The Shack

A dear friend recommended that I read The Shack. She loved the book. I’ve heard and read lots of controversy surrounding this book. Here’s my take:

The Shack is completely a work of fiction and I took it as such. I’ve read reviews that labeled it as “life changing” and I’ve seen people who thought it to be blasphemous. I saw it as neither. The portrayals of The Trinity are the things that incensed some people. I don’t think the author was attempting to accurately portray The Father, The Son, nor The Holy Spirit in human form. I believe his point was that God meets us at a point of need. The book is full of symbolism and it’s not something I’d necessarily recommend to a new Christian or someone who is struggling with a real understanding of Christianity.

I’ve read reviews in which the reader said the book totally changed the way they looked at God. It didn’t do that for me. What it did was make me take a step back and look at myself. It made me think a lot about my relationships with people. It made me rethink my ideas about forgiveness and judgment. It also perfectly explained the way I love.

The book isn’t necessarily theologically sound, so if you’re looking for a book to help you gain a deeper understanding of The Bible, The Shack is not the one. I think people who find The Shack offensive are threatened by its tendency to make you see things “outside of the box”. I was taken aback and had to backtrack when I first came to understand who “Papa” was “in the flesh”. Then, I “got” why God chose to manifest Himself this way in the natural to the main character. A lot of people couldn’t get past that and wrote the book off as garbage from that point on.

I don’t think The Shack really opens ones eyes to some great spiritual revelation, but it will at its very least make you think; and in my opinion, that’s always a good thing.

Random Questions...a little more about me

I found these somewhere on the internet:

Do you wish on stars? Not anymore

What CD or album are you most embarrassed to admit to ever owning? Boy George and the Culture Club – the one with Karma Chameleon on it. It was in the 80’s what can I say?

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Not if I can help it

Do you think that you are strong? For the most part

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk, but I haven’t eaten any in almost 2 years

Red or pink? RED

What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My temper, though it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be

Who do you miss most? Living - Charity Rose and Emmai; deceased – Karla and Grandma

What color pants and shoes are you wearing? jeans and silver Nike’s with a hot pink swoosh

What are you listening to right now? Everlasting Love – CeCe Winans

Last thing you ate? A square of 70% dark chocolate

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red

What is the weather like right now? warm and sunny

Favorite Drink? Water (I’m soooo boring)

FAVORITE SPORT? To watch – Ice skating, gymnastics, tennis or men’s basketball. To play – Racquetball and Galaga (when you’re as good as I am, a video game becomes a sport.)

Favorite Food? Teriyaki chicken

Last Movie You Watched? DVD - Death Wish. At the theatre – Seven Pounds (I need to get out more)

Favorite Day of the Year? Christmas.

Scary Movies or Happy Endings? Happy but realistic endings

Summer or Winter? Winter, I’d rather be too cold than too hot

Hugs OR Kisses? Hugs

What Is Your Favorite Dessert? Yellow cake from Tarsha’s Sweet Sensations Bakery and vanilla ice cream

What Books Are You Reading? Monster by Frank Peretti and Be Reverent, a commentary on the Book of Ezekiel.

What's On Your Mouse Pad? Sunflowers against a blue sky with a few scattered clouds and a lot of doodling

What Did You Watch Last night on TV? The end of “I’m Not Cursed Anymore”, a sermon preached by Dr. Iona Locke in 1997

Favorite Smells? A freshly bathed, lotioned and powdered baby

Favorite Sounds? My fingers flying over the keyboard when I’m inspired

Just A Little About Me.

I am a 34 (almost 35) year-old woman. I am single with no children. I am a devout Christian who is also a proud Democrat. No, the two are not mutually exclusive. I’m far more conservative than the average Democrat and far more honest than the average Republican. That’s right, I said it! I know not all Democrats are bleeding-heart liberals and I know that not all Republicans are liars and bigots. Those are the extremes most often portrayed in the media. I fall somewhere in the middle.

I am opposed to both abortion and homosexual marriage. I am also opposed to senseless war, a wretched economy, a terrible public education system and absolutely awful heath care and coverage. See, I don’t think abortion and homosexuality are political issues. I think they’re moral issues. For the record, homosexual marriage can be legislated, but homosexuality can not. I think morality is the responsibility of The Body of Christ, not the government. We can’t have a separation of Church and State when it’s in our favor and then ask the Government to intervene on behalf of Christian principles.

I believe that women CAN preach.

I believe that the five-fold ministry is still in operation and that there really are people who walk in The Office of The Prophet as well as those who operate in the Gift of Prophecy. I don’t believe that a large majority of the “well-known” prophets are actually prophets. I believe a prophet is more like the Old Testament prophets who interceded on behalf of nations, warned them of the dangers of not serving The God of Israel and told them how to fall in line. I don’t believe this house, car, job stuff that I mentioned earlier to be prophecy. As a matter of fact, I don’t believe it to be anything more than “ear-tickling”.

I also believe that if a message doesn’t have anything to do with Jesus Christ and how to have a better relationship with Him or how to live a life that’s pleasing to Him, it’s a waste of my time. I believe it’s perfectly fine to be corrected by the Word of God and I also think that unfortunately, quite a bit of what people say “in the Name of The Lord” is nothing more than skillful manipulation.

I believe that speaking in tongues is for real. I believe tongues can be used in prayer and in worship. I also believe that God can send a message in tongues to be interpreted. No one needs to interpret prayer and worship; God understands both just fine.

I reject the majority of the teachings that fall under “Word of Faith”. I don’t believe I’m giving satan any power by saying “my leg hurts” or “I don’t feel well”. I don’t believe that saying “my arm is killing me” is setting oneself up for a raging arm infection that will necessitate an unsuccessful amputation, ultimately leading to death. In fact, I think the notion of that is ridiculous. My brother and I both joke that we’ve gone into comas after a deep sleep. Neither of us has ever slipped into an actual coma.

I don’t think calling your child “Boo” will make them crazy. I called my Goddaughter “nut” for a long time because she was a funny, silly baby and toddler. She’s 10 now; and she’s perfectly sane, very bright and pretty mellow. I call my Godson “Pooter”; he’s not overly flatulent. I call my nephew “Jitterbug”; well I guess that’s not a good example because he really can dance! My niece is a chunky butt baby. Her nickname? "Fat Girl". I don’t believe she’ll be overweight for the rest of her life because I call her Fat Girl as a baby. I’ll stop before she learns to talk because I don’t want her to call anyone else by that name; especially me.

In my devout Christianity, I am also very aware of the world in which I live. I know not everyone shares my beliefs, though I would love for all to come to Salvation through Jesus Christ. I respect everyone’s right to believe as they chose, even if I don’t respect what they believe. I don’t hate homosexuals, I deplore their lifestyle and believe it to be a perversion and an abomination, but I don’t hate the person. I know and love some terrific gay people. I don’t brow beat them, neither do I hide the fact that I believe their lifestyle to be ungodly.

I don’t think that a woman who has or has had an abortion is a horrible criminal, nor is she a monster. I also think there is no way I can tell a 13 year old she has to have her father’s baby, nor could I force a grown woman to carry the child of her rapist. I'm not saying my feelings are right, but I have to be honest. That gets me in trouble with other Christians a lot. Now overall, I think abortion is wrong, what I’m saying is that I understand how someone may find themselves in a desperate situation and feel as though abortion is the only answer. I am opposed to abortion as a method of birth control or because “I’m not ready to be a parent”. I think you need to do everything to make sure you don’t get pregnant if you don’t want a child and be prepared to live with the consequences of your actions if your birth control fails. I also think sex outside marriage is a sin and if sex were kept in its proper confines, the abortion issue would ALMOST disappear. I’m not naïve enough to think that it would eliminate all abortion, but I think it would put a huge dent in the rate.

This is who I am.