I have nothing against Rob Bell. Really!        
But I confess that I have a tendancy to be initially over-critical/skeptical of anyone introduced to me with some hype surrounding them. The most notable instance of this for me being Hybels/Willow. It took me about 10min into the first session of my first leadership summit to repent. That summit ended up being a defining moment in my leadership growth…. and actually directly started a chain of events that ended up with my involvement in iMosaic, ergo Vox, and eating Thai with Alex and Niza in the shade of their front lawn. So yay Hybels!
Enter friends enthusiastically hyping these new nooma dvd’s. I rarely learn from past lessons. My Rob Bell wall was up and stayed in place for many moons. Even as it weakened in my ministry to young adults as we watched a number of the noomas… I tried to remain cool towards the guy… quick to critique.
Then Anne posts about that part of his book where he talks about killing superpastor. That resonates big time with me.
Then I come across this quote of his (don’t really care if it’s original to him) and that seals it…
“My theory of church growth is simple,” said Bell, “People drive a long way to see a fire.”
Forgive me, Rob Bell.
I look forward to what I may learn from you now that my wall is down.
nooc
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March 7, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Sam.
Good to hear from you…its been a while.
I was definitely impressed by Nooma when I first came accross it a few months ago.
March 7, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Deana
I like his podcasts and his nooma videos. I too don’t get into hype about people…I don’t know big names…I don’t read the latest books…it just isn’t the way I work. But I agree I like this guys words. Very good.
March 9, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Lon
Rob Bell rocks. Nooma’s give a taste of his insights, but if you listen to his messages online.. though they take a bit of getting use to, he’s uncovering some huge realities about what it means to be a follower of Christ.
March 10, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Josh
Isn’t it funny when hype can make somebody bigger than they are? And then we can run from goodness, just because of hype. I’ve done that with Doug Fields. These guys have just tapped into God and helped others do it too…
I first encountered Rob’s stuff at a time when it was crucial for me. His sermons on Ultimate Reality (now repackaged into “Rhythm”) really pushed me closer to God and stretched me in how I look at and interact with people.
March 16, 2006 at 11:34 pm
jaydee
Where can you get his podcasts?
March 16, 2006 at 11:45 pm
nooc
Great question… I just download the mp3’s off the Mars Hill website but I don’t know if you can subscribe to podcasts.
http://www.mhbcmi.org/listen/index.php
The subscribe link on the above page just references CD’s and tapes.
March 21, 2006 at 10:21 am
stacijoy
Thanks for uncovering some thoughts about this guy — I saw a couple dvd’s of his a few years back and found them very impacting. I vividly remember the images of the two that I saw and have often wondered since then who the guy was. Thanks for unveiling your thoughts and his identity to me!
March 24, 2006 at 7:13 pm
ariahfine
I’m still skeptical but I really liked the book Velvet Elvis.