American blogger and writer Rob Bell is back in the UK right now. And here at Greenbelt, we’re thrilled to have worked with him to set up this Holy Shift Tour, his first dates here for almost eight years.
Last night, Rob spoke to a sell-out crowd at London’s Union Chapel. Tonight he’ll be in Cheltenham (the festival’s old stomping ground). After this, he’ll be travelling on to Doncaster, St Helen’s, Dublin, Ipswich, Cardiff, Leicester and Edinburgh.
If you want an evening packed full of laughter, wisdom, insight, provocation and nourishment, you need to be there.
Here’s a couple of the many, many comments we clocked from last night’s opening show:
“It was nothing short of genius…….so glad to have been there. Just what I needed.”
@anormanwalker
“A cracking evening. Thanks so much! Thought-provoking, soul-warming, funny, challenging awesomeness.”
@S_Wordsmith
And here’s what we tweeted ourselves from the show (tricky to tweet from an extended stand-up gig!):
Google has no algorithm for ‘the holy’.
Holy. 1) Fearness: Don’t step into the circle. Give it respect. Dignity. Honour.
Holy 2.) Smallness *gasp*. Accutely aware of your own sense of smallness.
Holy. 3.) Weirdness. Can you hear the trees growing?! No rational explanation.
You are on Holy Ground
Holy has always has an Ethical Justice element to it
But you really do need to be there to take it all in. There’s nothing like the experience of being in the room. Rob is part stand-up comedian, part old-time preacher. He may only speak outside of trad. church settings now, but his work is still that of a preacher.
Tickets for all the shows are still available – but only online, not on the door.
Articles on Rob and the Holy Shift
It’s preaching by not as we know it, Andy Walton
Rob Bell isn’t cool, Jonty Langley
Podcasts on the Holy Shift
Ed Thornton, Church Times: Life After Love wins
Sam Hailes, Premier: Rob Bell On Losing His Audience, Finding A New One, And Why He’s Still Preaching