the shack

My mother-in-law called me last week and told me that I "must buy this book called The Shack right away...", so I followed her recommendation. I am so glad I did! If you ever read another book in your life (except for the Bible, which is in a class all its own, never to be matched), you absolutely must read this book by William Young. I found myself immediately addicted, compelled by suspense and by the drawing of the presence of God that I felt enveloping me as I read. One of several reasons that I have not blogged in almost a week is because I had locked myself inside this book at every spare moment, reading passages over and over again, soaking them in. I found myself rejoicing and repenting, crying for joy and weaping with sorrow. And the laughter that spilled out into the room as I read could not be restrained. It was the kind of laughter and tears that come from the deepest well inside of your soul.

For those of you unfamiliar with this book, it is the story of a man named Mack who had encountered such heart-piercing pain and tragedy in his life and how God mended his brokenness and restored him in a way that if I wrote it to you right now, your skepticism and cynicism would probably disable you from believing it could have happened. But I can tell you that by the end of the book, I was convinced that the author of this book himself had a true, revelatory, life-altering encounter with God.

If you are like me and are tired of man-made religion which prevents us from truly experiencing God's deep love, grace, mercy and forgiveness and those human establishments which hinder the relationship Jesus truly desires with us, then you will be shouting "Praise God and Hallelujah" throughout this book. It confronted my theology at every turn. I found myself breathing sighs of relief in realizing that I am not alone in the transformation of thought God has been birthing in me for years. In those deep, dark corners of my soul where "religion" was still hiding (and by "religion" I mean the conformity to rules and traditions as a means of easing my conscience and as a measuring stick for my spiritual life), it was called out on the carpet and commanded to flee! If you are more comfortable with religious traditions and keeping God in a box that does not threaten your current theology, you will not like this book. But if you are hungry to know God more, to discover who He really is and how He relates to you, to have your faith challenged--THIS is a book you will definitely want to read immediately. If you don't feel that you grasp how much God LOVES you and how much He desires a relationship with you, read this book! Believe me, you will fall head over heels in love with Him. I know I did, all over again.

I just finished the book this afternoon, and I don't think it is premature to say that God has used it to change my life. The way I view and relate to Him and the way that I relate to my children, husband, and others has forever been altered. I do not say this lightly--I realize what a bold statement this is. But God revealed such strong Truths to me through this story that have cleansed and polished the lenses of my spiritual eyes so that I can never view things exactly the same way.

I will close with just one example of how God ministered to me through this book. We left our former church not quite a year and a half ago, and it was a painful and, in some ways, disgusting experience. Over the last year, I have experienced God's healing and restoration, softening my heart as I forgave and easing any doubts as I prayed and searched His Word. But there were costs to our decisions, and still, there were these residual wounds of cynicism, skepticism, and faithlessness which had not entirely disappeared. As I asked God to take them, I felt His reassurance that He would, in time, but this was not happening as quickly as I preferred. However, God used this book not only as the ointment which brought healing to these wounds but as confirmation that the decisions we had made were not only right but necessary for a hundred different reasons. For the very first time, I had COMPLETE peace and assurance that we, as family, are right where we are supposed to be--without any memberships or affiliations with an organized church or denomination. Instead we are surrounded by many dear and true relationships that we enjoy with other followers of Christ from various backgrounds and experiences. I realized that we are blooming right where we are planted--with the goal of following the Spirit of God wherever and to whomever He leads. And I must admit that the journey has been far sweeter and refreshing than exhausting myself by working in every ministry to which I had some gift to contribute, thinking that I was serving the Lord, yet missing out on a more intimate relationship with Him. I was too busy to really spend time with the very God I was trying to serve!!!!

This summer, I am considering hosting a book club to read this book and to investigate how Scripture supports the truths throughout it. If you are interested in coming, let me know. I'll save you a seat. In the meantime, go buy this book, read it, and then pass it along. As long as you don't mind having your traditional beliefs about the Lord put to the test, you will LOVE it.

EDIT: I also recommend reading the book before you read reviews online. I'll say it again--the spirit of religion will resist any kind of thoughts that are contrary to what we have traditionally been taught as Christians. I can show you many Scriptures that support the nature of God as depicted in this story. Yes, this book is a work of "fiction", but I believe the truths found inside of it are just that--truth--and that it can be a tool God uses to open up your heart so wide to Him. (The poor reviews I read online seemed to be coming from a religious point of view.) Again, the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. God can use anything He chooses to speak truth into your life. That truth will always line up with what His Word says and will not contradict it. Our point-of-views concerning God have in many ways been skewed by traditional thought and translation. If we could re-read the Bible from a pure point-of-view, I believe we may find that God, as depicted in The Shack, is beautifully depicted as the one found in the Bible.