Love Wins: Part 4

A final topic I want to touch on is the idea of letting God change your story. Bell focuses the final chapters of his book on the story of the prodigal son, but he goes and bit further and puts some more focus on the "non-prodigal" brother. Both have a story to tell. One is obviously not living right and knows he does not deserve the love of the father. The other thinks he’s doing all the right things but has been overlooked by his father. In both of these instances, the father tells a different story. He tells the “unworthy” son that he should be celebrated and that regardless of what he’s done, he’s loved and welcomed home. And he tells the “righteous” son he’s not a slave in his father’s house and is entitled to all that belongs to the father.

Both sons are living in their own hell. One is trapped in his own guilt and feels of worthlessness; the other has separated himself by his feelings of resentment towards the father for never “celebrating” him. But the father shows them both that they are worthy to be celebrated and that all he has belongs to them as well. He doesn’t change any of the facts of their stories, he simply changes the perspective, and it quickly moves from a state of "hell" to one of "heaven."

These are simply my thoughts on a series of complicated and controversial subjects and I don’t agree with everything Rob Bell says, but I think he makes some very valid points and I think his voice should be heard. God is described as being just, but he’s described as actually embodying love. I think his need for justice can be satisfied, and that has been accomplished through Jesus. But his thirst for love… I’m not sure that is so easily satisfied.

Love Wins: Part 3

Another idea I’ve never been able to wrap my head around is the idea of God sending billions of people to suffer immeasurable torture for the rest of eternity simply because of the decisions made in the finite years of their life. Especially those people who lived good and wholesome lives, but didn’t ever quite make that leap into “Christianity.” I’m not saying that just being good is enough, because Jesus definitely says that the only way to the Father is through him. But I don’t think that the only way to accomplish this is by saying the “sinner’s prayer” or walking to the front of a church during an alter call.

I think I’m simply admitting here that we don’t know. We don’t know that just because someone doesn’t call themselves a Christian that they aren’t living lives closer to the attributes of God than those who attend church every week and know how to talk-the-talk and even walk-the-walk in some aspects. I just can’t reconcile the idea in my mind that someone who’s only seen the ugly side of Jesus – such as someone who’s suffered abuse at the hands of a “Christian” or been told that God hates them for their imperfections – but continues to live a life that’s good and following moral principles will be forever punished for the mistakes of others. Plus, once you actually start looking, I find there’s little evidence to support this idea of eternal torment. But we’ve always been told that those who don’t “accept Jesus” will spend forever in hell. Really? Does God say that? You can make the argument that he does, but you can also disagree. Like I said, you can find a way to validate pretty much anything you want in scripture.

Another point that Rob Bell makes that I love and had never really thought about before is, “does God get what he wants?”  If God is supposed to be this all powerful, perfect being who is able to accomplish anything he desires, then how could his most powerful desire not be realized? So many times in scripture it says that God desires to bring all beings to himself. If he sets his mind to this, is he really unable to accomplish it? God never seems to leave loose ends untied, yet he’s willing to let billions and billions of people ruin his perfect plan? That doesn’t make any sense to me. If God sets out to accomplish something, I believe he has to power to accomplish it. Could God really live with himself knowing that these people that he knows intimately and loves with an intensity that we can’t understand are going to be forever separated from him? Perhaps the idea of Jesus redeeming all mankind stretches beyond the few short years we spend here on earth. I’m not saying I’m right or I have all of the answers here, but is that totally out of the question? Does God say anywhere that you’ve only got one chance at this? Is the blood of Christ not more powerful than that? I think it is.

Love Wins: Part 2

Wow, I did not mean for it to be so long between posts, but my computer has been out of commission all week and it was the only place I had this saved, so...

Now, to some actual thoughts about different topics in the book.

I’ve never agreed with the idea of merely becoming a Christian just to save yourself from hell. This book is clearly geared towards these sorts of thoughts, but I’ve always known that believing in Jesus is much more than just “fire insurance,” as many a youth pastor loves to describe it. Jesus did not come to earth and die just to keep us out of hell. But I am amazed at the number of people who honestly think like this. To them, everything Jesus did and everything they do and believe now is merely their get-out-of-jail-free card. As Rob Bell puts it, “The good news is better than that.” Jesus came to give us life in this life. I can’t believe that this life here on earth is just a test to see if we pass to make it on to the next “real life.” We were meant to have that life more abundant here and now.

This all brings up a very important idea that Bell discusses. He talks about how we can bring heaven here on earth or live in our own personal hell. To me, heaven is much more than some city in the clouds that we go to after we die, it’s about understanding who God is and living out his attributes. I think most people agree that an integral park of heaven is experiencing God and seeing him for who he really is. But who says we can’t do that here? There is a quote I read in Max Lucado book years ago that says, “Christianity, in its purest form, is nothing more than seeing Jesus. Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating Him who we see. To see His Majesty and to imitate Him, that is the sum of Christianity.” So as we imitate him and therefore become more like him, aren’t we bridging the divide between this heaven and earth?

I also think that most would agree that this idea of hell is separation from God. So when we choose to follow paths that are contrary to the nature of God, aren’t we separating ourselves from him and imprisoning ourselves in hell? There may not be any fire and brimstone, but is that really any less hellish? To me, heaven and hell are as much a state of mind as it is a physical place we haven’t experienced yet but will inevitably experience in the future (well, at least one of them). 

Love Wins: Part 1

I just finished up Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” this week. It took me a little while longer than I expected to finish it, but there are several reasons for that: 1. I was on vacation in Florida for several days and we were way too busy to get in any reading time. 2. There’s a lot to think about when reading this book. I couldn’t just fly through it because it would’ve overloaded my brain with things to think about. I also had to be careful when I read this book, because I normally read right before I go to bed, but I couldn’t always do that with this book. On the occasions that I did, I’d end up keeping myself awake thinking about everything I’d just read and then I wouldn’t get any sleep. And 3. Rob Bell obviously writes like he talks. The text is stream of consciousness and does not abide by normal grammatical rules. I would often have to read through a sentence or paragraph two or three times before fully grasping its meaning. I found that reading out loud helped in following along.

But now that I am done, I can honestly say how much I really enjoyed the book and how much it challenged me. Bell brings up a number of questions and issues that had me nearly shouting out loud, “I’ve been wondering that, too!” I didn't realize quite how much it impacted me until I sat down to write this blog and I filled up page after page of thoughts, so I've broken it down into what I believe will be four posts. 

The first issue reading this book brought up in my mind is how disappointed I am in the Christian community for their early dismissal of the book, even before it was released. I find this book to be much more of a conversation than a lecture. I don’t feel that Bell ever took the approach of, “Christian theology as we know it is wrong and I’m right and here’s why.” He’s merely bringing up a conversation that’s been had before and will be had again. It’s very disappointing to me that so many Christian figures jumped to conclusions and called Bell a heretic for his thoughts when they hadn’t even heard what he had to say.  To simply dismiss the book is not the right way to go about it. Join in the conversation, even if you disagree. Just because something is now considered to be religious axiom doesn’t mean it’s truth. Think of the number of issues that have been thought to be fact over the past 2000 years and have proven to be incorrect. You should know why you believe what you believe, not just take it at face value because it’s what you were taught in Sunday school. That’s why I believe these discussions are so important. Because you have to actually defend your beliefs rather than resort to, “Well, that’s what I’ve always been taught.”

A number of times Bell says that Jesus is not afraid of our questions or debate and I totally agree. That’s what Christianity in our day and age is all about. God no longer writes a list of “dos” and “don’ts” on stone tablets. He’s opened up the floor for conversation, which then leads to understanding. As Christians, I don’t believe that we were made to live in this box of tradition and theology. We’re meant to have a relationship with God and have that relationship determine our life and actions. I think we should be constantly questioning what we’re told about Jesus, because regardless of how devout the person is who’s teaching, they’re still human and they’re not perfect. It’s amazing how differently some passages in the Bible can read depending on what perspective you’re looking at them from. If you assume anything, you can find the scriptures to back it up, because there is so much that can be taken out of context.

I’m not one of those people who believes that whatever you believe is right if it’s right for you. There are some things that are truth and some things that aren’t. I do, however, believe that a lot of the principles for following Jesus is subjective. Just because something resonates with one person doesn’t mean it will have the same impact on everyone. I also believe that God uses other methods and even religions to speak his own truth. He’s not limited to the pages of the Bible. He speaks in and through everything. If you’re open, God will speak to you, but he doesn’t use the same language for everyone. To dismiss someone’s experience simply because it’s different than your own is to limit God. 

Alluring April

I really can't believe it's already April. The first quarter of this year has already flown by and here we are in Spring once again. Looking back a year, I see how far I've come already. This time last year, I spent four days in the hospital and had to undergo a minor surgical procedure. This time last year, Jarrod and I were supposed to be closing on our first home, but at the last minute the bank found some issue with our loan (that we'd had lined up for weeks, yet somehow a couple of days before closing there was suddenly a "problem") and we had to push back to closing date. This time last year, wedding planning was in full swing and we were actually supposed to be taking our engagement pictures before my last minute stint in the hospital. 


I look back and I'm so thankful with where I am today. I don't know things totally under control heath-wise, but I'm not anticipating any hospital time in the near future. We've been home-owners for nearly a full year now, and enjoying being part of the "real world" and learning what it really takes to do that. And while I do miss the excitement of preparing for the wedding, I'm enjoying the after-effects even more.


So here's to this April starting off better than last year's and enjoying the Spring for what it is: a time of rebirth and renewal and a beautiful representation of the life that comes after death.


This April is going to be very busy. We have wedding showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties every weekend except Easter weekend. 


So here's the plan
-Go shopping for a writing desk, so I can have a place to do some work!
-Enjoy having my husband back on the day shift and actually have some time to see each other on week days. So excited!
-I'm in the process of getting things finished up on bachelorette planning, so gotta wrap things up there.
-Help give my beautiful friend Emily a fabulous send off into marriage!




Last month's goals
-Keep honing the budget, because I think I can get it even better than it is now. I'm still working on it. I've found that it's somewhat a trial-and-error procedure, trying to cut back in different areas. And I'm realizing more and more that all of those "extra expenses" each month aren't going away... there's always something
-Get plans nailed down for my sister's bachelorette and wedding shower. See above
-Find some time to relax, because starting at the end of the month, just about every weekend is booked through the summer. Ehh, I guess I did alright here. I didn't relax as much as I'd have liked, but I did try!
-Turn 25 with dignity and grace... and a fabulous celebration! And thanks to everyone who made it so lovely.
-Drive 11 hours to Florida to visit the most awesome cousins! Such an amazing trip! See Sarasota Dreamin' for more on that.