The Shack | William P. Young | Meaningful Fiction/Spiritual Journey

The Shack | William P. Young | You feel like you are in your house with God!

books:

The Shack

	The Shack William P. Young Windblown Media, 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 1851 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Meaningful Fiction/Spiritual Journey

This book is changing lives! Not because it is a theological reference book but because it gives those who do not have a relationship with God an insight into the personality of a Father who loves unconditionally. The trinity is much easier to grasp through this incredible story of a man's journey from the deepest pit of depression to the experience of healing love and forgiveness. I recommend it to everyone and let God do what God can only do through this vehicle or, for that matter, whatever vehicle He might choose. The Sovereignty of God shines through the pages of this timeless classic.

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You feel like you are in your house with God!

This book is amazing! As i read it, I realize that God talks to us and sends us messages through many people (why i think the author chose to have God be an african american lady). No God wont tap us on the shoulder or have a bush burn in front of us, but he will put certain people in our lives, in our day, etc to talk to us on his behalf. I felt like God was in my living room as i read this book, i couldnt put it down, i kept thinking, wow i wish i could have dinner with God. But the book brings home the point that we CAN have God as intimitaly as Mack did, we must open up to that relationship (it isnt forced on us, its our choice the book reminds us). I felt that when God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were talking to mack and asking questions, i was being asked those questions. Divine by karen kingsbury was my all time favorite book, now The Shack is right there with it.

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Eye Opening

This book was really amazing! There were some parts that were hard for me to grasp, but overall it was so awesome at showing how much God loves you! I have had problems understanding the extent of God's love and this book will help you see the infinite measure of His love. We are all so precious to Him and I'm finally starting to see that. The Devil is a liar and this book really helps you see God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a whole new way! I strongly suggest that everyone read this book!

Creative Encounter

In The Shack, a father is dealing with the tragic--and unresolved--death of his daughter and comes face-to-face (literally) with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a non-traditional way. He has the opportunity to question God for the terrible pain he is experiencing. The author's detailed account of the character's encounter is comforting, gentle, loving and refreshing. The book is a welcoming reminder for us individuals, parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, teachers, and even strangers. As stated in the book, life is "...about relationship and simply sharing life...being open and available to others around us."

The author personalizes God in a way that strips away conventional thought and encourages a deeper faith in a shared relationship with God--who is inherently good and loving without expectations. You are never alone. You are loved. Life is a journey shared with God. You are wonderful beyond imagination. God communicates with us in many ways.

The book is a quick read and is well written. It tackles many topics, including forgiveness, service to one another, faith and understanding of God. The discussion on forgiveness was particularly enlightening. There are parts of the book that were hard to me to swallow--like why bad things such as this can happen and why God didn't prevent it, but overall it is a rewarding and spiritual experience. And, there is closure and resolve at the end. Amen.

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The Shack

The church seems irrelevant and empty when it comes to answering questions about real pain and the gap between the knowledge of an all knowing all loving God and the existence of incredibly horrible evil in the world He made. "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?"

God isn't what you think. He doesn't orchestrate evil; He brings good out of the bad that we've done or has been done to us when we allow Him to. He doesn't cause bad things; He redeems them.

"Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes..."

Young discusses anger at God and man, forgiveness, judging, sadness, thoughts of suicide, despair, the unfathomable love of God, and the incomprehensible future He has for His followers.

In the story, Young argues compellingly. God provides a retreat weekend for main character Mackenzie. Mackenzie learns about Himself, God, and how God is using a couple of days at the Shack to make sense of a lifetime - past, present and future - of bad baggage and horrible circumstances.

While Young argues compellingly, his argument was not compelling. He tells a great story, but the whole narrative made me uneasy; I had this squishy-fishy feeling. Young's attempt to destroy my preconceived notions of God lacked real substance. Yes, the book is a tear-jerker. No, he didn't leave any loose ends. But God never seemed like God to me. Young made the Father a strong black neo and the oracle woman who likes to bake cookies and took no guff - kind of like the Oracle in The Matrix. When our main character needed the Father to be a man, then He was a man. Jesus was a carpenter with middle-eastern features rather than whitesome and delightsome. The Holy Spirit was an Asian woman that appeared to be part human/part disco-ball.

I have to be honest; I want to be scared of God. I want to love God, be like Jesus, walk in step with the Holy Spirit, but I also want to have a healthy fear - an awe - of God. I wasn't in awe of the God characters in this story.

As you may have guessed, I got a little hung up on the characters, but I tried not to miss the point: God is higher than I am as are His thoughts. I get it. I'm not a stick in the mud; I loved Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia where Jesus takes on the form of a lion. But that symbolism consistent with scripture; it is borrowed from the Old Testament. Young's characterization works in the story, but it doesn't connect well with biblical description (except for Jesus, of course, who was a Middle Eastern carpenter).

That said, the themes and principles in the book are worth studying and discussing. They bring healing. The book, in fact, has helped and, no doubt, will help, many people look at suffering and how God uses it to make things right.

Young organized the story around the conversations people have about God. Volumes could be written about the topics handles in one line sentences.

* "...judgment is not about destruction, but about setting things right."
* "If the universe contained only one human being, timing would rather simple."
* "What I see are people and their lives, a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs."
* "It's all about relationships and simply sharing life."
* "I came to give you life to the fullest."
* "That's because my love is a lot bigger than your stupidity."

I have to admit I'm a little out of touch with what it popular in church culture. I never even opened a Left Behind book. Most books I review I whole-heartedly recommend. I've never assigned stars to my books recommendations. This one, I'd only give a couple of stars. The author's story about the story was more interesting to me than the actual story. I guess it comes down to taste. This book was not my cup of tea. But people I have great respect for loved it.

So there you go.

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