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God continues to work in my life in only ways that God can; but, that isn’t what I want to write about right now - maybe later.
We attend Flatirons Community Church, which I think over 8,000 people attend, so meeting people can be quite the feat sometimes. God introduced me to an incredible lady, Nan, whom I met for the first time today. Through circumstances that only God could accomplish, I was sharing my burdens and she recommended that I read the book The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.
This was not the first that I had heard of this book. My husband had read it during our trip to Oklahoma, and to tell the truth, I only listened with half an ear and much skepticism. My thoughts went something like this:
We attend Flatirons Community Church, which I think over 8,000 people attend, so meeting people can be quite the feat sometimes. God introduced me to an incredible lady, Nan, whom I met for the first time today. Through circumstances that only God could accomplish, I was sharing my burdens and she recommended that I read the book The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.
This was not the first that I had heard of this book. My husband had read it during our trip to Oklahoma, and to tell the truth, I only listened with half an ear and much skepticism. My thoughts went something like this:
· another fad ‘Christian’ book that everyone will become fanatical about
· the theologians amongst us will rip it apart and tell us all why this book should not be read by ‘Christians’
· Every ‘justification’ will be given as to why this is not a ‘Biblically based’ book, blah, blah, blah (I will mention that there are some solid Biblical truths written in this book.)
Frankly, I have neither the time nor the energy to engage in all the hub-bub and read a book that later I’m told that I shouldn’t have “bought into”. Besides, I have enough reading to do as it is with going to college! (By the way Ms. Shari, the book marks you gave me for Christmas are incredible! I absolutely LOVE them!!)
Anyways, I believe that God truly did a divine intervention in my life today, and what better reason to read a book that I wasn’t too hip about to begin with.
One of the main reasons I think the theologians will have such a great time with this book is because it definitely was written to appeal to every major religion out there. Oh, but wait…isn’t that what God wants? Doesn’t He want His love to appeal to every person on this planet? (Remember, that we are not talking about “truth” here, but of God’s love.)
Keep in the fore-front of your mind that this is a FICTION book, (meaning that it is not true (I mostly put that in there for me because I ALWAYS have a brain block remembering if fiction is true or not true.)) - that in itself should keep people from analyzing it (although as I mentioned earlier, there is definitely some Biblical truth written in this book.) Secondly, it certainly does not hurt to have a good foundation in your theology before reading this book, and lastly, if you have any questions what-so-ever be prepared to talk to a person who can answer those questions for you based upon the truth of the Bible. I would absolutely LOVE to help you answer some of those questions. (I say “some” because I myself am NOT a theologian, but I do have a good understanding of the truth in God’s Word.) If I can’t answer your question I know a tremendously knowledgeable and wise man who I can refer you to (Jeremy, if you are reading this, I may be sending some people your way!)
Ok with all of the muckity-muck out of the way, I would like to share with you what this book did for me.
I’m going to digress a moment, so bear with me. As those of you who are close to me already know, I have been struggling immensely with my relationship with God for the past several years. I really do not attempt to hide this from anyone, because being a “pretend” “Christian” is one of my biggest pet peeves. I adamantly refuse to portray the “perfect Christian”, especially when I am struggling so much myself. Do I love God? You bet. Do I believe the Bible to be true? You bet. Do I think I have it all figured out and that makes me better than the average person? ABSOLUTELY NOT! In fact, I think I’m more messed up now than I have ever been, which I ultimately know is God doing His wonderful work to make me be all that He originally intended me to be (thank you God…but it really, really hurts at times…) My relationship with Him is a continuing work until the day I walk through the Pearly Gates (I’m working on it God…I promise...but You already knew that didn’t You?) Oh, and let me mention that my relationship with my Father is separate from the salvation that He has so lovingly granted me - I will always believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and that He is exactly who the Bible says He is, and most importantly that the ONLY way that I will have salvation is through Him and Him alone.)
Ok…so someone had loaned my husband a copy of The Shack and it was still at our home, so I dived into it when we arrived home from church. I started reading around 2pm and did not stop until I had finished the book around 9pm tonight.
I am not about to divulge the plot, the characters or anything else about this book, as I believe that everyone will receive their own impression once they read it, and I feel it is pretty safe to say that it will interpret differently for every person who reads it.
What I do want to share is what this book did for me personally. It was able to meet me in a place that I desperately needed to be met and give me a message of God’s love that I desperately needed to hear. I really did not realize how much I needed to hear what this book revealed to me until I had dove into it. This book is a resounding cymbal of God’s love for His children. It was a gentle reminder of who God is and what He should be in my life. It was an amazing reminder to me that even being the “screw-up” that I ultimately am, that God still loves and cares for me and STILL wants me to seek and engage in a relationship with Him. You truly will not understand how impactful this book is until you read it.
Should you read it with discernment? Definitely. However, if you can bring yourself to a place that you can embrace the emotion and love that God has for His children, which the author does such a wonderful job of doing, you will be truly blessed. Amongst all of this, is a heart-wrenching story that will have the tears flowing and your heart aching. I also particularly enjoyed what God had to say about the modern-day church. I believe it is a concept that is found in only a small portion of today’s churches….Ahhh if only all churches (the body of Christ) could be like the ones Jesus explains in the book.
This book will definitely leave you with an overwhelming sense of God’s love for His children and definitely have you thinking through the experiences in your own life and how they have impacted your view of who God is to you currently. No, this book did not solve all of my issues and all of a sudden make my life “peachy-keen”; however, this book gave me something that I needed so much to hear at this time of my journey. A nice reminder of why I am here to begin with and what God desires from me (which, by the way, is much simpler than most of us understand.)
I encourage everyone to read this book – “Christian” or not. I would love to hear your feedback and questions regarding this book, especially from those who do not consider themselves “Christians”…oh, and for those of you who are already shying away because of the fear that this is a “holy-roller”, “come to Jesus” book - I can assure you it IS NOT! In fact, I believe that you will find it to be quite the opposite.
May God bless you as He has blessed me through this book - I needed those reminders God, and I needed the encouragement to strengthen my relationship with You.
Anyways, I believe that God truly did a divine intervention in my life today, and what better reason to read a book that I wasn’t too hip about to begin with.
One of the main reasons I think the theologians will have such a great time with this book is because it definitely was written to appeal to every major religion out there. Oh, but wait…isn’t that what God wants? Doesn’t He want His love to appeal to every person on this planet? (Remember, that we are not talking about “truth” here, but of God’s love.)
Keep in the fore-front of your mind that this is a FICTION book, (meaning that it is not true (I mostly put that in there for me because I ALWAYS have a brain block remembering if fiction is true or not true.)) - that in itself should keep people from analyzing it (although as I mentioned earlier, there is definitely some Biblical truth written in this book.) Secondly, it certainly does not hurt to have a good foundation in your theology before reading this book, and lastly, if you have any questions what-so-ever be prepared to talk to a person who can answer those questions for you based upon the truth of the Bible. I would absolutely LOVE to help you answer some of those questions. (I say “some” because I myself am NOT a theologian, but I do have a good understanding of the truth in God’s Word.) If I can’t answer your question I know a tremendously knowledgeable and wise man who I can refer you to (Jeremy, if you are reading this, I may be sending some people your way!)
Ok with all of the muckity-muck out of the way, I would like to share with you what this book did for me.
I’m going to digress a moment, so bear with me. As those of you who are close to me already know, I have been struggling immensely with my relationship with God for the past several years. I really do not attempt to hide this from anyone, because being a “pretend” “Christian” is one of my biggest pet peeves. I adamantly refuse to portray the “perfect Christian”, especially when I am struggling so much myself. Do I love God? You bet. Do I believe the Bible to be true? You bet. Do I think I have it all figured out and that makes me better than the average person? ABSOLUTELY NOT! In fact, I think I’m more messed up now than I have ever been, which I ultimately know is God doing His wonderful work to make me be all that He originally intended me to be (thank you God…but it really, really hurts at times…) My relationship with Him is a continuing work until the day I walk through the Pearly Gates (I’m working on it God…I promise...but You already knew that didn’t You?) Oh, and let me mention that my relationship with my Father is separate from the salvation that He has so lovingly granted me - I will always believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and that He is exactly who the Bible says He is, and most importantly that the ONLY way that I will have salvation is through Him and Him alone.)
Ok…so someone had loaned my husband a copy of The Shack and it was still at our home, so I dived into it when we arrived home from church. I started reading around 2pm and did not stop until I had finished the book around 9pm tonight.
I am not about to divulge the plot, the characters or anything else about this book, as I believe that everyone will receive their own impression once they read it, and I feel it is pretty safe to say that it will interpret differently for every person who reads it.
What I do want to share is what this book did for me personally. It was able to meet me in a place that I desperately needed to be met and give me a message of God’s love that I desperately needed to hear. I really did not realize how much I needed to hear what this book revealed to me until I had dove into it. This book is a resounding cymbal of God’s love for His children. It was a gentle reminder of who God is and what He should be in my life. It was an amazing reminder to me that even being the “screw-up” that I ultimately am, that God still loves and cares for me and STILL wants me to seek and engage in a relationship with Him. You truly will not understand how impactful this book is until you read it.
Should you read it with discernment? Definitely. However, if you can bring yourself to a place that you can embrace the emotion and love that God has for His children, which the author does such a wonderful job of doing, you will be truly blessed. Amongst all of this, is a heart-wrenching story that will have the tears flowing and your heart aching. I also particularly enjoyed what God had to say about the modern-day church. I believe it is a concept that is found in only a small portion of today’s churches….Ahhh if only all churches (the body of Christ) could be like the ones Jesus explains in the book.
This book will definitely leave you with an overwhelming sense of God’s love for His children and definitely have you thinking through the experiences in your own life and how they have impacted your view of who God is to you currently. No, this book did not solve all of my issues and all of a sudden make my life “peachy-keen”; however, this book gave me something that I needed so much to hear at this time of my journey. A nice reminder of why I am here to begin with and what God desires from me (which, by the way, is much simpler than most of us understand.)
I encourage everyone to read this book – “Christian” or not. I would love to hear your feedback and questions regarding this book, especially from those who do not consider themselves “Christians”…oh, and for those of you who are already shying away because of the fear that this is a “holy-roller”, “come to Jesus” book - I can assure you it IS NOT! In fact, I believe that you will find it to be quite the opposite.
May God bless you as He has blessed me through this book - I needed those reminders God, and I needed the encouragement to strengthen my relationship with You.
For more information regarding The Shack, please visit http://theshackbook.com/
