) from that previous Sunday...I do all this Monday. Put it on the Ipod and listen to it as my devotional driving to and from work. Amazing stuff. His book is also incredible, and I highly recommend it to anyone who really feels disconnected and is struggling to make sense of their faith, life, and especially church. It's called "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith." Go out and buy a copy right now for yourself. You will not be disappointed at all! So, if you want, check out Mars Hill's website, and from there you can listen to Rob's teachings. He has definitively changed my life, my perspective, my faith, and my understanding of this moving, changing, evolving beautiful place we call the church.
One of my upcoming blogs in January will be sort of a re-cap of the conference I am going to at none other than Mars Hill. Should be a very cool experience for me. Definitely looking forward to seeing Mars Hill, listen to some great speakers, and get some new ideas and new energy. So, take this all for what it's worth as it all sounds like I am a Rob Bell groupie, but I know there are some of you who are really struggling right now to make sense of your own spiritual journeys, and so I know, I have been there, and am still somewhat there with you. For me, Rob Bell has been exactly the voice of reality, vision, love, intelligence, and experience that I want to listen to so that I become a better follower of Jesus and a better servant for Him. Maybe his voice is a voice that can inspire you as well.
www.mhbcmi.org
www.nooma.com
More later...
Rob also has this series of DVDs called Noomas which are short films in which he teaches about issues of faith, life, death, doubt, hate, etc. Wonderful and precise. I have used these in a class setting and were great discussion starters. I highly recommend checking these out. My favorites are "Bullhorn," and "Sunday." Great stuff!
So, over the years, I have been very much influenced by the way Rob thinks about and visions the church in ways that frankly, were not taught to me or even conceived in seminary, much less my experience in churches. I have this ritual that I have followed since the fall of 2004. I go to the Mars Hill website, and I download the sermon (most of them are by Rob, some aren't as they might have guest teachers) from that previous Sunday...I do all this Monday. Put it on the Ipod and listen to it as my devotional driving to and from work. Amazing stuff. His book is also incredible, and I highly recommend it to anyone who really feels disconnected and is struggling to make sense of their faith, life, and especially church. It's called "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith." Go out and buy a copy right now for yourself. You will not be disappointed at all! So, if you want, check out Mars Hill's website, and from there you can listen to Rob's teachings. He has definitively changed my life, my perspective, my faith, and my understanding of this moving, changing, evolving beautiful place we call the church.
One of my upcoming blogs in January will be sort of a re-cap of the conference I am going to at none other than Mars Hill. Should be a very cool experience for me. Definitely looking forward to seeing Mars Hill, listen to some great speakers, and get some new ideas and new energy. So, take this all for what it's worth as it all sounds like I am a Rob Bell groupie, but I know there are some of you who are really struggling right now to make sense of your own spiritual journeys, and so I know, I have been there, and am still somewhat there with you. For me, Rob Bell has been exactly the voice of reality, vision, love, intelligence, and experience that I want to listen to so that I become a better follower of Jesus and a better servant for Him. Maybe his voice is a voice that can inspire you as well.
www.mhbcmi.org
www.nooma.com
More later...
1 comment:
This is something I will definitely check out and can't wait to hear more about. I am struggling (and sometimes feel like I am sinking) with my spirituality and how I am feeling about it at this time in my life.
Thanks,
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