What Rob Bell has taught me

Most of you know who Rob Bell is. And I'm sure most of you have seen one of his fifteen Nooma videos. I have seen about six of them, and learn a lot every time. Recently, I have seen two that have absolutely blown my mind.

First was "Breath". He talks about how the name of God, LORD, is YHWH. These letter all sound like breath in the original Hebrew language. So, could God's name be the breath we breath? It is the first thing we need when we lose it, we die. YHWH's breath is in everyone, whether you believe it or not. I'm not quite sure what to do with all this yet, how to apply it. But I am meditating on it for now.

The second is "Name". I have seen this one three times now, and have loved it more and more with every viewing. Rob talks about Jacob and his wrestling with a divine being. He wrestles with this "man" all night, until Jacob must break the "man's" hip and demand that he blesses him. Before the "man" does, he asks Jacob "What is your name?".

Names in that time, meant more than they do today. Names told of your character, your personality. Jacob's name was not a name he liked. It showed his shady past and failures.

Here is the kicker. Jacob must accept that name, accept exactly who he is, to gain a blessing. This blessing that he receives is a new name, Israel. To quote Rob "It's like God is saying 'Are you ready to be you? Because we have a lot of work to do.'" It makes me think every time, am I being who I need to be? Am I being the person that God needs me to be so he can work through me? Can I even accomplish such a thing?

Rob Bell. He blows my mind every single time.

Everything's Coming Together

Well, wedding plans are coming together quite nicely. Food, cake, pictures, dresses...it's all getting worked out, and we've only been engaged two weeks! It's funny how it's been two weeks since I have seen Todd, but I miss him more than when we went two months without seeing each other! What's that about?!


Here is us right after Todd proposed. Be on the look out for invitations in April and maybe a save the date in October.

It's true...Todd and I are growing up

Well, Todd and I are getting married! And yes, I am so freakin' excited. Also, I was not expecting it at all to happen where it did. Here is the story:

First, we must gaze back into the past and go to our first week of CBC. Todd and I were sitting on a bench in Estes Park and I asked Todd "Who do you like?" Todd then replied "Ah, I'm keeping my options open."

Come back to the present. Todd takes me to this same bench in Estes Park on July 19. He then gives me my birthday present which was an adorable photo album of our dating together. But, there were four blank pages in the back of it. He says "I thought we could fill those with pictures from today." I say okay. Then he gets my attention and says "Oh, and by the way, I'm not keeping my options open anymore." Then, he pulls out the ring from his far side and asks me to marry him!

It was wonderful, nostalgic, and completely caught me off guard. Of all the places I thought he might propose, this one was the best.

Disappointed

I feel like this year had been a year of disappointments. Turns out, the year isn't over and the disappointments keep coming. It hurts every time.

In Chicago, back again.

I am here in Chicago, IL, staying at North Park University on a mission trip with First Covenant Church of Red Wing, MN (my internship). We have been doing all this work for different ministries and I realized something crucial today: I am far more concerned with the group's understanding of what is happening than with my own spiritual awakenings this week.

This whole week has been spent making sure the group understands what is happening around them. I want them to see the poverty and injustices. However, while trying to help them see that there are incredible mistakes in humanity, I forget that we are serving in my part time community! I live here nine months out of the year and I didn't even know these things were here. I need to focus on what I learning, not just what they group is learning. and I need to be humbled by this experince and be shown that I am not the center of the world. There are people all around needing help and I do not know everything.

Sorry kids, I'm doing it. I am such a hypocrite and you may mock me as much as you like for this. But I want to let you know what I have learned. A few weeks ago, I did an exegetical paper on Job 42. So, I submit to you, the final draft. It's not that I want you to see how well I understand Job, because I have missed so much. And I do not think that this is the best paper ever written. I merely cannot remember what I wrote about enough to summarize it for you. So here is the entire thing. Job 42 as I understand it.

Epilogue

7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver [a] and a gold ring.

12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.

13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.

15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.

In-Textuality

Vs. 7-…”because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

Vs. 8-“You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

This repetition of this particular phrase shows a certain characteristic of Job that God wants his friends to understand. God wants Job’s friends to see that during this trial of Job’s life, he had remained faithful and not turned his back on God. The three friends, however, continued to tell Job to curse God and say that he had done something to bring God’s wrath on him.

There are two very clear themes in this text that are similar: recreation and restoration. God has torn everything Job had from him. He killed his children, took away his wealth, and gave him sicknesses over and over again. God’s creation of Job was torn down and put through the ultimate test of faithfulness to God. Once Job showed his faithfulness, he was recreated with twice the blessings as before. God had built him up to his previous status and with more added on than he had before. Job had been completely recreated to the man he was before his trial started. In recreating Job, he has restored him to a right relationship with the Creator. This allows Job to be restored to his previous status among his community and family and restored to the proper relationships with them. And throughout this entire process, Job never falls from his created place of a faithful man of God.

Inner-Textuality

The overall theme of the book of Job is restoration. Job is put on trial by God. Everything is taken away from him and he is tested. Job proves that he is a faithful servant of God and never falls from God’s grace. Then God restores Job after his trial. Job is made right with God and is returned to his place in society. He is then given by God twice the amount of what he had before. God restores Job to his previous life and to a relationship with him.

This text is the epilogue to the entire story of Job. It shows the restoration of Job by listing what earthly things were returned to him. The text also eludes to a restoration of a right relationship with God. In vs. 9, Job prays for his friends at the prompt of God. Job prays for them, and God accepts his prayers. This shows that God is listening to Job’s cries and prayers and is answering them. Job had been restored to a relationship with God that had been torn down during the rest of the book of Job.

The theme of restoration is central to the Hebrew writings. David, Job, Esther, and God’s people are all examples of restoration. God has made a promise to his people and consistently keeping his promise to restore them to a relationship with himself.

Inter-textuality

This theme of restoration is found throughout the entire Bible. In Genesis, we see the fall of man and the beginning of this need for restoration with God. Mankind sinned and fell away from what God’s plan was for them. We were created to desire a relationship with our creator and we now see what happens when we turn away from that relationship and restoration.

Throughout the Torah, we can see restoration, such as in the Exodus story. The entire book of Exodus is the story of God’s people and their restoration to him. Although they are slaves in Egypt, God delivers his people and continues to restore them back to a relationship as they wander the desert and then come into the promise land in the book of Joshua.

This theme of restoration is found in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Ezekiel (one of my favorite restoration prophets), Psalms, and Job. Restoration is what the Hebrew Bible is about. God desires to restore fallen humanity back to a relationship with him.

The theme of restoration is found in many places throughout the Hebrew Writings. Many of David’s psalms are praising God for being blessed by him. However, there are also psalms of David crying out for God to restore him and save him from pain that he is experiencing. David is in a consistent spiritual battle for restoration.

Restoration is also found with Esther. She is made a queen, and God uses that to restore his people. Once she is able to gain the trust of the king and is able to talk with him, God uses her to save his people from Hammond. The Jewish people are restored to their place in society and can safely call themselves Jewish. God used Esther and Mordecai to restore his people in a hostel place.

This theme of restoration is found in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Ezekiel (one of my favorite restoration prophets), Psalms, and Job. Restoration is what the Hebrew Bible is about. God desires to restore fallen humanity back to a relationship with him.

Canonical-textuality

The theme of restoration is found throughout the entire Bible as well. In the New Testament, we have the fulfillment of God’s promise for restoration as seen through the four gospels. Jesus was sent to restore the world to a relationship with Christ and fulfill God’s promise to his people. Paul then writes his letters to churches telling of the restoration and reminding us how to not lose that bond with our creator.

Job is a story of restoration and the epilogue is the restoration of Job on earth and in his relationship with God. Job was put on trial by God, made the lowest man in society and had God take all his blessings away. However, Job remained faithful through the trial, never cursing God. Because of this, Job was restored to the man he was and where he was with God.

Humanity is in desperate need of God in this story. Job’s friends believe that God is punishing Job for something wrong he had done. They were living a faith that needed to do everything right for God to bless them. However, we see that God will take everything away even if you are doing the right thing. Trials come, but God is the creator and keeps his promise to restore those that are faithful during trials. Job is an example or a faithful man of God and is restored because of that.

Hockey

I was thinking about hockey a lot this past week with the NHL playoffs well underway. Last night, my wonderful team, the Minnesota Wild, were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche. It was, to be honest, heart-breaking. I cried a little.
With these thoughts about hockey, and all the reminiscing that comes with it, I was thinking about what professional hockey really is. And I have come to the conclusion that it is a group of guys that refuse to grow up. Yes, they have to deal with contracts, injuries, and being on the road. But when it comes down to it, it is guys that are playing a game they have worked their entire life to perfect and have put their entire hearts into.When I watched the Wild shake hands with the Avalanche after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, I could see along with everyone else watching, that they were crushed, while the Avalanche were gleaming with excitement. These boys were happy to play the game and were sad when it ended. Their boyhood dreams of winning the Stanley Cup were brought one step closer, or ended that night. This game is one of passion and commitment. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes you are put in a situation where you need to grow as a player and work harder for your dreams.