Women of Faith was “Over the Top” in Dallas

Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Those who attended the Women of Faith “Over the Top” conference in Dallas, TX this past weekend understand this promise from the Lord, and saw Him deliver. 

Our time together began with a bang.  Patsy Clairmont took her signature style, including sparkling jacket and bright red shoes, and her quick wit, to the stage and without delay won the audience’s attention and affection. 

“The things that break your heart, God will use for your refinement.”

“We are willful people.  Sometimes we have habits that need to be broken by God because they are not good for us.”

“Sometimes we just want God to fix us while we are resting in the night–instead, we have to take responsibility.”

“Begin your day with ‘Yes, God.’”

She spoke of her past struggle with agoraphobia and how fear made her a prisoner and a slave. 

“Put boundaries on your emotions.  Don’t just make everyone take cover when you come.”

“Your will is stronger than your emotions.  Feelings don’t have brains for a reason–they were not designed to do our thinking!”

“Imagination is a gift when controlled by a holy God.”

She reminded us of 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,” and also Proverbs 29:11, “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”   Patsy challenged us to “Refuse.  Replace.  Repeat” when it comes to our toxic thoughts and emotions, and assured us that if she could survive herself, as she called it, we could too.

Later in the weekend, she also shared her heartbreaking family struggle of when her eldest son Marty was in a 21-day coma and nearly died, and he now lives in pain 24 hours a day with no end in sight.  And after all her family has been through recently, her faith shined through when she challenged us to “wake up with a ‘yes’ in your heart for what God wants for you.”  She is truly a gem being used mightily by God.

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Andy Andrews convinced all of us early on that he had missed his morning dose of ADHD medication, but he kept us laughing and on the edge of our seats with his energetic storytelling and ability to connect.  After losing both of his parents at age 19 and becoming homeless for a time, he learned some valuable lessons, which he writes about in his books. 

“Realize that you have choices and many of your choices lead you to good or to bad.” 

“Nobody cares how you feel as much as they care how you act.  We are a culture that cares too much about feelings,” as if we elevate them above all else.

“There is an answer for what to do when you don’t know what to do–do something!”

Andy encouraged us to take responsibility for our lives and pursue God’s will as He shows us His plan.

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Friday evening we were brought back in time as Lisa Whelchel reminded us of the 1980’s when life was simpler and Blair from “The Facts of Life” was learning life’s lessons and building friendships.  She shared her own struggle with trying to make friends in her 40’s and warned of the dangers of isolation. 

                “There is a difference between being transparent and vulnerable.”

                “I invited people into my home but not into my heart”

We all have a desire to know and be known, she said, and while no one is perfect, we need each other, and building deep friendships, no matter what age we are, is valuable and rewarding.

* * *

Mandisa, from American Idol fame, who has now built quite a name for herself in the Christian music world, brought emotion and vulnerability through her songs “Stronger,” “Lifeline,” and “A Broken Hallelujah,” reminding us of the power of praising and worshiping God in the midst of any and every trial.  She also asked us to consider, “What if we were real,” instead of “hiding what’s going on inside.”  She had energy and heart, and was clearly a favorite with the crowd.

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The newest member to the Women of Faith team is Brenda Warner, and although she is known as Kurt Warner’s wife in some circles, or “mother of 7!”, to those of us listening to her story and experiencing her warm heart, we now know she has quite the testimony even apart from her famous husband.  After marrying young and experiencing the pain of infidelity and divorce, she also had to face the devastating news that her baby boy, Zach, at 4 months old, had a terrible accident, became legally blind, and would be “lucky to ever sit up again.”  If this wasn’t enough to break her heart, both of her parents died in a tornado that killed 7 in an Arkansas town.  Realizing that she could either choose to rise above and over her circumstances, or be buried by them, she chose to go to school and become a nurse as a single mom.  She met a football player named Kurt Warner who immediately came to love and accept her and her children.

“My circumstances did not determine God’s love for me!  Your circumstances don’t determine who you are–God does!”

Zach is now 22 and doing well (and is cute as a button!).  Brenda Warner is making an impact with her story–those terrible circumstances no one should have to go through–because of her faith in the Lord.

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Sandi Patty, a Women of Faith alum, shared her struggles with always wanting and striving to be “good enough.”  How many times do we say, “If only I had been good enough. . .” this or that wouldn’t have happened?  But Sandi reminds us that God says, over and over again to our broken hearts, “My child, you are enough for Me, and I am enough for you.”

* * *

Katharine Everett, Baylor University graduate and actress, performed three inspiring and encouraging dramas throughout the weekend, written by Women of Faith favorite Nicole Johnson, and moved the audience to tears.  One sketch in particular spoke to me personally, as a mother.  Some days we can feel invisible, as if what we are building in our children and our families is not being noticed, appreciated, or showing the results for which we hope.  Katharine reminded me that “my invisibility is the cure to my self-centeredness . . . the antidote to pride.”  Our prayers should be, “O Lord, help me to be more invisible.”  And just as the builders of the greatest cathedrals all over the world are often not known by name, Katharine reminded us through her skit that they have built something long-lasting and grand even while being “invisible.”

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For those of us like myself who grew up with Amy Grant in our boom boxes and walkmans, Saturday afternoon was a real treat.  She took the stage for nearly an hour (and I’m fairly certain she was barefoot–her signature) and sang favorites old and new, such as “My Father’s Eyes,” “Lead Me On,” and “Better Than a Hallelujah,” to name a few.

* * *

Another Women of Faith alum, Marilyn Meberg, gave unarguably the most life-changing message of all.  She presented the gospel in clear and compelling detail, saying that each one of us has a craving for more in our life and until that “more” is filled with Jesus, we will still be left wanting.  I pray that those who felt the Lord tugging on their hearts as Marilyn spoke will answer Him and receive Jesus to fill their want.

* * *

The talented Women of Faith Worship Team led us in a weekend of contemporary worship music and helped to prepare our hearts for life-changing messages. 

For the woman needing hope, I pray that she found Immanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

For the woman needing rest, I pray that she met the One who takes our weary souls and renews our strength; who makes us “soar on wings like eagles” and “walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

For the woman needing faith, I pray that she encountered the most trustworthy and faithful Servant of all.

For the woman needing a big hug, I pray that she fell into the arms of the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

For the woman needing something powerful to happen in her life, I pray that she experienced the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient Creator of the universe.

It was a weekend of “over the top” talent and heart from very gifted speakers and musicians, and “over the top” love from a God who created us in His image, loves us beyond human understanding, and wants a personal relationship with each and every one of us. 

For more information on how to attend a Women of Faith conference in your area, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Days and Counting!

 

Couldn’t you use a weekend away with your friends, your mom, your sister, your grandmother, and a few thousand of your neighbors?  The stock market is volatile, relationships are hurting, people are suffering and lost, and the heat throughout much of the nation is unbearable.  The perfect answer to what ails you could very well be found at this year’s “Over the Top” Women of Faith conference!  I have no doubt that it is God’s desire to meet you there, where you are, and show you His infinite, perfect, unfailing, “over the top” love for you and His plan for your life.  He’s met me there before and as the Spirit moves in that stadium full of spiritual seekers, lifelong faith warriors, and every woman in between, whether you are flying high in life or battle-weary, you will be changed.  Count on it, because God loves showing us His strength in our weakness, and when I listen to the speakers at Women of Faith tell their stories, I see women being used by God in powerful and dramatic ways, and it all began for them when they were weakest. 

Check out this preview video of Women of Faith and consider attending a conference near you!  For details, go here.

Countdown to Women of Faith

 

It began for me in 2008–my first Women of Faith conference.  I laughed and I cried.  I relaxed and I was challenged.  And when Anita Renfroe took the stage with her clean and yet still hilarious comedy, I nearly peed my pants!

Over the next month, I will be showcasing a few of my favorite moments from the Women of Faith conferences I’ve attended–moments I will not soon forget.  Whether it was personal stories and testimonies from any of the great speakers–Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg, Sandi Patty, Luci Swindoll, or Sheila Walsh–or drama by Nicole Johnson–or worship with Natalie Grant, Mandisa, Amy Grant, or the Women of Faith worship team who are outstanding–my life has been touched by Women of Faith. 

I look forward to this year’s “Over the Top” tour.  The theme this year, as stated on the Women of Faith website, is “God loves us more than we know. He gives us more than we can ask or dream. He’s unrestrained… excessive… outrageous… Over the Top.”

Check out this comedy by Anita Renfroe, enjoy your Monday, and consider attending a Women of Faith conference!  For details, go here. 

 

Casey Anthony Not Guilty

Much of the world is stunned today.  In the court of public opinion, Casey Anthony was guilty, no doubt, but in a court of law, she was found not guilty.  I’m speechless, and as much as I’m tempted to say the jury must have been in the sun too much over there in Florida to render this verdict, I have to respect our judicial system.

In the middle of my yelling at the television, which I then had to explain to my son who observed me, a spiritual truth hit me. 

The same rage, disbelief, and disgust that many of us feel as we watch someone we believe to have gotten away with murder. . .

The same injustice we feel has been done as little Caylee suffered and died and no one will pay. . .

The same judgment we feel towards Casey as we watched her party and dance on her daughter’s grave, so to speak. . .

Isn’t this the same rage, disbelief, disgust, injustice, and judgment we should feel towards ourselves as sinners condemned to die, but whom Jesus declares NOT GUILTY?!

Casey received GRACE.

Casey received MERCY perhaps.

And in no way do I mean to imply that she is innocent (I personally do not believe that for a second), nor that she shouldn’t have had to pay for her crimes if she committed them (and I personally believe she did).  I’m simply illustrating a spiritual truth by way of a real life example. 

The Bible says that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  We all have sin in us, and as repulsive as the alleged sin of Casey Anthony is, God sees all sin as the same, and I am just as separated from a holy God for any number of my sins as a murderer (or “worse”) would be. 

Not only that, but the Bible also says that we are all capable of murder.  “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  If 1 John 3:15 is to be taken literally, and I believe that it is, “anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer.”  Did we catch that?  I am a murderer (and here, “brother or sister” is generic for anyone).   

But we have been offered grace and mercy by Jesus dying on the cross for us, bearing the weight of all our sin, so that we might be presented to God, “holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22).

GRACE

MERCY

Casey Anthony was offered a “Not Guilty” verdict, and it angers many of us, but she would by crazy if she refused it.

We know we are guilty of sin.  We are offered a “Not Guilty” verdict.  Will we refuse it, and instead, point fingers at other’s sin while rotting inside with our own?

To be declared “Not Guilty,” click here.

TRUTH Wins

There is a new book out that is getting a lot of people talking, myself included.  In fact, I’m doing more than talking. . .I’m a little bit steaming, a little bit grieved, a little bit disappointed, a little bit challenged.  Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, has written a book entitled Love Wins.  I am steaming because Bell’s interpretations of Scripture are erroneous and misleading.  I am grieved because many, many are being led astray with Bell’s teachings–away from the Truth of God’s Word.  I am disappointed because many are being pulled in to these “preferred” (easily digested) beliefs maybe without discernment and Bell is unknowingly (I will give him the benefit of the doubt) spreading this false teaching.  I am challenged to “stand on truth” as best as I can and challenge the “theology” of this book, and to be a megaphone of Truth to all those who are lost.

A few weeks ago, the pastor of my church spoke out against this book.  I had just finished reading it a few weeks earlier and felt as he did–upset, grieved, and obligated to speak about it.  Here are the notes I took as I read the book, with Bell’s text in black, my thoughts in red.  You will not find an eloquently written book review here.  My passion is still running too high to do anything more organized than repeat some of his words and react to them.  I hope it sparks good discussion and, for all of the fellow apologists out there, helps us to be aware of the false teachings that are so rampant here in the end times.  And so we begin. . .

“Rob Bell goes a long way in helping us acquire just such an imagination.  Love Wins accomplishes this without a trace of soft sentimentality and without compromising an inch of evangelical conviction in its proclamation of the good news that is most truly for all.”–Eugene Peterson (in the front flap)

I am very disappointed to find Eugene Peterson here with this quote endorsing Bell’s book and his theology.  It makes me very suspect of his interpretation of the Bible in The Message Bible.

“A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’s message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.” (Bell, 2011, preface)

                A fair summary of what we are about to delve into here.  Toxic? 

“So is it true that the kind of person you are doesn’t ultimately matter, as long as you’ve said or prayed or believed the right things?  If you truly believed that, and you were surrounded by Christians who believed that, then you wouldn’t have much motivation to do anything about the present suffering of the world, because you would believe you were going to leave someday and go somewhere else to be with Jesus.  If this understanding of the good news of Jesus prevailed among Christians, the belief that Jesus’s message about how to get somewhere else, you could possibly end up with a world in which millions of people were starving, thirsty, and poor; the earth was being exploited and polluted; disease and despair were everywhere; and Christians weren’t known for doing much about it.  If it got bad enough, you might even have people rejecting Jesus because of how his followers lived.” (Bell, 2011, p.6)

True followers of Jesus, when they have the Spirit living and moving in them, are motivated to do for those “starving, thirsty, and poor” of this world–in fact, it is the very power of Christ living out His life through us that moves us towards that.  What breaks God’s heart comes to break ours.  I see almost no basis for the thought that true believers, because they have a ticket to heaven, would then say to heck with the suffering in this life.  True followers know that Jesus commanded us in John 13:34 for example to “Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  In Matthew 25:40, we read, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  We see over and over again throughout the Bible that the mark of a true Christian is his or her love for others, caring for the poor, and taking care of “the least of these.”  I would question those who have “prayed or believed the right things” but they don’t live out the fruits of that relationship with Christ, whether they have a true relationship with Christ or not.  Therefore I disagree with Bell’s premise here.

“Jesus teaches us to pursue the life of heaven now and also then, anticipating the day when earth and heaven are one.” (Bell, 2011, p. 46)

                Bell frequently seems to be implying that heaven is here on earth now.  Good theology?

“To portray heaven as bliss, peace, and endless joy is a beautiful picture, but it raises the question:  How many of us could handle it, as we are today?  How would we each do in a reality that had no capacity for cynicism or slander or worry or pride?  It’s important, then, to keep in mind that heaven has the potential to be a kind of starting over.  Learning how to be human all over again.” (Bell, 2011, p. 50-51)

This sounds to me like complete New Age jargon.  Not only that, but heaven will not be full of cynicism and slander.  There will be no sin in heaven, as only those who will be there are those whose sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. 

“Sometime when Jesus used the word ‘heaven,’ he was simply referring to God, using the word as a substitute for the name of God.  Second, sometimes when Jesus spoke of heaven, he was referring to the future coming together of heaven and earth in what he and his contemporaries called life in the age to come.  And then third–when Jesus talked about heaven, he was talking about our present eternal, intense, real experiences of joy, peace, and love in this life, this side of death and the age to come.  Heaven for Jesus wasn’t just ’someday’; it was a present reality.  Jesus blurs the lines, inviting the rich man, and us, into the merging of heaven and earth, the future and present, here and now.  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 lived now in connection to God.” (Bell, 2011, p. 58)

                Again, this part about the word “heaven” sometimes being a “substitute for the name of God” sounds like really faulty theology.  Those of you with seminary degrees, any response?

The best thing about heaven is being with Jesus forever–I don’t believe, to the best of my recollection, that Bell mentions this glorious truth anywhere in his book.

“So how do I answer questions about heaven?  How would I summarize all that Jesus teaches?  There’s heaven now, somewhere else.  There’s heaven here, sometime else.  And then there’s Jesus’s invitation to heaven here and now, in this moment, in this place.” (Bell, 2011, p. 62)

HUH?  This is what disturbs me about these emerging church pastors. . .they love using their words to ask a bunch of questions, provide little answers, keep everything mysterious, and cause everyone to scratch their head and say, “What on earth are they REALLY saying, beneath all these poetic frills?!”  Is that intentional–talk all over the place so that fewer of us can criticize what they are saying?

“And that’s what we find in Jesus’s teaching about hell–a volatile mixture of images, pictures, and metaphors that describe the very real experiences and consequences of rejecting our God-given goodness and humanity.” (Bell, 2011, p. 73)

So hell is rejecting our God-given goodness?  What about rejecting God, and just putting the period there, after ‘God’?  Again, very faulty theology and sounds like New Age.

“Some people are primarily concerned with systemic evils–corporations, nations, and institutions that enslave people, exploit the earth, and disregard the welfare of the weak and disempowered.  Others are primarily concerned with individual sins, and so they focus on personal morality, individual patterns, habits, and addictions that prevent human flourishing and cause profound suffering.  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 the least concerned about hell after death.  What we see in Jesus’s story about the rich man and Lazarus is an affirmation that there are all kinds of hells, because there are all kinds of ways to resist and reject all that is good and true and beautiful and human now, in this life, and so we can only assume we can do the same in the next.” (Bell, 2011, p. 78)

Again, the “hell” on earth that I am most (not exclusively, but most) concerned about right now is the eternal destiny of billions of souls who do not accept Jesus.  This does not mean that I am not concerned with other’s suffering here on earth.  To me, Bell’s comment implies mutual exclusivity, and I don’t agree.  I do, however, think there are many people here today that “do good” around the world, but do it completely apart from the name of Jesus.  But why mention them here–they aren’t going to be concerned about other’s going to hell after death if they aren’t even saved themselves.  And again, why are we mentioning “all kinds of hells,” but neglecting to clarify the one hell that will be for those who reject Christ?

“. . .Jesus talked about hell to the people who considered themselves ‘in,’ warning them that their hard hearts were putting their ‘in-ness’ at risk, reminding that that whatever ‘chosen-ness’ or ‘election’ meant, whatever special standing they believed they had with God was always, only, ever about their being the kind of transformed, generous, loving people through whom God could show the world what God’s love looks like in flesh and blood.” (Bell, 2011, p. 82)

“Putting their ‘in-ness’ at risk”?  Our salvation, if we are truly saved, is not at risk of being lost.  Where does he get this ‘theology’?

” ‘Satan,’ according to Paul, is actually used by God for God’s transforming purposes.  Whoever and whatever he means by that word ‘Satan,’ there is something redemptive and renewing that will occur when Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy) are ‘handed over.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 89)

                Why is Satan in quotes?  Is he just a concept to Bell?

“To summarize, then, we need a loaded, volatile, adequately violent, dramatic, serious word to describe the very real consequences we experience when we reject the good and true and beautiful life that God has for us.  We need a word that refers to the big, wide, terrible evil that comes from the secrets hidden deep within our hearts all the way to the massive, society-wide collapse and chaos that comes when we fail to live in God’s world God’s way.  And for that, the word ‘hell’ works quite well.  Let’s keep it.” (Bell, 2011, p. 93)

                He keeps saying “reject the good” rather than reject God.  Hell is more than just a word.

1 Timothy 2–”God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  “So does God get what God wants?  How great is God?  Great enough to achieve what God sets out to do, or kind of great, medium great, great most of the time, but in this, the fate of billions of people, not totally great.  Sort of great.  A little great.  Will all people be saved, or will God not get what God wants?  Does this magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?” (Bell, 2011, p. 97)

As in, if He doesn’t get what He wants, He’s not great enough?  This is so very offensive to me–equating what God wants with what he is able to do or not do, and his greatness.  Completely erroneous logic on Bell’s part.

“Once again, God has a purpose.  A desire.  A goal.  And God never stops pursuing it.  Jesus tells a series of parables in Luke 15 about a woman who loses a coin, a shepherd who loses a sheep, and a father who loses a son.  The stories aren’t ultimately about things and people being lost; the stories are about things and people being found.  The God that Jesus teaches us about doesn’t give up until everything that was lost is found (what biblical reference is he using to support this?).  This God simply doesn’t give up.  Ever.” (Bell, 2011, p. 101)

                It’s not about God “giving up.”  It’s about our free will to choose to stay lost.   It’s also about the joy in finding something that once was lost.  God wants our legitimate love, not a bunch of robots forced to love Him.

2 Timothy 2, God “cannot disown himself.”  “As Abraham asked in Genesis 18, ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’  Which is stronger and more powerful, the hardness of the human heart or God’s unrelenting, infinite, expansive love?  Thousands through the years have answered that question with the resounding response, ‘God’s love, of course.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 109)

                Again, Bell seems to be making this a question of God’s competence and that is offensive to me.  The conclusions he draws from that logic are completely anti-biblical.

Why does Bell assume that “right” from Genesis 18 does not include holy and just?  He assumes the only “right” thing to do would be to save all?  So if I don’t believe “love wins,” I don’t believe God’s love is unfailing?

“A seed has to be buried in the ground before it can rise up from out of the earth as new life.  Think of what you’ve had to eat today.  Dead.  All of it.  So when the writers of the Bible talk about Jesus’s resurrection bringing new life to the world, they aren’t talking about a new concept.  They’re talking about something that has always been true.  It’s how the world works.  Although the cross is often understood as a religious icon, it’s a symbol of an elemental reality, one we all experience every time we take a bite of food.” (Bell, 2011, p. 130-131)

Am I being too sensitive?  Resurrection of plant life is same as the resurrection of our Lord and Savior?

“What kind of universe are we living in?  Is it safe or dangerous?  Is there a force, an energy, a being calling out to us, in many languages, using a variety of methods and events, trying to get our attention?” (Bell, 2011, p. 141)

A force?  Energy?  These are very New-Age terms.  And New-Age is one of the valid criticisms of the emerging church movement, of which Bell is a part.

“First, there is exclusivity.  Jesus is the only way.  Then there is inclusivity.  The kind that is open to all religions, the kind that trusts that good people will get in, that there is only one mountain, but it has many paths.  And then there is an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity.  This kind insists that Jesus is the way, but holds tightly to the assumption that the all-embracing, saving love of this particular Jesus the Christ will of course include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum.  As soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland, many Christians become very uneasy, saying that then Jesus doesn’t matter anymore, the cross is irrelevant, it doesn’t matter what you believe, and so forth.  Not true.  Absolutely, unequivocally, unalterably not true.  What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody.  And then he leaves the door way, way open.  Creating all sorts of possibilities.  He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe.  He is as exclusive as himself and as inclusive as containing every single particle of creation.” (Bell, 2011, p. 154-155)

                So is he saying the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., no matter what they believe about Jesus Christ?  No matter who they surrender their lives to?  That it’s all okay because Jesus will take the credit for saving them?  This is such dangerous teaching. 

“Some people have so much baggage with regard to the name ‘Jesus’ that when they encounter the mystery present in all of creation–grace, peace, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness–the last thing they are inclined to name it is ‘Jesus.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 159)

                Again, suggestions of New-Age here.  Unfortunately, the “baggage” is a real issue that we need to address, but that doesn’t mean we should apologize that Jesus is who He is, and that He is the only way.  Is Bell suggesting that we condone crediting “the mystery present in all of creation” to someone or something else, instead of Jesus, because of those with baggage? 

“But there’s more.  Millions have been taught that if they don’t believe, if they don’t accept in the right way, that is, the way the person telling them the gospel does, (what about the way the Bible says?) and they were hit by a car and died later that same day, God would have no choice but to punish them forever in conscious torment in hell.  God would, in essence, become a fundamentally different being to them in that moment of death, a different being to them forever.  A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormenter who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony.” (Bell, 2011, p. 173)

He is not a “different being” in one moment than the next.   He’s the same!  He is perfectly just, perfectly holy, and perfectly loving.  Bell seems to want to keep the “perfectly loving” but dump the “perfectly just and holy” (the part that tells us God will not co-exist with our sin).

“We do ourselves great harm when we confuse the very essence of God, which is love, with the very real consequences of rejecting and resisting that love, which creates what we call hell.” (Bell, 2011, p. 177)

Again, God is also HOLY and JUST.  And again, hell is created by us?

And those are just some of the thoughts about heaven and hell according to Rob Bell. 

The way that I see it, we believers have little choice but to get involved, and that’s okay by me.  It is the Great Commission of Matthew 28.  And in these end times, deceptions are on the rise, false beliefs are disguised as being more loving or politically correct (which is a deception in and of itself), and our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)!  We have a mission, and the stakes are high.  The Holy Spirit wants to work through us as He draws lost souls to Himself.  It is not loving to tell others what they may want to hear, but at the expense of keeping from them the very loving truth of the gospel–the love of a perfect heavenly Father, but also the wrath and judgment of a holy God.  Rob Bell is wrong in much of what he says (or even implies) in Love Wins, and I, for one, want to stand on truth and spread God’s Truth of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of what Rob Bell teaches, and because of it!

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