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Velvet Elvis - Week 1

October 1st, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Filed Under: Velvet Elvis

Tags: Christian • mysteries • Rob Bell • Velvet Elvis • worldview

This month on Christian Book Club Online we will be reading Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis. I have done a quick look through and I am looking forward to reading and commenting on the book. It looks like it should read pretty quickly, which should be helpful for everyone with a full schedule. Let’s read the book in the following format:

Week 1 - Movement One Jump, Movement Two Yoke

Week 2 - Movement Three True, Movement Four Tassels

Week 3 - Movement Five Dust, Movement Six New

Week 4 - Movement Seven Good, Epilogue

I will include a link to the book in this post in case you don’t have your copy yet. I thin what Bell wrote on the back of the book is interesting.

“We have to test everything. I thank God for anybody anywhere who is pointing people to the mysteries of God. But those people would all tell you to think long and hard about what they are saying and doing and creating. Test it. Probe it. Do that to this book. Don’t swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it. Just because I’m a Christian and I’m trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn’t mean I’ve got it nailed. I’m contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?”

It looks like it should be an interesting read!

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith By Rob Bell

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There Are 3 Responses So Far. »

1. 

   Comment by boatpat on 8 October 2008:

   so there i was jumping sweating and having a good time. i went and had a drink of water . when i came back and started to jump it was different i was spinging higher and when i went up i would see words like addiction, abuse, anger, self loathing, and the like. i stopped and looked under the tramaline and seen twelve new springs. then the names of each of the twelve springs appeard. deniel, powerlessness,Jesus, decision, list, telling. asking,releif,…….than as i was reading the springs all the word converged and two words appeared , celibrate recovery. i got back on the trampaline and stated to jump and this time when i went up i seen addiction but on the way down i seen a scripture rom 7:17 with a note to read it in its context so i did. i found out that celebrate recovery is about the healing of hurts habits and hangups through the healing powers of Gods Word,,as i was getting off the trampaline i stepped into my yoke,celebrat recovery.
2. 

   Comment by Carol on 10 October 2008:

   Hi Pat,
   Thanks for sharing your insights to recovery
   with us when you were jumping. Have you read
   this month’s book by Rob Bell? He addresses
   some real good points that would relate to people in recovery. He says that we all have
   stuff that needs to be dragged out and healed
   by Jesus so we can begin to live freely. He also states a famous quote that is used by people in recovery. I will be anxious to hear
   what you think when you start delving into the
   book!
3. 

   Comment by Wendy on 3 November 2008:

   I know I’m a month late but I want to comment on this book. Rob Bell is one of my favorite authors. I’ve seen him at one of his seminars also. Very different which is what I like.

   I have to start on page 14 where Bell states “if it is true, then it isn’t new”. That’s where I begin…

   Movement One: Jump
   Everybody is following somebody. Isn’t it interesting how some people will try so hard to make sure we know that they are not following the crowd. They try to be different and then all of a sudden several people join them to be different. Now they aren’t so different right?

   I love how during Jesus’ time the new “cult” that believed in Him was called “The Way”. How fitting. Jesus is the way and the only way. All others are wrong and lead to death. We need to get back to telling people Who the Way is and how to follow.

   Bell makes the statement that people have struggled (and will continue to struggle) with how to talk about God since He is so much bigger than our words, brains, everything. How do you possibly describe Him? Have you ever tried? Sure we use words like Father, loving, caring, compassionate, all-knowing, Judge, merciful, gracious, and etc. Does that really describe Him? We are placing our human terms on Someone that made us. I don’t really want to serve a God that I can totally describe because then He fits into my definition of all the adjectives I used above. Bell addresses this on page 25 when he says “if we made him up, then we are in control”. I usually screw it up when I try to be in control!

   The brick wall is how I believe alot of Christians view their faith. Over the past 5 years I’ve been involved with several ministries that involve several denominations. What a blessing. I was raised Southern Baptist and that is the only church I’ve ever attended. I’ve been missing alot. Yes we have different ways of doing things but only our faith and acceptance of Jesus as Savior is what is important. Traveling the world has also helped me to realize that Jesus crosses all cultural, racial, economic, and any other boundary you can come up with ….He is the ONLY brick in the wall that matters. My husband has a coworker who likes to debate the Bible. He is a nonbeliever (although he thinks he is a Christian) and his Bible knowledge is just enough to frustrate someone. The coworker asked my husband if he believed in a world wide flood. My husband said he did and then the coworker asked for proof. Of course he is referring to physical proof. My husband told him that he believed the Bible was proof enough. This was not a cope out but just a statement that my husband takes the as all true. I asked my husband “what if the flood was just the known world at the time would that matter to you”? What if the flood was just part of the world? What if the six days in Genesis were not literal 24-hour periods? Does that even matter? Jesus matters…period.

   As Bell points out …” you rarely defend the things you love, you enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you.” (page 27) In the book UnCHRISTIAN it states that Christians are now known more for what they are against than Who they are for….how very very true.

   I love how Bell states that with bricks you keep people out. That just seems to be how we operate. Jesus died for us all. Who are we to decide that you don’t get to come to the party?

   Bell also makes a point that we can accept and jump even with questions and doubts. God is fine with that because He isn’t afraid of our questions and doubts. He welcomes them when they are in the attitude of seeking Him. Mary had questions for Gabriel and God allowed them to be answered. God made us as we are so questioning is natural. Bell also states that God is possibly looking for people that don’t just sit there and mindlessly accept whatever…do you know people like that…are YOU one of those people? I pray I’m not. I question everything. My husband and I are constantly questioning and looking and learning. It is amazing how awesome it is to discover God when you push past the surface and dig deeper. God welcomes our questioning and pursuit of Him. He didn’t have to come, He didn’t have to give us His Word, He didn’t have to do anything…He wanted to and He wants us to approach and get to know Him.

   One of my favorite quotes is on page 34. “If you study the Bible and it doesn’t lead you to wonder and awe, then you haven’t studied the Bible.” Remember this next time you (and I) sit down to study God’s Word. Each word is there for a reason.

   We can talk about jumping but the jumping is the fun part. That’s where I want to be.

   I read this book years ago (and I’ve read it 3 or 4 times since). At the end of this chapter I wrote:
   Lord help me to live the life you have set for me. Help me to be bold enough to ask questions.

   He has done just that.

   (I’ll write my review for Movement two tomorrow)

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