(includes the podcast interview with Amanda Humberson of I’m Not Finished)

I like a good provocative title and this certainly is one. But before we get into the meat of this title and the corresponding podcast, let’s rewind the clock a bit…

Preface

In August of 2023, my wife, Laura, had heard of an “in person event” that Rob Bell was hosting called 2 Days in Ojai. We’d both been avid fans and listeners of Rob’s RobCast and from the snippet she heard about it, she was sold - she told me I should go. Like REALLY told me I should go. She said that the cost was irrelevant and that I should do whatever I can to make this trek. So I immediately said yes and then considered it AFTERWARDS. ;)

Laura was keenly aware of the immense traumatic hardships I had experienced in 2020-2022, and she just knew that this event would help propel me towards greater understanding and healing.

I’ve been reading Bell’s books since 2011 and thought this was going to be a fun opportunity to hang out with someone who has really impacted my life in such a positive way. From the (intentionally?) obscure description of the event on the website, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect - this was the description on Bell’s site:

Join me in Ojai for 2 DAYS together. You bring whatever question you have about what you’re creating, making, saying, working on, etc. and on the first day at 9am the first person sits across from me and tells me their question and then I ask you questions about your question and we go from there as you begin to see your next step. And then the next person comes up, and the next…for 2 DAYS. A small group of us, from all over the globe, helping each other make a new world together.

That’s it. That’s the description. But I guess that’s all I needed, along with just a little bit of my wife’s encouragement. So I went.

First of all - Ojai was just stunning; the quaint little city nestled in these mountains made for such a beautiful setting for whatever it is I was about to do… I arrived at the Ojai Art Center (the hosting location) a few minutes before the event started, still not sure what I was getting myself into. I saw a couple other folks stroll up and I remember saying, “You here for the Rob Bell thing? I’m Paul - I’m from Minnesota”, and then we started this supernatural connection.

Bell strolled in nonchalantly, and I saw a small area set aside with around 13 folding chairs. Two were set in the middle, facing each other and the rest were in semicircles on each side. “Oh… so… we’re each going to be in the hot seat at some point”, I thought… “Well, this makes things interesting.”

He asked who wanted to start… “Start what exactly?”, I wondered. And one by one, we all jumped into the chair directly across from Rob and started either sharing what was on our minds or we began a conversation where “the thing/the question” slowly revealed itself. The first in our group to volunteer to start things off was Amanda Humberson, a podcasting mom from Colorado.

Months after the time in Ojai, Amanda launched her new podcast called, I’m Not Finished, where she talks to friends and family who are persistently in this transitional growth stage and they discuss how to enjoy being on the journey and how to process the peaks and valleys that we all experience.

I was honored to be a guest on her podcast on April 22, 2024 where we discussed our time together in Ojai and how I processed the traumas I experienced.

Below is our conversation:

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After the Ojai event in October, 2023, I submitted my thoughts on this life changing experience with Rob Bell and was utterly thrilled to see that it was listed as an endorsement on his website. :D