Velvet Elvis

I love that feeling when you read just the right book at just the right time. When the words somehow jump off the page and sink deep within your soul. When you truly grieve the moment that you turn the last page.

It's only happened to me a few times. When I read Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much Is True." The first (of many) times that I read "The Catcher in the Rye." And it recently happened again with "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell.

Two months ago, I had never heard of Rob Bell. Now I think he's probably the most inspiring, talented Christian preacher/teacher/evangelist of our day. Especially for us hipsters from Gen-X who have at some point bought into the myth that if you are a Christian you have to be boring. Wrong!

A 2006 article in the Chicago Sun Times predicts Rob may become the next Billy Graham. I'm not sure about all that. I am sure that he is onto something. Rob graduated from the same seminary school as Graham (Wheaton College) but says he never got good grades in his courses because "he was always more interested in coming up with creative ways to share the Gospel."

And man, is he creative. He used to play in an indie rock band. He looks more like he'd be hanging out at a coffee shop or a Cold War Kids concert than in a pulpit. And maybe that's (part of) what makes him so effective. He does those things. But he also posseses an incredible knowledge of the Bible and the Jewish traditions and world Jesus lived in. Most importantly, he knows how to translate all that into a way that's relevant for us today. His teaching style inspires without being judgemental. Brilliant!

In 1999, he and his wife founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan. Today it attracts over 10,000 people per service and is one of the fastest growing churches in American history. Many people also download the weekly Mars Hill Podcasts which feature sermons and messages from Rob and other top notch speakers. I highly recommend you check them out.

I also recommend his work through Nooma.com. Nooma is a series of short films with a contemporary look that explore contemporary Christian issues and perspectives. They are beautifully shot and edited. The music is hip. The messages are powerful and inspire, uplift and really make you think.

In short, they work in ways that all other Christian "educational" videos don't. It's more like watching a Ken Burns documentary than Driver License safety video, if you get my drift. I recently did a 4 week study with my Sunday School class (to date there are 17 different Nooma films, each one is about 5 minutes long). It inspired awesome discussion and we are going to do the rest of the series in the near future.

It was during this study of these Nooma films that I picked up Rob's first book, "Velvet Elvis." In it, he explains his vision of the Christian life. "The challenge," he says "is to live with great passion and conviction, remaining open and flexible, aware that this life is not the last painting." He talks about how he became a preacher (he didn't see it coming) and some real struggles he's faced. It's packed with insights on how a story that's 2,000 years old can make sense in today's TiVo'd world.

It's funny. It's eye-opening. It's inspiring. It's one of the best books I've ever read. I hope you'll read it, too.

(Side note: This fall, Rob Bell is going on a speaking tour, called The Gods Aren't Angry It's described as "part anthropology, part history, part deconstruction - featuring new material that Rob hasn't taught before." I'm going to check it out Novemeber 19 at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. I'll blog about that road trip for sure!)