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biobibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Solid and reliable Rob Bell book. His work shines mostly at its ability to spark questions and debate vs providing any real new thoughts or answers. This is less controversial and more motivational than others though.
nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
I literally finished this in a 1/2 hr with a 5 minute break. It is still good and it has some fantastic lines, but it is a tiny book.
akingston5's review against another edition
This is a very fast read-- about half an hour-- but full of good stuff on the relationship of imagination and suffering. If you have time, check it out! Or borrow my copy!
cjdawn236's review against another edition
5.0
This book is like one of Rob Bell's Nooma videos in writing. He has used text, font, font size, color, photos and layout design to create more interest while reading. It's a quick read, probably wouldn't take more than an hour if you had the time to read it straight through. But the subject, like all of Bell's books, is deep. He focuses on suffering, which may make this a good read for anyone going through a hard time. But it's a great book for anyone to read at any point in their life.
larasearcy's review against another edition
5.0
I went to Rob Bell's conference, "Drops Like Stars" in November 2009. It was another wonderful and enlightening session that always leaves me with a fresh perspective on not only religion, but life... though ultimately the two are forever connected since "everything is spiritual." This book is a wonderful "highlight" of that session as it captures all of the main points, ancedotes, images, and questions from his teaching. Ultimately, the main focus is that suffering unites us. And he shows this focus in a creative way... thus the subtitle for the book is "A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering." Suffering Unites. There is power in the phrase, "I know how you feel." This is the power and testimony of Christ and the cross. The six subpoints that he makes include:
I. The Art of Disruption
II. The Art of Honesty
III. The Art of the Ache
IV. The Art of Solidarity
V. The Art of Elimination
VI. The Art of Failure
Each connection is random at times but truly interesting as all things end up coming together in a united theme. My favorite subtheme is probably "The Art of Elimination." He uses many metaphors to show that sometimes it is in the taking away of things (loved ones, finances, health, soap, clay, art, etc). that shows more truth and beauty. "And there is an extraordinary, beautiful art to knowing what to take away."
This book is a great "1 hour" read and it is created like a "coffee table" book in that it is bigger in size with interesting pictures. However, I feel that if you did not attend the session, it may not all come together. So hopefully the DVD will be out soon.
"There is a greatness in you. Courage. Desire. Integrity. Virtue. Compassion. Dignity. Loyalty. Love. It's in there-- somewhere. And sometimes it takes suffering to get at it. It's in there."
I. The Art of Disruption
II. The Art of Honesty
III. The Art of the Ache
IV. The Art of Solidarity
V. The Art of Elimination
VI. The Art of Failure
Each connection is random at times but truly interesting as all things end up coming together in a united theme. My favorite subtheme is probably "The Art of Elimination." He uses many metaphors to show that sometimes it is in the taking away of things (loved ones, finances, health, soap, clay, art, etc). that shows more truth and beauty. "And there is an extraordinary, beautiful art to knowing what to take away."
This book is a great "1 hour" read and it is created like a "coffee table" book in that it is bigger in size with interesting pictures. However, I feel that if you did not attend the session, it may not all come together. So hopefully the DVD will be out soon.
"There is a greatness in you. Courage. Desire. Integrity. Virtue. Compassion. Dignity. Loyalty. Love. It's in there-- somewhere. And sometimes it takes suffering to get at it. It's in there."
bibliobiophile's review against another edition
3.0
Solid and reliable Rob Bell book. His work shines mostly at its ability to spark questions and debate vs providing any real new thoughts or answers. This is less controversial and more motivational than others though.
ben_smitty's review against another edition
4.0
I remember reading this in '12 and remember liking it quite a bit. This was before I was really acquainted with Bell's theology. The advice that Bell gives, that suffering leads to creativity, is good advice, although a tad hackneyed.
mjarmel's review against another edition
3.0
Solid and reliable Rob Bell book. His work shines mostly at its ability to spark questions and debate vs providing any real new thoughts or answers. This is less controversial and more motivational than others though.
mgreco5's review against another edition
4.0
Like all things Rob Bell, the prose is sparse and there are a lot of anecdotes. I enjoy a lot of the concepts presented here and he gives a lot to think about, but I wish there was more connective tissue to bind everything together.