Hopeful Suffering

I had the chance to speak with Rob Bell today, a guy I've looked up to and respected for a while. A couple years ago Crystal and I made the trip from Barrie to Grand Rapids, Michigan to pay Rob a visit in his natural habitat. After the service I waited patiently as Rob was mobbed by a seemingly endless line of people in attendance that day, and when my turn came up, let's just say it wasn't a good first impression. Dude gave me the Nashville handshake (shake hands while looking elsewhere) and didn't look at the camera when I asked for a picture. To be totally honest, when I see that picture it hurts.

Maybe he's just uncomfortable with the celebrity status he has achieved? At least that's how I reasoned it in my head.

Anyway, my second encounter with Rob (over the phone today) was much more positive. In fact, I'm trying to get the night off work to go see Rob next Wednesday. Maybe even suck up my pride and try for a face-to-face encounter again. We'll see.

If you want to check it out, get your tickets HERE. And you can listen to my conversation with Rob HERE.