Tomato 22 - Rob Bell [DVD]

I liked Tomato, because Rob begins by talking about salsa, things that grow, being connected with the earth, the circle of life, it was very Lion King. I am not sure I understood the man with the umbrella and the red shoes, perhaps he was the symbol of the person I project, or the bad self that pulls me away from being the person I should, someone wiser than I [like my wife] will have to explain it to me.

"We learn from a young age that life is about winning and impressing. We pick up that our worth and value come from how good, how smart, and how skilled we are. So, we twist things in our favor, making us look like we have it all together." ~ Rob Bell

A lesson for both those who live by the teachings of Christ and those who do not. Recently I watched the movie, God Save Us From Your Followers [more on that later] and it seemed to me that the BIG issue with Christians today is convincing others how "right" we are. We think if we can just prove or show or convince how right we are - then people will be convinced and follow Jesus.

That same movie begins with a quote,

"No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument" ~ Phillip Yancey

"Every day we have the choice to prop up these false ideas about ourselves or to let go of them. Jesus invites these parts of us to die, the parts of us that tell us our worth comes from the things we say and do. Maybe it's only when we let these things die, that we truly begin to live." ~ Rob Bell

The whole message of the gospel is to come and die. When we first see Jesus walking along the seashore and by the sea of Galilee, we see a Jesus calling disciples. "Follow me" he says. The initial call is familiar, friendly and available. But towards the end of his ministry, Jesus reveals to his disciples the destination.

Where are you following Christ....to?

Because it should be the cross. If your message and your gospel isn't a message to come and die, then your message is missing a crucial aspect. How do you move people to come and follow....all the way to the cross?

Death to self means death to being right.

Death to self means death to having all the answers.

Death to self means, "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:19-20

I was introduced to Rob Bell by a 13 yr old member of my youth group who had seen the full length (110 minute) DVD The Gods Aren't Angry
WOW! I (the 40 yr old pastor) was tranfixed and SO WERE THE YOUTH! This video "Tomato" is one of the NOOMA series and has a run time of about 15 minutes. I am using NOOMA videos, including this one, as a summer program for youth and adults. Each video comes with a study guide. Each is Biblically grounded and absolutely modern. Each is thoughtful but can also contain great humor. "Tomato" asks us to consider how and why we rate ourselves ("success", "loser" etc) versus how God feels about our worth and value. Good questions get us thinking. Great for youth who NEED the latest and greatest stuff to be cool and for adults who might feel like failures after a job loss or divorce.