helped change my perspective

books:


	• Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith Rob Bell Zondervan, 2005 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 239 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

helped change my perspective

really enjoyed the book and have since passed it along to several other friends. some of bell's observations helped articulate concepts i had for some time. other's challenged me to re-evaluate Christ's reason for coming. . .beyond forgiveness and eternal life, but to show me how to live. highly recommend it.

Jesus the Rabbi

This is an interesting little book written by the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in MI. In general, it seems to be a collection of this pastor's deepest thoughts on a few subjects that he's wrestled with. In his wrestling, he has done some great research on some of the topics he writes about and he shares what he's learned in this book.

My favorite is where he writes about what it means for Jesus to be a rabbi during that time in history. I never quite understood why Peter & the other guy just left their fishing nets to follow Jesus. I wondered if they even knew Jesus as He came walking by. Bell clears that all up in this book and it's so interesting! It has led me to look more into the culture & history during the time that Jesus walked the earth.

I don't care much for Bell's style of writing, but when he gets right down into a topic, there's some good stuff there. I'm going to recommend reading it because it is short and contains some good information.

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Good first effort

Rob Bell, known for the set of DVD short films "NOOMA" and the leader of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, has written a very good first effort. His is very unorthodox, not in the sense of his beliefs (though I cannot attest for all of them) but in is view of tradition and a progression in the formulation of Chritisnity. An easy read and it blessed me in several areas (finding our new identity in Christ, a "non-agenda" evangelism, discipleship). I do not agree with all the ideas presented in this book but I would recommend it as a good daily reading with a bit of a twist. Remember, this is someone else's revelation so don't blindly believe it but mediatate on it and, if necessary, "eat the fish and spit out the bones".

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This book is awesome!

I have been blessed (or, at times, cursed) with rare insight myself, and am not easily impressed by others who claim to have it. Rob Bell, however, truly has a gift; and he is using it to call people back to their relationship with God. Rob uses simple analogies to show us how easy it is to connect with God, and he tells us it is okay to explore, test, and probe (think out of this culture's "norm"). Rob just gets you thinking, and he reminds us that God wants us to think about Him, and relate to Him. Practice makes perfect.

If we are ever to be able to discern God's unique message for each of us, it remains our responsibility, as individual's, to search for and connect with God's Holy Spirit that IS in each of us. Don't get hung up on the believing the "this and thats" of various, religious doctrines; get into the "believing IN" God, period; because God is love, and He loves us. Rob shows us the baby steps, toward the knowing and loving of God, that God has made available to us through the simple things in life. Okay, now I'm getting preachy.

The book is so good, and Rob does such a great job, that I must admit some skepticism. I almost wait for the other "shoe to drop" (isn't that terrible of me?). I am hoping the relatively young Rob doesn't "screw" his gifts up by reading too much into his abilities, and eventually going off the deep end with the "holier than thou", I know THE Truth, type of evangelism we are all too familiar with (and have been hurt by).

I, myself, get a "high" from reading books that, though they challenge my comprehension and suck my energy, talk in depth about concepts regarding philosophy and Christology. However, this book, while not long, philosophical, preachy, or textual, has definite impact and is invigorating! WELL worth the money! Thank you, Rob! Please, keep up the good work!

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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