Book Number 5...

Just finished my 5th book for 2007, Sex God by Rob Bell. It was an easy read, and a really great book. You know it's a great book when notes that you took from the book use half of your journal up.

Personally, I enjoy anything Rob writes. He is a fantastic author and a deep thinker. In the book he challenges the reader to think about the fact that "this is really about that." Read the book and that line will make sense. In the book Rob does explore sexuality, but goes deeper with the topic as he describes sexuality as a picture of our relationship with God.

Here are some thoughts/quotes from the book.

• Sex. God. They’re connected. They can’t be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other.
• “Something serious, something hellish, happens when people are treated like objects, and we should resist it at all costs.” (p. 22) Where are they places people are treated like objects, and what am I doing to resist it?
• “How you treat the creation reflects how you feel about the creator.” (p. 27-28) Sadly, to often I have not treated creation kindly. I don’t recycle. I spit my gum out my car window. Not good.
• “With every decision, comment, gesture, action, conversation, and attitude we are inviting either heaven or hell to earth.” (p. 29) That’s huge. What am I bringing to earth?
• “Our sexuality has two dimensions – One, our awareness of how profoundly disconnected and cut off we are, and secondly all the ways we go about trying to reconnect. So, our sexuality is all the ways we try to reconnect with the world, with each other, and with God.” (p. 41)
• “Lust comes from a deep lack of satisfaction with life. If only I had that/him/her/it, then I’d be …” (p. 73) Am I content with my life? Or, do I always desire more things?
• “There’s so much to enjoy, yet we fixate on what we don’t have” (p. 74) So true!
• “Freedom isn’t being able to have whatever we crave. Freedom is going without whatever we crave and being fine with it.” (p. 75)
• Chapters 5-8 – great chapters for people who are engaged. Rob talks about love, submitting to each other – mutual submission, healthy marriages, mystery in a marriage, becoming one flesh, intimacy, being honest with each other, sharing dreams, hopes, and fears with your spouse. Really great stuff.
• “Our understanding of how God sees us will shape everything about how we live. What we do comes out of who we believe we are.” Who do you believe you are? Who do I believe I am?