3 Disciples. 3 Months.

We have been here in South Africa for over 3 months now.  When we arrived I really sought the Lord for his will for me during this season.  I asked him what he wanted to do IN me, TO me and THROUGH me so that I could be obedient to Him.  I heard several things from the Lord.  One of them was that I was to actively disciple several young men. It may surprise you to hear this, but as a Pastor I never really discipled people.  Maybe a few folks in our Small Group, but not much more than that. I would meet with people once, maybe twice and that was it.  That aint discipleship.

Since beginning ministry here I have formed 3 significant discipling relationships.  I meet with each of them weekly for mentoring, accountability, teaching, and to share what we are learning in Scripture. It has been enormously life-giving.  All 3 of the guys that I am discipling are also discipling others.  This is what it is all about. We must make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.  

Pray with me for Siba, Quaid and John. I am excited about the 3 disciples God has brought into my life in our first 3 months here. Excited to meet more people of peace who are spiritually hungry. 

I'm Alive

There are a number of you that read my blog regularly but are not on Facebook or Twitter.  As a result, I thought I would check in to tell you that I am still alive.  It is unlike me to go a week with no post.  The outreach preparation and start has been more intense and time-demadning than we anticipated.  We are learning plenty thus far, but mainly about ourselves and our need to keep becoming more like Jesus. God is shaping us. The last week has been rather hard for our family with some homesickness and a deep readiness to live in something with more space than we currently have.  

But, God....

Is amazing!

Is at work in and around us!

Is more than enough for us!

Just checking in.  I will write as I can. There are some exciting church plants on the horizon and I cannot wait to tell you what we are learning about storying.

Our May newsletter will be released soon.  Email us if you are still not on our mailing list. 

Shifting Gears

We are in the process of shifting gears.  

For the last 3 months we have been in the teaching phase of CPx. In other words, we are in a church planting school and we have been in the lecture part of the school.  This week we are concluding this part of the school.  It has been awesome!!  I have already shared about much of what we learned. I will post more soon. 

Next week, we officially begin the outreach phase of CPx.  It will last until the end of June.  During this time, we will spend about 40 hours a week in the communities we are ministering in.  No teaching, all doing.  The goal: plant churches. 

We will be on Outreach in Masiphumelele.  There will be 18 people on our team. Tricia and I have been asked to lead the team.

Other students in our class will be heading off to Ocean View, Zimbabwe, Zanzibar, Malawi, and Northern India. Please pray for the 40+ CPx students over these next 2 months. 

Grace to you!

CPx Bloggary

I made up the word "bloggary"!  You like it? ;-)  This week we are concluding the teaching phase of CPx.  I wanted to post one blog that contains links to the main blogs that capture what I learned over these last several months.  Here they are.

Learned to see Sundays differently: Click here.

Discovered that I never really understood prophecy correctly before: Click here. 

Realized that we should disciple unbelievers, not just believers!  Click here. 

Found out all about DBS's and how they are catalyzing movements around the world: Click here to read about them.

Learned the SPECK approach to analyzing a passage in the Bible. Read about it HERE.

Was shocked to discover that most of the world will not be reached through reading the Bible!  Click HERE to read about reaching Oral Learners. 

Discovered anew that the purpose of church is quite simple.  Three loves!  Read about them HERE. 

Laughed as I realized how much Mary Kay, Tupperware, Pampered Chef and Gospel Ministry have in common.  See what I mean HERE.

I feel more compelled to OBEY the Word of God than ever before.  I think that I am finally seeing the difference between knowledge-based discipleship and obedience-based discipleship.  Read about it here. 

May God use even one word of any of these post for His glory! 

Opposite Spirit Living

The principles and nature of the Kingdom of God absolutely and totally fascinate me.  The pictures that Jesus painted and the values that He modeled in the gospels are so fresh and so revolutionary.  Of the many things that I love about Jesus' vision of the Kingdom, my favorite is probably this: we are most like Jesus when we respond to people and circumstances with an opposite spirit.  This is a key component of this upside down kingdom. 

So, today is Palm Sunday.  Early this morning I was reading the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey!  A DONKEY!  This is the Messiah, the hope of the world....and he is on a Donkey.  Where is the white horse? Or the chariot?  Or the magic carpet? Something.  Anything other than a half breed, non-reproducing, donkey.

However, in everything Jesus did, he seemed to run against the grain of culture and expectation.  

And so it's supposed to be with you and I as people who are bringing the Kingdom here and now on earth as it is in heaven. We work with Jesus in ushering in this Kingdom when we learn to be "opposite-spirit people."   It looks something like this:

• Respond to bitterness with forgiveness. The opposite spirit. 
• Respond to fear with courage. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to intimidation with confidence. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to violence with peace. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to hate with love. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to suspicion with trust. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to betrayal with loyalty. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to greed with generosity. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to selfishness with unselfishness. The opposite spirit.
• Respond to judgement with graciousness. The opposite spirit.

What can you do today to represent the upside down, counter cultural, opposite spirit Jesus and to plant his kingdom where you are now?

LOTS of Baboons!

LOTS of Baboons!

Obedience-Based Discipleship

I want to share about two different approaches to discipleship that are quite common in the church. 

Knowledge-Based Discipleship: Discipleship is based on gaining and attaining knowledge of God and the Scriptures.  Discipleship is measured by the amount of information you have and the level of knowledge that you have of the Word of God.  This is the most common approach to discipleship in most western churches.  Which is why we have so many programs, classes and bible studies.  As an example, many of the same people attend the same Bible Study at the same church year after year.  As a result, their knowledge increases, meanwhile they make no changes in their lives and they obey little to nothing of what they learn.  The more you know, the more discipled you are (so they think).  I will let you find verses to support this approach. Best of luck.

Obedience-Based Discipleship: Discipleship is measured when you obey and DO what you are learning.  It is not merely gaining knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but for the sake of action.  Learn, do.  Learn, do. Hear, obey.  Hear, obey. Even radically.  Obedience based discipleship means serious commitment to following Jesus, not just knowing him.  The demons knew Him and believed.  Will you follow what you hear? Three times in John 15 Jesus says if you love me, you will obey me. The very heart of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 is for us to GO and teach people to OBEY EVERYTHING that he has commanded.

This is serious!  I hope that you catch this.  Understanidng the difference between these two approaches can transform your life and your church. What if preaching became about obedience instead of knowledge...in a way that people actually had to show how they are oberying what the hear each week?  What if we decided that everything we do as a church will now consist of hearing God and obeying him?       

Born Again; A New Perspective

Once upon a time there was a church of thousands of people.  After the service, the Pastor got up and announced that they had a gift for some of the women in the room.  The gift was for every pregnant woman in the church.  Every pregnant woman was asked to meet in the fellowship hall after service. The church had hired an OBGYN to come in and offer FREE deliveries.  No money at all.  "Just come to the fellowship hall and we will have a bunch of private beds set up and we will deliver every baby in every womb this afternoon free of charge. Of course, with the cost of deliveries these days, this is an offer you cannot refuse, ladies."  

What is wrong with this picture?  A number of things, of course.  But the biggest of which is this: THEY ARE NOT READY.  They are not in labor.  The baby is not ready to be born on command. 

Well, the very same thing applies to salvation.  Jesus intentionally chose language about being "born again."   Look, It is just as silly, unnatrual and impossible for someone to be born of a woman on command after a Sunday service as it is for people to be born AGAIN in a forced and immediate way.  Just like life takes 10 months for life to develop in a womb before coming forth, it also takes people time to develop and grow to a place of readiness to be born spiritually.  

May we be patient and help bring people to life in God's perfect timing. 

(I wrote about similar ideas in THIS POST about discipling to convert.)

A Great Break

We have been keeping a pretty hectic pace during CPx. I am not quite sure how we managed it, but this week we have somehow attended to all of our CPx responsibilities while still giving Selah enough time that she felt prioritized. We have had a blast! We have taken scenic drives, gone to great places to eat, showed her our future home, and introduced her to many of our new friends. Then, today we went to Table Mountain and a winery for wine tasting and cheese. Selah enjoys wine, and South Africa is super famous for it. We had a lovely time. Enjoying wine is very much a part of the culture here in South Africa. Tomorrow, we will go back into Masi for ministry, then go to our nicest mall and take Selah to Hillsong Church.
Four more days to enjoy with her...

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God first? Or me first?

This week we had an awesome speaker at CPx.  His name was Lincoln Murdoch. Here is one of the things that he shared that really hit home for me:

All my life and training I have heard it said that God must always be first on our list of priorities.  I have been taught that a good and godly list of priorities must look something like this:

1. God
2. Wife
3. Kids
4. Ministry
5. Friends
6. Extended Family
7. Education
8. Etc...

Lincoln does not agree with this.  After having a major burnout twice in his life, he has learned that the list, rather, must look more like this:

1. ME!! (with God leading me to the fullness of all He has for a healthy me)
2. Wife (with God at the center of our marriage)
3. Kids (God guiding and inspiring my parenting)
4. Etc....

The point is this...

First, God is #1.  God is #2.  God is #3.  He is the center of all my life.  He is not a number on my list.  No, he IS THE LIST!  

And second, if I am not at the top of the list...if I am not healthy...if I am not renewed and intimate with Jesus, then I am no good to my wife, no good to my kids and no good to anyone else on my list for that matter.  

I thought this was a fresh perspective.  What do you think?

Staring at Black People

This post is hard for me to write, because the reality really saddens me.

First, a little lesson in racial vocabulary here in South Africa.  There are basically 3 groups of people here (with terrible relationships historically)....and this is how they are referred to:

1. White (Mainly Dutch & English)
2. Black (Dark people from all over Africa)
3. Coloured (Mixed race people with decent from Malaysia, Indonesia and Madagascar)

The community we are working in is called Masiphumelele and is made up of mainly Blacks.  It is a Black township.  

Today was another eye opener for me.  I guess I never realized what a tourist attraction Masi is. This afternoon, I was leading a DBS (click HERE to read about what that is) on a roadside with 6 other people when a group of about 25 tourists came walking by.  They were fascinated by all the poor people and the shacks.  Then, they saw US!  3 White people sitting in a circle talking with 4 Black guys.  The cameras really came out now.  Why were we meeting with and talking to these (dangerous) black people?  

In my opinion, South Africa has turned it's poverty into a tourist attraction.  Groups come in droves to the local townships to stare at the Black people and poor people.  Poverty is just something to be stared at by many wealthy people around the world!  

It makes me sad, actually.  Because I think that many missions teams that come do something quite the same. They come as ministry tourists I cannot help but wonder what would happen if we took all the money that the rich spend to to come stare, and used it to eradicate hunger and give people work?  What if money was spent on something more fruitful than staring at the Black people?

What are your thoughts?  Are wasted Kingdom resources delaying the fulfillment of the Great Commission?

Reading through the Bible with Davis

Davis and I are reading through the Bible together. We are about halfway through the Old Testament.  He is only 4.  How are you doing that?  How are you keeping his attention, Noah? Glad you asked.

There is a REALLY awesome kid's Bible called the "The Jesus Storybook Bible" and I cannot recommend it enough!  It is brilliant.  It moves through the major stories of the Bible in the coolest way and short enough to keep the attention of a 4 year old all the way to the end of the story. The stories are accompanied by some neat drawings that Davis loves.  But the best part of all is the way that every story ends by pointing to Jesus.  

Here is an example...there is a chapter on the 10 commandments called "Ten Ways to be Perfect".  Here is how the chapter ends...

"...They couldn't do it. No matter how hard they tried, they could no keep all the rules all the time. God knew they couldn't and he wanted them to know it too. Only one person could keep all the rules. And many years later, God would send him- to stand in their place and be perfect for them. Because the rules couldn't save them.  Only God could save them."

If you have kids, get this Bible.  We are reading it on the iPad and love it.  But I am sure they sell it in paper form too.  

Tupperware, Mary Kay and the Bible

Wild title, huh?  Well, if you have not read about what we are doing here before now, then READ THIS!  Once you have read THIS, then what I am saying will make more sense. 

Basically, we are entering the community we feel called to, locating people of peace (POP) and trying to have those people gather their natural community together to discover Jesus through the Bible. We are starting what we call "Discovery Bible Studies" that we hope turn into churches.  The idea here is that you want the gathering to consist of local people who naturally hang out, so the group is easier to form and more sustainable in the long term than some clumsy group of strangers. Makes sense to me.

But then it hit me last week.  This is no original idea.  In fact, it is something you are probably quite familiar with.  

Isn't this what Tupperware salespeople do?

Isn't this the basic model that Pampered Chef follows?

And Mary Kay?

And Tastefully Simple?  

You get the point.  Sharing and selling your "product" works most effectively and spreads most naturally if you utilize the pre-existing relational networks that people naturally dwell in.

And is it not the same with the gospel?  If we could get past our fears, wouldn't our family and friends be the best place to live out something so important to us?  Instead, many of us do the opposite.  We keep "church" separate.  So, did we steal the idea from tupperware or has this been the age old process of discipleship that they "stole" from us? ;-)

Book Review: "Radical" by David Platt

Yesterday I finished the book "Radical" by David Platt.  My Mom recommended it.  Two days after that, an older couple that Tricia and I have great respect for (Lew and Helen Good) recommended it to me. So, I took it seriously and read it. Both said that they thought of me when they read it and thought I would love it.  They were right!  

In a word: Inspiring book by a passionate Pastor with an Apostolic heart! 

Here are of a few highlights and quotes that blessed me:

• "So, how was I to reconcile the fact that I was now pastoring thousands of people with the fact that my greatest example in ministry was known for turning away thousands of people?" ... "I realized that I was a megachurch leader following a minichurch leader."
• I like the way that Platt challenges complacency and inspires people to follow Jesus boldly and audaciously.  He says that "the gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to all that he is."
• While Platt casts a vision greater than the American Dream, I think he does so with respect for the Nation in which he lives.  However, he clearly asserts that the commands of the gospel contradict the American Dream. He said: "While the goal of the American Dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God."
• A repeated theology of this book I found refreshing was the idea that we are not at the center of God's plan.  HE IS! "The message of Biblical Christianity is not 'God loves me, period.' as if we are the object or our own faith.  The message of biblical Christianity is that God loves me so that I can make him, his salvation, his ways, his glory, and his greatness known among all nations!" We are not the end of the gospel, God is. 
• I LOVED the way that Platt encourages every reader to take mission serious for themselves.  He clearly believes that missions is for everyone and that no one should ever settle for just watching a slideshow and writing a check. 
• "For everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus."

Platt did an awesome job of championing several causes throughout the book:

• Care for the poor...
• Church in action...
• GOing as necessary, not optional...
• Making the gospel known among the nations is for ALL people, not some people...
• Your comfort is nowhere near as important as your obedience to Jesus...

Frankly, I did NOT care much for Chapter 7: There is No Plan B. Basically, I do not jive with some of his theology in this chapter.  Namely on the destiny of those who never heard the gospel and his understanding of heaven. Basically, he paints the salvation of the world to rest upon us in our GOING instead of on Jesus and His DOING.

Here is a great summary paragraph:

Real success is found in radical sacrifice.  Ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves, but in making much of God. The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live. Meaning is found in community, not individualism. Joy is found in generosity, not materialism. And truth is found in Christ, not Universalism. Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience and enjoy.

Finally, the book ends with what Platt calls the "Radical Experiment" where he challenges readers to make a one year commitment to these 5 things:

1. Pray for the entire world.
2. Read through the entire Word.
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose.
4. Spend your time in another context. 
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community. 

I am excited that I was doing all 5 of these before he asked....

Great book.  Recommend it highly. 

Helping Save a Life

Since earlier today, I have been trying to convince myself that this cannot be possible, but it is!

The story of my eventful day goes like this: 

• At 9am, I got a call from a 15 year old boy that I am discipling in Masi.  He told me that his mom (Ntombi) is having some type of dental emergency and needed a ride to the dentist here in town. She needed picked up in an hour.  I said yes.  I was there at 10 in front of their shack to get them. 
• When I placed my eyes on Ntombi, I could not believe what I was seeing.  The right side of her face was so swollen it looked like a second head growing off of her face.  Honestly, it looked like something in a comic book or drawing.  Huge swelling!  Nothing like I have ever seen before.
• I dropped them at the appointment, headed back to class and waited on a call to pick them up.  Tricia went to pick them up.  When she arrived the Doctor came out and told Tricia that if this lady did not get to Tygerberg Hospital (about an hour away from where we live) by the end of the day, she could die!  Yes, die!  Of a swollen face because of an infected tooth!
• Immediately we figured out where this place was and drove to Tygerberg Hospital where they did emergency dental surgery and then admitted her to the hospital for the night--again reaffirming that had she not got in soon, the swelling would have prevented her from breathing and she would have died.  
• So, seeing as how Ntombi had no person or no money to help her today, we felt like we were able to participate in saving a life all because we had the time, the car and the desire to serve this dear lady.  

I pray that she is having a restful night.  We will pick her up and take her back home tomorrow, Lord willing. It is such a different world here.  People die due to dental infections quite often according to a lady I spoke to today at the hospital.  Hard to believe for an American.  There is so much we take for granted.  Today reminded me afresh.     

"Love Wins"- What I Disliked

Yesterday, I posted about some of the things that I liked about Rob Bell’s new book, “Love Wins”.  Read about it HERE.

Today, I will share some things that I was not as fond of.  As I do, I must say up front how hard this is for me…not because I think there is anything wrong with thoughtful and constructive disagreement, but because of the spirit in which so many “Christians” have behaved toward Bell over the last month.  I would be grieved to be placed in that camp.  I long to embody Jesus’s love and grace—even to people I have never met or may not agree with.  That said, here we go:

1. Ok, while I loved Bell’s position and understanding of heaven as being here now AND coming later, I think that he did a poor job explaining his understanding of forever.  He says that “heaven is not forever in the way we think of forever, like days and years marching into the future.”  Well, if heaven is not forever like we think of it, then how is it?  “Forever” like Rob Bell thinks of it?  I get that he was trying to point out how we apply our limited dimensions to our theology even when it is not in the Bible, but I think that this is one of several places in the book where he makes a troubling comment and then does a weak job of explaining it.

2. In my assessment, here is what Bell does very well throughout the book: He asks curious questions about hot/loaded topics and then hints at where he MAY stand.  However, rarely does he clearly state his own position---unless on something safe, like God’s love.  Well, hello, we ALL believe in that.  Now tell me what the hell you think about hell.  ;-)

3. Three criticisms I have of how he handles scripture: 1) Uses a passage to prove a point he is making in a way that leaves out the many other possible meanings and realities of the passage, 2) Brings in a poignant passage but does not exegete it enough…leaves so much about the passage unstated and 3) Leaves out (I hope not conveniently) other passages that may disprove his perspective and where I found myself saying “well, what about….”?! 

4. My one word explanation of Bell’s chapter on hell: “huh”?  There is no lack of scripture.  He points to every single place that the word hell appears in the Bible (btw, almost every time Jesus refers to hell he is talking about the local trash dump in Jerusalem).  And he presents multiple popular streams of thought on the topic, but he doesn’t really expand on any of them in depth nor does he clearly state his own position.  He is basically saying we choose hell.  We can make that choice now or later.  Hell is when we reject God’s awesome story and plan for our lives and choose destruction and evil.  Bell says that “there is hell now and hell later and Jesus teaches us to take both seriously”.  Where is gets sticky is that Bell seems to think that eventually the love of God will woo everyone over to choosing heaven, because, in the end, love wins.  Bell takes Philippians 2 (and many other passages) literally that EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess.  But, no matter how you slice it, it is muddy…because for every verse like that there is one about damnation and judgment.  Bell might believe that you can choose God after death.  He might not. He might believe that refusing God long enough makes you something other-than-human.  He might not.  He might believe that eventually God will get what God wants and ALL PEOPLE will love him.  He might not.  I guess I am just not smart enough…or Bell is just not clear enough. All in all though, I felt like it was a tad unfair of me to like his stuff on heaven and dislike his stuff on hell—when both seemed equally as rooted in the Bible.  Not easy stuff here, but I strongly encourage you (though it may be tempting) not to dismiss it just because you are not comfortable with it.  We do not develop true faith like that.

All said, I end with this quote from Rich Mouw, President of Fuller Seminary, which I think really captures my own conclusion about a lot of this:

Why don’t folks who criticize Rob Bell for wanting to let too many people in also go after people who want to keep too many people out? Why are we rougher on salvific generosity than on salvific stinginess?”

_____________

PS- If you are interested in these things, read the book. But may I make an even stronger recommendation?  Read “Surprised by Hope” by NT Wright.  In this book, you will get all the same basic stuff except explained in brilliant theological and historical detail.  Every question that Bell leaves unanswered, Wright answers with Biblical genius.  

Learning Xhosa

When we planned to move here to South Africa for missions, we did not really plan on learning a foreign language, because most people in SA speak English.  You can get by with it.  But, "getting by" is not what Tricia or I are looking for.  We want to connect with people's hearts and bring Jesus to them.  Greeting someone in THEIR heart language gets you a WAY different reaction than greeting them in YOUR heart language. And since it is "hearts" that we are after, we are working to learn a "heart language".  

Most of the people that live in the township we minister in speak Xhosa. Of the 11 national languages in South Africa, Xhosa is the second most prevalent.  The first is Zulu and I am told that if you know Xhosa, you can understand about 70% of Zulu. Xhosa is full of fun clicks and wild sounds.  

Well, last week we began a 6 week Xhosa class that could turn into a lot more. We will see.  All I know is that in one week, it has transformed the way that I can communicate with locals.  Heading out the door now for class number 2.  I love languages.  I love the nations! Here we are with our new All Nations friends at class:

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"Love Wins" - What I Liked (first)

Brilliant (negative) marketing. Great writer. Good book. Undeveloped content. There you have it.  My review in 13 words.

In case you have somehow missed the stir, there is a Pastor of a big church in Michigan (Rob Bell) that wrote and released a book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived.  It is called "Love Wins".  It has caused a huge stir mainly because of Bell's unusual (not necessarily unbiblical) theology of heaven and hell. Because of the supercharged topic and the radical view Bell shares, the book is under scrutiny and, as a result, flying off the shelves (earlier this week it was #5 on Amazon charts). Bell has been interviewed by numerous news channels and has been trending in social media for the last several weeks. 

Now for the more detailed version of my personal review.  In this post, I will share what I liked.  In the next post about the book, I will share what I didn't. So, what I liked:

1. His poetic writing style.

2. I really appreciated the pages of stunning questions that Bell lays out in Chapter 1.  Read about that HERE in my blog earlier this week. 

3. LOVED Bell's chapter on heaven entitled "Here Is the New There" and I will give it more airtime than the other parts of the book. His perspectives on heaven were consistent with both the Bible and my spirit's sense of God's plan for us. Really, it is quite simple.  Most of the Christians that I know (and many of you reading this right now) believe that heaven is somewhere else in some far away high up place---and it will be beautiful like nothing you have ever seen with gold streets and a gate that Peter is standing at, etc.  Many think that we will evacuate out of this terrible place into a better place somewhere else--these are our ideas, not the Jesus' of the Bible. In one quote the author says that "eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life lived now in connection to God." Bell sums up the Biblical picture of heaven with these words...and it is quite different than what I hear at EVERY funeral I have ever been to..

Jesus consistently affirmed heaven as a real place, space and dimension of God's creation, where God's will and only God's will is done. Heaven is that realm where things are as God intends them to be. On earth, lots of wills are done. Yours, mine and many others. And so, at present, heaven and earth are not one. What Jesus taught, what the Prophets taught, what all Jewish tradition pointed to and what Jesus lived in anticipation of, was the day when heaven and earth would be one. The day when God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. The day when earth and heaven will be the same place. This is the story of the Bible. This is the story Jesus lived and told. As it's written at the end of the Bible in Revelation 21: "God's dwelling place is now among the people."

4.  I have found this to be SOOOO true:

It often appears that those who talk most about going to heaven when you die talk the least about bringing heaven to earth right now, as Jesus taught us to pray: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." At the same time, it often appears that those that talk the most about relieving suffering now talk the least about heaven when we die. 

5. Hence, I have also found this to be stunningly correct:

Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells on earth right now seem least concerned with the hell after death. 

6. Contrary to mass criticism stating such, I do not find Bell to be a Universalist.  I love how people talk before they think-- or read! Not!

7. Also, contrary to widespread report, Bell uses scripture constantly. It is all throughout the book. Loved that! (However, how he handles some of them, along with the ones he conveniently leaves out were troubling. More on that later.)

8. Bell addresses heaven in chapter 2 and hell in chapter 3.  It seems to me that that bulk of the rest of the book was fairly safe as it unpacked the intense and indescribably love that God has for people-- and his desire to save and restore ALL of what he has made.  

9. Overall, I love how good Bell is at inviting readers to question old perspectives and consider new ones. Look, unless you enter into this book with an anti-Rob Bell agenda, which many are, you will easily learn that the main theme of the book is not about the subtitle, but the main title.  The heart of the book is CLEARLY about the indescribable and unbelievable love that God has for you and me more than what happens after we die...which Bell is clearly much less concerned about than what we are doing NOW to make Jesus' dreams come true.  

Coming soon....to be fair....I must share what I did not like.  L8R...

PS- I really like my friend Brandon Jones perspectives on the book.  He has posted multiple times.  Check him out HERE!

Some Random Things

Finished "Love Wins" by Rob Bell and look forward to blogging my reflections when I have time.
Now reading "Surprised by Hope" by NT Wright-- a far more scholarly work on the same topic. Much harder read. More on this one later.
Got stood up in Masi this morning. Discouraging. Pressing on though. God had other appointments waiting and we kept heart.
I'm pretty sick today. Last night I came down with whatever flu Tricia had. She's so generous to have shared. Welcome your prayers. Feel like garbage. Fever is 102.
Laying here now watching a movie with my best buddy Davis. I love him so much. Not into the movie though.
If I'm better tomorrow, we plan to go to the Cape of Good Hope- a national park where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. That'll be cool.
Then Tuesday we start our 7th week of CPx. We only have about 4 weeks until lecture phase ends and full time outreach begins.
One more thing- we love you!