Hey Guys and Gals!
My blog has moved to a new site: www.romanrandall.com
I am in the process of updating and editing my new blog, so it will take some time for it to look as sharp as I want it to.
Much love to you all, and thanks for reading 🙂
I recently wrote a post about why I enjoy attending conferences, that included five upcoming conferences this year. One conference I did not mention in that list is Willow Creek Association’s Global Leadership Summit.
Hosted annually at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, the Willow Creek Association (WCA) hosts a two day conference – the Global Leadership Summit – where they bring innovative & influential leaders from around the world to talk on various issues related to life, work, and leadership.
No matter where you are in life, what you do, or who you are, you are a leader. This conference is meant to help you grow as a leader, right where you are now, and where you will be down the road someday. The Global Leadership Summit is a great way to learn and grow from some of the most innovate, influential, and inspiring leaders from around the world, all in a two day span at one location.
Speakers for this years Summit are:
This year, WCA’s Global Leadership Summit is August 11-12, and the cost is $249-269, depending on when you purchase your ticket(s). However, if you are a student in highschool, college [undergrad or graduate], there is a student discount; bringing the total to $179. (NOTE: you must call the WCA for the Student Discount; you can’t purchase it via their website).
If you are a student and live in the Chicago land area, I think this is a HUGE bargain! (Especially since you don’t need to purchase airfare or a hotel room; you can drive to Willow Creek Community Church for the conference and then drive home for the night). And even if you are not a student, I think it is still worth attending the Summit.
Many people I know who have attended the Summit in previous years really enjoyed it and recommend attending. This year, I hope to attend the 2011 Global Leadership Summit. I plan on purchasing my tickets later this month [April].
How about you? Will you be attending WCA’s Global Leadership Summit this year? I hope to see you there! 🙂
Attending a conference can be one of the best experiences a person has in a given year.
I still remember going to a three-day conference in Grand Rapids Michigan two years ago with one of my good friends. The conference was on the art of speaking.
Not only did I learn so much about speaking, but my friend and I also enjoyed a restful time in downtown Grand Rapids while growing in our friendship and meeting new people. To this day, much of the experience is still ingrained in my memory because it was such a helpful and enjoyable time.
The following are some of the upcoming conferences in 2011 that I think you all might like to know about and maybe even attend. Some of them, if not most, are hosted annually, with location and dates changing each year. Click on the URL link below to learn more about the conference and register.
1. The !deation Conference — [ March 28-29; Long Beach, CA ]
www.ideationconference.com
2. The Elephant Room –– [ March 31; Chicago, IL ]
www.theelephantroom.com
3. The LoveLife Conference — [ April 1-2; Chicago, IL ]
Click here for Website
4. Passion Conference — [ April 1-3; Fort Worth, Texas ]
www.268generation.com
5. Chick-Fil-A Leadercast — [ May 6; Atlanta, GA ]
www.chick-fil-aleadercast.com
Are you planning on going to any of these conferences, and if so, which one(s)? Have you already been to a conference this year? If so, which one, and how did you like it?
Hope this helps! Soon, I’ll be publishing another post with five more conferences you might want to attend, so be on the lookout!
In case you are unaware, there has been much debate over Rob Bell‘s new book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person who Ever Lived. This is due to the fact that Bell questions and explores much of the common ideas held by conservative Evangelicals about God’s love, the Gospel, eternal life, eternal punishment, heaven, hell, and what happens to a person after he or she dies.
** This post will be broken down into two parts: (1) A summary of the book, and (2) my personal review of the book. NOTE: THE SUMMARY SECTION PRESENTS A SUMMARY OF THE BOOK, AND NOT MY AGREEMENT WITH WHAT THE BOOK SAYS. **
Summary:
In order to understand the book, we must understand why Bell writes the book. From the
Preface, Bell writes:
Keeping these three reasons in mind throughout one’s reading of the book is key to understanding the purpose of the book. According to Bell, he is not presenting some new idea that hasn’t been presented before in Christian history, and he is writing this book because he believes the story of Jesus is first and foremost about the love of God and also a faith that can handle the tough questions, such as, the one’s to be discussed in the book.
Bell, in is own words, is merely opening us up to the ongoing discussion: “If this book, then does nothing more than introduce you to the ancient, ongoing discussion surrounding the resurrected Jesus in all its vibrant, diverse, messy multivoiced complexity – well, I’d be thrilled.” (Preface, pg. xi).
Bell does not pick a certain theological stance on heaven and hell and defend it, rather, he opens us up to and invites us into the discussion that Christians have had about heaven and hell throughout the centuries. Included in the discussion is one such view that believes God could win a sinner over after death. In the book, Bell explains how and why someone could believe that, and that we should be open to the possibility of that being true.
Bell does not take a universalist stance in which he claims that all people will eventually be saved. He repeatedly states that our actions have consequences, and we can choose whether we want heaven or hell, because love gives one the freedom to choose, and God is love.
What Bell does do in the book is bring up the different understandings of how christians have thought about heaven and hell throughout the centuries. One of those understandings that Bell brings up is the possibility of God’s love softening and winning over the heart of a sinner after one dies, in which case, one could be saved after death.
(NOTE: Bell doesn’t say that this is the truth, but that we should be open to the possibility that this could be true. Bell also writes that there have been people who have held to this idea, these are the reasons why, and we should give them room to believe this since – in his mind – it is not outside the boundaries of biblical, historic, orthodox christianity).
Bell does not ignore Scripture or throw out Scripture, rather, he merely reads and interprets Scripture in another way. He does not deny Jesus as the atonement for our sins, or that we are reconciled to God through him (Chapter 5 is all about that). What he does do in the book, is seek to expand our understanding of who God is, what God is like, what the gospel is really about, the nature of Jesus’ love and grace, eternal life, and the possibility that God could save someone after death.
At the heart of the book, Bell seeks to explain how our view of God and the gospel effects our belief about heaven and hell, which effects how we live our life here and now.
It is important to note, that in the last chapter, Bell writes to the reader, urging he or she to make a commitment to trust Jesus, as those who did not trust Jesus ended up with consequences for their decision(s):
“This invitation to trust asks for nothing more than this moment, and yet it is infinitely urgent. Jesus told a number of stories about this urgency in which things did not turn out well for the people involved… While we continually find grace waiting to pick us up off the ground after we have fallen, there are realities to our choices.” (pg. 196-197).
Review:
What I like about the book:
1. I like how Bell explains that the gospel includes restoration and reconciliation, as well as the forgiveness of sins. Often, you will hear the gospel presented as merely a “ticket out of hell” card and nothing more. And while Jesus does save us from hell, sin, and death, the Scriptures DO declare that the gospel is about restoration, reconciliation, and the reuniting of heaven and earth (Matthew 19:28; Colossians 1:18-21; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Revelation 21-22).
2. I also like how Bell explains that eternal life is something that starts now and not a distant entity that begins once we die. (eternal life isn’t a stopwatch that starts once you die, rather, it’s something that occurs now and goes on into the future).
What I don’t like about the book:
1. Through the first 4 chapters, I felt like I was riding on a plane with no destination in sight. When I came to the end of chapter 4, I was left with more questions, doubts, and confusion. I admire Bell’s desire to open us up to the discussion of heaven and hell, but I don’t like how the first four chapters leave you feeling. Had the book started with chapters 5 & 6, and then gone through chapters 1-4, I think it would have been a much smoother ride (in fact, if you plan on reading the book, I recommend you first read chapters 5-6, and then come back and read chapters 1-4).
2. This would be a good book to read with your friends, family, or small group, but not alone. Since the book is meant to stimulate discussion and introduce you to the discussion that Christians have had for centuries on these topics, you are going to have lots of questions. If you don’t have an outlet to express your questions and receive feedback, you will get very frustrated and discouraged. (I talked to my parents and youth pastor about the book as I read it, and doing that helped a lot).
I’ve read all four of Bell’s other books, and I recommend you read all of them. (the list of them will be at the bottom of this post). However, because of the confusion and questions I felt throughout this book, I don’t recommend you read this book. While there is a lot in the book I did enjoy reading, I fear that the book may leave you more confused, uncertain, and left with loads of unanswered questions.
I do not agree with everything Bell says in the book, particularly the part about being saved after one dies. What I did enjoy reading was the part in the book about how our beliefs – particularly, our beliefs about what God is like and what the gospel is – effect how we live and how we view heaven and hell (Chapters 7-8).
NOTE: If you are someone who holds tightly to a theological system, and feel that their isn’t much room for discussion on theological topics, then you will have a big problem with this book. Also, it is a book that must be read cover to cover in order to fully grasp its message.
Bell’s Other Four Books:
1. Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
2. Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality & Spirituality
3. Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile
4. Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering
Not too long ago, a new social network dedicated to social justice issues was released by the co-founder of facebook, Chris Hughes.
Jumo is a social network that connects individuals and organizations who want to the help the world. Through Jumo, one can connect with other people and organizations who care about a social justice issue that matters to them, stay informed with the non-profit organization(s) one believes in, learn more about the issue/cause one is passionate about, and even get involved and help a non-profit where they need help. (To learn more about Jumo, click here.)
If you are a registered 501(c)3 non-profit, you can even enroll your organization to become one of the offical non-profits on Jumo. (Which will allow other people to hear
about your work, get involved, help out, spread the news, and donate financially).
In order to create a Jumo account, you need a facebook account. Jumo will connect to your facebook account, and the people you are friends with on facebook can know about the causes you care about, non-profits you support, and which organizations you believe they, your friends, should support as well.
It’s a pretty sweet network, and I think it will get more attention the longer it is around. Check it out. Let me know your thoughts 🙂
I am an avid reader. I think books are one of the best innovations ever known to mankind. Whether its an ebook, hardcover, audiobook, paperback, or papyrus, books are valuable and contain vast amounts of wisdom and knowledge than can help you help others.
I believe Solomon had some good words to say about knowledge: “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” (Proverbs 15:14)
Here are some books you might want to know about. I have not read them yet, but I have read previous books written by these authors. So, as always, use wisdom and discernment when reading. Hope you find the list helpful:
1. Love Wins by Rob Bell –> ( release Date =Â March 15 )
2. Weird by Craig Groeschel —> ( release date = April 5 )
3. Radical Together by David Platt –> ( April 19th )
4. Do the Work by Steven Pressfield –> (April 20th)
5. Out of a Far Country by Christopher Yuan –> ( May 3rd )
I hope you will learn more about these books and maybe even consider reading one of them, if not all. I usually purchase books from Amazon, as I have found their prices and service to be unbeatable. If you do end up reading one of these books, let me know; I’d like to know what you thought of it.
I once heard a pastor say, “spritual maturity is not measured by how much you know, but by your obedience to what you know.”
I think there is a lot of truth to that statement. This morning I was eating breakfast and I thought to myself, “What would happen if I just kept eating and eating, and never exercised?” I’d probably become extremely overweight, out of shape, clog my arteries, become lethargic and lazy, and maybe even kill myself.
Now, I don’t like compartmentalizing the human body, because I believe all aspects (physical, spiritual, mental/emotional) effect one another, but I do want to compartmentalize to illustrate a point:
If we were to constantly consume more and more food, without ever exercising, running, or doing some form of physical activity, we would eventually gain excessive weight, become lethargic and lazy, and possibly even die. If there was never any out-working of what we put into our physical bodies, our bodies would never grow and mature. In order for our bodies to become stronger, healthier, and mature, we need to be exerting a certain amount of physical activity daily.
Physical fitness and strength is measured by one’s physical abilities: what one is able to do. This requires one to exercise and do certain activites in order to become stronger. You would never measure how physically strong or mature someone is by how much food they consumed. You might think, “wow, that person eats a lot,” but you would never call that person strong or fit.
So why is it any different with our spiritual bodies?
If somebody knows a lot of scripture – if they consume a lot of God’s Word – but don’t really practice and do a lot of what they read in God’s Word, is that person really spiritually mature and strong? Or does that person merely consume a lot of Bible knowledge?
How do we gauge our own spiritual life to know how spiritually mature we are in the faith?
Look at what Jesus said:Â “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that ouse, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27 – emphasis added)Â 
Apparently, reading and hearing the Word of God is simply a means of gathering the materials to build your house. It’s only when you start doing what you read and hear, that you begin building your house. (aka, your faith; your spiritual life).
Hearing is only the beginning. Doing is the actual building part. The wise man reads the instructions and builds (does), while the foolish man only reads the instructions and doesn’t build (doesn’t do).
Maybe you could think of it this way: Reading and studying the Scriptures is like a bodybuilder who prepares to lift weights. He puts more dumbbells on the bar, stretches, 
gets a drink of water, and grabs a spotter to spot him while he lifts. It isn’t until the bodybuilder actually starts lifting the weights that his body begins to grow.
So it is with our spiritual life. When we begin doing what we read and study in Scripture, then we begin “lifting.” We begin to grow and get stronger spiritually once we start doing what we read. (This is known as obedience).
James said it this way: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves…but the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:22, 25).
Reading and studying the Scriptures is super important, but it is only the first step. It is merely gathering the materials we need to build our house: our spiritual life; our faith. If we are not doing what we read and only storing up more knowledge, then we are deceiving ourselves. We’re simply getting our tools ready to build our house, but not actually building our house. We’re simply getting the dumbbells ready to lift weights, but we’re not actually lifting weight.
I am not advocating legalism at all. Legalism is toxic religion and must be avoided. We do not earn our salvation through obedience to the commandments; we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). But our obedience to the commandments are a reflection of our faith (Matthew 7:21).
What can happen in our preaching of grace, if we are not careful, is that doing the Word of God can sometimes get overlooked and tossed aside. Obedience to the Scriptures matters to God, and it should matter to us too.
It is through obedience that we abide in Christ’s love, which produces fruit in our lives (John 15:1-12). It is also through obedience that we express our love for Christ (John 14:15).
Yes, we will not be perfect in our obedience, and Christ extends grace to us in our shortcomings. (Sin by its definition means, “to miss the mark.” When we sin – that is, when we miss the mark – there is grace to lift us up and forgive us. See Hebrews 4:16.)
“I’m certain that I know more than I believe; I want to work on believing more than I know.”
– Bob Goff
So make it your goal to not only read and study the Scriptures, but to also obey and do what you read; and know that when you fall short of fully obeying the commandments of God, their is grace to forgive you and grace to pick you up so that you can keep going (Hebrews 4:14-16).
I must admit, when I first heard of Twitter, I thought it was ridiculous. I thought the idea and concept of Twitter was pointless, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would use Twitter. In my mind, Facebook would always be more useful, since it could do what Twitter did and more.
I thought all this until I started using Twitter, and since then, I have completely changed my mind. 
Simply put, Twitter is an information network: a place where you can read and share information that matters to you. I believe Twitter is one of the most innovate, helpful, and brilliant social media networks.
Here’s why:
1. Learn to communicate w/ focus and clarity
2. Get to the good stuff
3. You can get a job
4. Stay connected
5. Few distractions
I have found Twitter to be helpful, productive, and enjoyable. It’s free and easy to use. Next to Facebook, I think it’s the best social network out there. (Linkedin comes in third, followed by YouTube). Try Twitter out. I think you will be surprised at how fun it is and how helpful it is.
What are your favorite social networks to use? Which ones have you found to be most helpful?
Let me know your thoughts 🙂 I always enjoy hearing from you all.
My choice for February’s book of the month, is Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado.
I was expecting the book to be good, but the book far exceeded my expectations.
Outlive Your Life is about inspiring you to live your life for a cause greater than yourself – the cause of Christ. The book explores what the cause of Christ is, and what it looks like for Jesus’ disciples to be sold out for His cause here and now in the 21st century. 
Pulling from the stories of the early Christians, Lucado takes you through the book of Acts; exploring how these first believers were sold out for Jesus’ sake, how their lives impacted the world, and what that might look like today.
The first century Christians turned the world upside down. Can a similar thing happen today? Lucado sure thinks so, and so do I. This book explores what that might look like, and how each one of us can play a part in Christ’s story – leaving an impact that outlives our individual life.
Again, I should reiterate that this book far exceeded my expectations. Lucado uses stories, illustrations, statistics, parables, and questions to help make the Scriptures jump out at you and inspire you to action. This book is one of my favorites.
You can buy the book at Barnes & Nobles, Amazon, Borders, or Family Christian Bookstore. Go get a copy. You won’t regret it.
If you use twitter and facebook or other social media networks, you might want to consider using Hootsuite. 
Hootsuite is a social media dashboard that allows you to control your numerous social media accounts from one place.
I have found Hootsuite to be easy to use, helpful, and efficient.
Here are a few reasons why I like Hootsuite. If you want a more exhaustive list, click here®.
1. linked accounts
2. built-in URL shortener
3. scheduled posts
Check it out, mess around with it, and let me know what you think. I still use the Twitter and Facebook home-pages, but Hootsuite is a nice occasional mix-up.
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