The Shack

Well, our closing was rescheduled to Wednesday because the banks processing departments comptuers were down all day today. So, here we sit and wait a little longer. AARRGG!


On another note, I have been reading "The Shack" by William P Young and I have to admit that it is one of the most unique christian novels I have ever read. To give a brief synopsis, the story revolves around one mans journey to understanding God after his daughter is abducted during a family vacation and presumed to have been murdered. The main character, Mack, struggles with a deep anger toward God for "allowing" this to happen to his daughter. Four years later, he receives a suspicious letter, apparantly from God, inviting him back to the scene of the assumed murder (a shack in the middle of the mountains) for a weekend.


Mack decides to go, despite his better judgement. That weekend turns into a journey that changes his life forever.



Although I am sure there are several "technical" issues with the accuracy of this novel (not that I read novels for the purpose of accuracy) I have thus far found it to be a insight into the love of God unlike any I have ever experienced. The author successfully portrays God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) as approachable and down to earth with a great sense of humor. He portrays God as such a loving person and really makes sense of the mystery of the trinity.


I'm about 3/4 thru this book and already I feel like I want to know God more. I think that is amazing. Many have compared this book to "The Pilgrims Progress". I would disagree. I have read "The Pilgrims Progress" and I did not get nearly the same results spirtually as I have with this book.


There are some things in this book I have had a hard time with though. Although I understand why God portrays himself to Mack as an African American Woman, it's still hard to swallow and just so against everything I have ever been taught or know. References to God as she instead of he, or her instead of him are just not what I have been accustomed to. I do find the idea of God revealing himself to Mack in the way that would best meet the needs of His child at that time to be a pretty awesome idea though.


One particularly enlightening moment in the novel is where Mack is talking to Jesus about "institutions". Jesus explains that he does not create institutions. That it is from the imagination of man. He says the 3 institutions that have terrorized human beings are religion, politics and economics. I won't spoil how he explains this by writing about it on here, but I would highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this novel. Even if you don't agree or believe everything in it, it is still just an overall enlightening, heartwarming and interesting story.