You need to read these sent to me by friend-Michelle Borquez
What is in your shack???Author, Paul Young, author of “The Shack”, was in no way looking to write the next New York Times best seller. His wife had asked him to write a book dedicated to his children as a legacy. Out of obedience to her (he has claims jokingly), and a desire to pass something down to his children, he chose to write an allegory portraying his deep love for God. “It's a metaphor for that place where we get stuck or damaged, or where we've made really bad choices, or where we've piled up a lot of stuff in our lives that we don't want to go back to and deal with,” he says. “Emotionally distant from his missionary parents. Sexually abused by the New Guinea tribe they lived among. Grief-stricken for loved ones who died too young, too suddenly. Frantic to earn God's love, yet cheating on his wife, Kim. Young functioned by stuffing all the evil done to him and by him into a "shack" — his metaphor for an ugly, dark place hidden so deeply within him that it seemed beyond God's healing reach. His adultery, 15 years ago, finally blew the doors off that shack, forcing him to confront his past. "Kim made it clear," he says. "I had to face every awful thing." Now, his first novel, The Shack— centered on dialogues between a miserable main character, Mack, and three unorthodox characterizations of the Holy Trinity — telescopes Young's transformation to a man spiritually reborn and aware every moment of God's love. (USA Today) My dear friend Sandy Griffin had the opportunity a year ago to sit down with Paul Young and hear a little more about the man behind the metaphor. Over dinner Paul shared with Sandy how the concept of “The Shack” was born. “We stuff everything away, slam the door shut, never wanting to face or look at the hurt and pain we have endured, he explained to Sandy, and at some point this begins impacting our life. We keep our shacks hidden, allowing the weeds to grow up around it, placing it way out in the country some where so we don’t ever have to look at it. The grass and weeds have grown so high no one would ever know it was there unless we chose to show it to them. He explained how the pain, the healing, the process of grace and transformation in his own life, is where the story of “The Shack” was born. Whether you agree with Paul’s depiction of Christianity as portrayed through the characters in his book or not, what you must acknowledge is the way this book has truly impacted the lives of millions, and millions of people everywhere. Paul is still getting over a hundred emails a day from people saying they found solace and inspiration in “The Shack”. This response has to prompt us to become profoundly aware of the deep seeded wounds not being addressed in the modern day church. Why? Why has one book so deeply touched an emotional nerve in our present day culture? It appears Shack readers walk away with a feeling of redemption as the story speaks of forgiveness, belief and true acceptance, and leaves readers with the understanding we cannot redeem ourselves. Jesus alone is where we find grace and acceptance. We come just as we are. We do not need to “clean up our act” for Jesus to accept us into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Thief in Paradise -The perfect biblical example demonstrating grace and really tearing apart religious dogma, is the story of Jesus and the two robbers who hung next to him on the cross. The story itself is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ love and acceptance of us in our worst condition, and the promise he gives us when our hearts are sincere before him. When Jesus was sentenced to be crucified, there were two robbers who were also sentenced to be crucified. They were not just small time thief’s desperate for bread, but were considered hardened criminals who had used aggression to rob people. As these two criminals hung on the cross next to Jesus, one on his right and one on his left, something set them apart and it would be the very thing separating them after death. “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him saying “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43What was the difference between these two men? Robber one mocked Jesus and was most concerned about getting out of his punishment. His heart was not repentant at all, but instead was crafty and deceptive still looking for ways to avoid consequences to his sin even in his last moments hanging there. Robber two was a man who understood the weight of his sin, and whose heart was remorseful and repentant for what he had done. He honored Jesus and believed not only that he was Christ, but also believed Jesus was without sin. He also had the faith to take a step towards his belief by asking Jesus to remember Him in His kingdom. His faith and sincere heart was enough for him to be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven. Amazing! What do we do when we sin? Do we store all our hidden sin away in a shack somewhere hoping no one will ever see it, hoping we can hide it forever and never have to look at it again? Have we gone through life shifting blame on others, trying to avoid consequences? The first robber’s pride kept him from Paradise. Can you believe it? Pride was the only thing keeping him from spending eternity with Christ in Paradise. Even in his final moments of death his heart was not open to truth. He thought he was more than God, knew more than God, and therefore He had no reverence for the Man who hung on the cross next to Him. He knew not what he did or who he was talking to. Which man are we? Maybe we are both at times. Maybe there are times when we fear God and we are so concerned over our sin, ready to kick our own butt, and yet there may be other times where God has to continue to show us something over and over again because we just refuse to take responsibility and own it and are arrogant in our response.
your impact friend
Ade-Bright
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