How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living

I love Rob Bell, I am an avid follower of a lot of his DVD's and literature, and I think his storytelling approach is a fantastic way to get his point across to target audiences. While the nuances or in-depth of HOW might not be something clearly demonstrated, he is a master storyteller and this book is no exception. The storytelling approach makes this an easier read and enjoyable, while still driving points across and making it possible to retain information, experiences, and, well, stories.Love this book and would recommend again and again.

Rob Bell is a story teller. This is his gift. He weaves stories to make a point. It's also frustrating, too. Recently I was asked to lead a study group on this book. The stories are great and easy to remember, but the main thrust of the book, about being present, isn't quite articulated well.If you listen to the Robcast, many of these stories will already be familiar. This is a good book and teaches many valuable lessons about living life in its fullest, but he never quite gets to the point about How to be Here.

I love how Rob seems to have mastered the ability to take these profound deep truths and condense them into a sentence that makes you say ,"Ohhh, of course! Why didn't I think of that?" These are peppered throughout the book and definitely make it worth reading.On to the content of the book, I'm not really sure what I was expecting, and that's what I got. I had preordered the book in a time when I was wrestling with work life balance. Even when I was home I couldn't find a way to be working since the nature of my job involves a lot of creativity and complex thought. Rob's solution seems to be getting a closed head injury, which turned out to be tremendous advice. So what is the book about? Presence? Living life? Spirituality? Christianity? Creativity? Yes. It's about all those. It's a reminder that life is a gift that we've been given, and with it we can choose to partner with the Divine in the ongoing creation of the world. Pretty sweet. It's not deep, it's not heady, it's just full of truth and stories.

I like this type of book and I understand that someone might have one or two good ideas and decide to write a book to convey those one or two ideas but then discover that they have to fill a whole book with other not so good ideas. That makes sense to me. But this is the thing - don't write about wise things and then do something that shows a lack of insight. I'm talking about narrating your own book. For a few dollars more I purchased the audible recording. It is not done well. There is too much emphasis on things that should not be emphasized. He reads in such a way as to think that all of his words are "inspired words". It is distracting. It is obvious that he would come back and record chapters in another session. He starts many sections with "OK, here we go." What? Not understanding that your listener is listening to the "whole" recording is a lack of insight. Not that I listened in one sitting - no I was in my car - but I didn't listen to it according to the pattern of his recording sessions. Nothing worse then "OK, here we go...." and then 15 minutes later "OK, here we go...." It got to be like fingers on a chalkboard.So I thought to myself - "Self, I wonder what the book looks like given this strange way he is reading it." The funny thing is that now that I had "his voice" in my head the book read with the same annoying incantation. Made me wonder what voice I would have "heard" if I had only read the book and not listened to the narration. I will never know. I've been tainted.All that being said, there is his one to two observations that do make the book/audio worth checking out. Now those insights could have been conveyed in a pamphlet but that is his prerogative.

Great book! Rob has helped pull me out of a particularly difficult time in my life yet again. (The first time was with his DVD Nooma - Rain) I have the book and have listened to it twice already on audiobook. The book is written with very simple language, but the impact of the concepts are huge and transforming. Rob states things that I have often felt, but found difficult to articulate. This book is great for anyone regardless of stage in life, from new college grads, to those who are in midst of suffering, to the stressed parent, or the middle aged person who feels like there should be something more than just the rat race of work. I would, and have been, highly recommending this book to everyone I see. It is a short easy read that can change your paradigm on life in just a few moments.

The popular pastor and New York Times bestselling author of Love Wins and What We Talk About When We Talk About God shows us how to pursue and realize our dreams, live in the moment, and joyfully do the things that make us come alive.Each of us was created for something great—we just need to figure out what it is and find the courage to do it. Whether it’s writing the next great American novel, starting a business, or joining a band, Rob Bell wants to help us make those dreams become reality. Our path is ours and ours alone to pursue, he reminds us, and in doing so, we derive great joy because we are living our passions.How to Be Here lays out concrete steps we can use to define and follow our dreams, interweaving engaging stories, lessons from biblical figures, insights gleaned from Rob’s personal experience, and practical advice. Rob gives you the support and insight you need to silence your critics, move from idea to action, take the first step, find joy in the work, persevere through hard times, and surrender to the outcome.Like Stephen Pressfield’s classic The War of Art, How to Be Here will inspire readers to seek the lives they were created to lead.

For someone who doesn't enjoy reading, or motivational books, this was a breath of fresh air. I read it in one day! It's written in bite size chunks, totally non-intimidating, and I was hooked with the message and inspiration.

When it comes to Rob Bell I don't think he has ever written a bad book! He manages to put things into words that I struggle to do. I find his work very inspiring and it speaks to a deep place.

Rob Bell is an excellent communicator, and tells us some important things we need to remember. What more do I need to say?

Expected better from Rob Bell nothing new that i hadnt already read in the power of now. He needs to be careful of writing books for the sake of writing books. Shame as his earlier books were really good.