We plot. We plan. We assume things are going to go a certain way. And when they don’t, we find ourselves in a new place—a place we haven’t been before, a place we never would have imagined on our own.

It is the difficult and the unexpected, and maybe even the tragic, that opens us up and frees us to see things in new ways.

Many of the most significant moments in our lives come not because it all went right but because it all fell apart.

Suffering does that. It hurts, but it also creates.

This book is an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity, driven by the belief that there is art in the agony.

When my Amazon box arrived with my copy of Rob Bell’s latest book, Drops Like Stars, I thought there was some mistake. The box was huge.

Turns out it wasn’t a mistake.

The book is huge.

In fact, it’s like a coffee table book.

But honestly, it’s not a book. Well, it is a book. But the book is really an experience. I’ve never read or seen a book like it before.

The book explores the connection between our human suffering and creativity. Between the anguish we endure and the art and beauty we (and God) create out of it.

And the book is absolutely breathtaking. It’s classic Rob Bell… one sentence paragraphs. Broken. Sentences. And in this case, even one or two words per page. All of that is combined with stunning images and simple typeface that drive home a powerful message. And one that hit home for me.

It’s a quick read, but I encourage you to really experience it… to read it in a undistracted environment and to take time to let the words and images really move you.

Rob is currently on the Drops Like Stars Tour and I’m stoked to see him when he comes to the Congress Theater in Chicago in a few weeks. Check out his schedule to see if he’s coming to your neck of the woods and do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the book.

Check out a portion of the book here.