I had only heard of Rob Bell before I read your comment. There are a good number of people sort of re-presenting religion or their take on their own faith in a way that seems to draw people in. I might be ten years older than Rob Bell, maybe a good bit more. I always found right in front of me, when I needed them, people who could help me out and get grounded spiritually. Some were the born again Christians from the 70s, some were just good people raised in some faith, others were picking themselves up after battles with addictions or other problems. I had an interest in Buddhism but for me it was all thinking or all in my head, calming my thoughts or finding peace. I managed to keep doing crazy and stupid things while reading up on Zen and looking for some now way to go without changing my direction.

The first person outside of my own circle, at any given time, that I felt was saying things that really resonated with me was Elaine Pagels, who wrote a number of books about the early Christian church and gnosticism and history around those sorts of things. (note, and tangential thought: I don't recommend her later books, and especially not her book with Karen King about the Gospel of Judas because they're just wrong about what it says and what it means and what the sect that it is associated with was talking about. The expert on those subjects, that gospel and the "Sethians" is April De Conick). Dominic Crossan was a writer I liked too. This was in the earliest days of the internet so, reading or going to hear someone speak where how you heard such ideas.

But that was stuff I was into, ancient Chinese writings, Zen writings from Japan, ancient eastern Mediterranean writings, always trying to find eternal truth that would make sense of it all, trying to find the intersection of science, philosophy, and spirituality. I think I've gone as deep as I can into that without becoming an expert on ancient languages and artifact conservancy. I've since moved on to the twentieth century (I'm catching up!) and doing a deep dive into Marian apparitions.

I think our comments, dare I say conversation, here is a bit off topic from your post; but I agree: don't be hard on yourself. And don't worry too much, just get grounded and centered and you'll find your way. A lot of times things come into our lives, ideas or some specific people's ideas fascinate us, not as places to stop and stay but as a point or preparation along a longer journey the way a 25 lb dumbbell is a point along the journey or preparation for the 30, and so on.