Swords appear strong, but they're actually quite weak. Jesus appears weak, but he's actually quite strong. Rob Bell More Quotes by Rob Bell More Quotes From Rob Bell Suffering is traumatic and awful and we get angry and we shake our fists at the heavens and we vent and rage and weep. But in the process we discover a new tomorrow, one we never would have imagined otherwise. Rob Bell awful suffering heaven Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there [...] You see God where others don't. And then you point him out. So the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst. Rob Bell issues people jesus The world is desperately in need of people who will break themselves open and pour themselves out for the reconciliation of all things- that's what the world needs. Rob Bell people world needs So this is reality, this forgiveness, this reconciliation, is true for everybody. Paul insisted that when Jesus died on the cross, he was reconciling "all things, in heaven and on earth, to God." All things, everywhere. ...This reality then isn't something we make come true about ourselves by doing something. It is already true. Our choice is to live in this new reality or cling to a reality of our own making. Rob Bell choices reality jesus That breath that you just took, that's a gift! Rob Bell breaths Grace is when you know you're loved exactly as you are. Rob Bell grace knows The peace we are offered is not a peace that is free from tragedy, illness, bankruptcy, divorce, depression, or heartache. It is peace rooted in the trust that the life Jesus gives us is deeper, wider, stronger, and more enduring than whatever our current circumstances are, because all we see is not all there is and the last word about us and our struggle has not yet been spoken. Rob Bell divorce struggle jesus If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. Rob Bell good-news news ifs The life you want begins by embracing the life you have. Rob Bell want inspiring I believe our world desperately needs Good News. Rob Bell our-world believe needs To say it again, eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life now in connection to God. Eternal life doesn't start when we die; it starts now. It's not about a life that begins at death; it's about experiencing the kind of life now that can endure and survive even death. Rob Bell vitality connections quality You can be very religious and invoke the name of God and be able to quote lots of verses and be well versed in complicated theological systems and yet not be a person who sees. It’s one thing to sing about God and recite quotes about God and invoke God’s name; it’s another be aware of the presence in every taste, touch, sound, and embrace. With Jesus, what we see again and again is that it’s never just a person, or just a meal, or just an event, because there’s always more going on just below the surface. Rob Bell religious names jesus I feel like I've gotten an extraordinary opportunity to experience a sort of collective humanity. If you hug many people in such a short period of days you pick up on a communal energy, almost like feeling a giant heartbeat that everyone is beating together. Rob Bell feelings opportunity people The modern world has created airports and hospitals and put 10,000 songs in our pocket. It has built gleaming buildings and computers and advances and innovations that blow our minds. But we have soul, and spirit, and consciousness, and the modern world hasn't done so well at helping us name and understand what it means to be thriving and fully alive with a full heart. Rob Bell heart song mean Our tendency in the midst of suffering is to turn on God. To get angry and bitter and shake our fist at the sky and say, "God, you don't know what it's like! You don't understand! You have no idea what I'm going through. You don't have a clue how much this hurts." The cross is God's way of taking away all of our accusations, excuses, and arguments. The cross is God taking on flesh and blood and saying, "Me too. Rob Bell hurt sky blood Your deepest, darkest sins and your shameful secrets are simply irrelevant when it comes to the counterintuitive, ecstatic announcement of the gospel. So are your goodness, your rightness, your church attendance, and all of the wise, moral, mature decisions you have made and actions you have taken. Rob Bell taken decision wise I have been told that I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I am learning is that Jesus believes in me. Rob Bell believe needs jesus When the lab rats hear the bell ringing, they freeze. That's what fear does to you - fear stops you dead in your tracks. Fear can keep you from harm, but fear can also rob you of your potential. Fear can rob you of an experience. Fear can rob you of happiness. Fear can rob you of real life... Darkness has a way of scaring us. Rob Bell track real fear Often times when I meet atheists and we talk about the god they don’t believe in, we quickly discover that I don’t believe in that god, either. Rob Bell dont-believe atheist believe Well, I affirm orthodox Christian faith. I affirm the Nicene Creed. I don't think I'm doing anything terribly new. Rob Bell creeds christian thinking