Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sunday Faith Blog

I dismissed THE SHACK for years.........."What I hear about this book makes me think it's deceptive, and a kind of 'Christian Lite,"  I used to say.   Then a friend I really love and admire told me it was one of his favorite books and really changed his life and if he loaned it to me, would I read it?   And I did.  And he was right.   It's life changing.  It truly is.  I highly recommend it...........

have a blessed day.

Get the book!

z

10 comments:

Jen said...

Z, I honestly struggle with the book. Not because of the reasons you mention, but because of the situation with the child. (No spoilers, I promise!)

It's on my shelf right now. Maybe it's time to try it again.

Bob said...

I don't know about the Shack, but right now I am reading Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly. This is the first time I have read one of his books thinking that his efforts would be slanted. He has done a good job.

He has succeeded to put the New Testament story of Jesus in historical context, beginning with Julius Caesar and how the Roman empire figured into the lives of the Jewish people and the rest of the world.

Fascinating stuff.

Recommended.

sue hanes said...


Z - It sounds like an interesting book.

Have a great Sunday.

Rita said...

I wonder where you got the preconceived notion about the book that made you think you wouldn't like it, Z.

I just recently reread it and still loved it. Honestly the only thing that bugged me was the name the character's wife used for God. It wasn't that it offended me, i just thought it was a little too cutesy.

So much of the book just seemed "right" to me. I loved the incidents of displaying a sense of humor.

I think we have such a tendency to put God in a little box because we simply are not capable of conceiving what He really is.

I'm glad you decided to read it for yourself. It's really a great book to break down our self imposed concepts of what the Good Lord is about. I don't think the author was trying to illustrate everyone is wrong about God, just that more likely than not, we should realize how little we are truly capable of understanding.

I sometimes marvel at how much a parent can still love a wayward child and think of how much more God loves us than that.

Rita said...

Bob. I didn't know O'Reilly wrote a book about Jesus.

I've read both Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy and couldn't put either of them down. Especially Lincoln. He has a way to make history fascinating. I imagine O'Reilly was a great history teacher, not like the boring ones I had where I made A's and remembered nothing after taking the tests.

Z said...

Bob, I'd resist that, too, but I hear it really is a very good book and I think I will purchase it.

Jen, I can understand how that will speak even more to you, the mother of small children and could imagine why you didn't finish it. TOUGH STUFF, but the 'answers' are brilliant, Bible-driven, and SO inspiring.

Sue, I think you'd like it very much.

Rita...I'll spoil it a bit here for others by saying "you hear God's a black woman and the Holy Spirit is a woman whose name is that...etc." and I think most people would take the lead from that that this book is WEIRD, nonscriptural, etc., even if we WANT God to be a black woman (what kinder, happier, more faithful people do we know, right!?)
But this book makes it work SO well, gives purpose to her being that, etc...
EXCELLENT point; I didn't feel preached to with "You are wrong about God," either..NOT AT ALL. But he just makes SENSE of all the scripture we know, all the Bible we know. He just ROCKS IT in understanding and LOVE.
I wrote on the white board at our administration office "LIVE LIKE YOU'RE LOVED"...huge....

Rita said...

I wasn't referring the character the author used but the use of term Papa. It's not that I thought it wasn't reverent enough, I just didn't buy into someone (remember it was the wife's term) using that term.

It seemed silly.

It was a minor distraction and I certainly don't think it made any difference in how good the story was.

And here's the weird part for me. Even though I've read it twice I still can't remember the very ending. It's like I want to leave the story during the best part.

There were so many good parts and good lessons for all of us.

I know a guy that has experienced the other side. He said a messenger told him the most amazing thing but when he was brought back to life he could remember everything except what the messenger told him.

He said, " Rita, there are some things we are simply not to know".

It think we have no more knowledge than a caterpillar has about the next life.

WomanHonorThyself said...

thanks for the tip Z..have a sweet Sunday my friend..:)

Brooke said...

Sounds like something to check out. Have a great Sunday!

Caren said...

I loved The Shack. Borrowed it from my churches book table. Such a wonderful, personal story that shows how faithful; our savior is!

Bob, I also loved all of Bill O'Reilly's books and can't wait to read Killing Jesus!