Day 66: The Shack

Monday, Nov. 9th

PREFACE: Due to my simple routine Monday – Friday and my incredible amounts of free time to read, I have decided to give book reviews for each of the books I read on this journey. I can’t promise I will get through each of the books in the small library I brought, or that all of them will be worth writing a review. However, if nothing else, this will help my writing skills for the GRE and give me something to write about other that what I had to eat today! ;-)

The first book I have finished since arriving is The Shack by WM. Paul Young. If you are planning on reading it, GO READ IT!! NOW!! If you are not currently planning on reading it, I hope you will change your mind by the time you are finished with this blog! It is a great book!! If you are someone who hates to know anything about a book before you read it, stop here. While I will not be giving the ending away, I don’t want to ruin any surprises. And I’m one of those people so I understand! On to the review…

The story actually beings with the forward, where we meet Mackenize Allen Phillips, Mack for short, the main character, through the eyes of his friend Willie, the writer of Mack’s story. Right away you are drawn to know more and try and figure out what exactly happened to Mack and where exactly his story leads.

Soon enough you find out that Mack’s youngest daughter has been kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. Her little body is never found and the only clue is her blood stained, tattered dress found on the floor of an old abandon shack. As any father would be, Mack is devastated and destroyed by his lose. As a man who has been through seminary and attends church regularly, he knows the Bible and in general who God is, but by his own admission, he feels himself separating from God after the tragedy. During “The Great Sadness,” he doesn’t think God could truly love him and especially not his beloved daughter to let something like this happen.

Sometime after the loss of his baby, Mack receives a note in his mailbox. The note is in a simple envelope with no return address or mailing address for that matter and simple invites him to come back to the shack and spend a weekend. The note is signed “Papa,” Mack’s wife’s favorite name for God.

Out of sheer curiosity, Mack makes the trip to the shack where his worst nightmare had taken place only months ago. What follows is an amazing illustration of God’s love and desire to have a relationship with each of us. As the Trinity is put into tangible forms and every preconceived notion of God’s physical appearance is thrown to the wind, Mack finds himself face to face with the God of the universe! As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work in Mack’s live he learns the true meaning of love, relationship, truth, and final forgiveness. As you witness Mack’s journey through each of these, one can’t help but ponder each for yourself.

This book is a beautiful reminder that more than anything God’s love for each of us is awesome, more awesome than the human mind can comprehend. God’s forgiveness is all inclusive and without bounds. And most importantly, God desires an actual relationship with each of us, not just our words or Sunday mornings.

I high recommend this book to anyone or any age. I will not promise an easy read or a light-n-fluffy feel good book either. Nor do I promise this to be devotion or anything beyond a story. But I do promise a book that challenges you too think outside the box and search your heart for what you truly believe.

Overall rating: Five out of Five Stars

Next book: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Eli
Countdown to home: 49 days…