A NOVEL EVERYONE SHOULD READ

Title: THE SHACK
Author: WM PAUL YOUNG
Publisher: Windblown Media; Reprint edition (June 1, 2011)
Pages: 304


How would you feel if your child was abducted right from under your nose? And how would it change your life and your relationship with God?

When Mackenzie Philip’s daughter is abducted, he’s forever changed for the worse…or at least until “Papa” summons him to the exact spot that has haunted him for the past three years. Reluctantly, Mack does as God calls him to do. At the shack Mack faces one of several questions plaguing him. “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?”

For those that are mature Christians, the answer to Mack’s question may not be a new concept, but will confirm what they already know. For those that aren’t close to God, or have drifted from Him, it will give light to unanswered questions and disappointments.

When I first heard talk about a number one bestseller about a man meeting a black, female God in a shack, I was a bit put off by the premise. I really didn’t know what to make of it, though I wrestled with whether or not to read THE SHACK, by WM. PAUL YOUNG.

Over the years THE SHACK resurfaced in my life when others asked if I’d read it or I came across it on Amazon, or at the store. But still I wasn’t ready to read it.

But God has a way of not letting up when He wants us to experience something. If you would have asked me few years back, I wouldn’t have imagined I would have read THE SHACK because of an inmate. But that’s exactly how I came to being blessed to read such a magnificent book.

I’ve been serving in the prison and jail ministry since 2004, and I’m forever amazed at God’s blessings through this ministry. Because of one inmates request through my church to receive a specific faith based book, a friendship grew. Eventually he received the book he requested and in return I received THE SHACK. If not for my promise I’d made to him to read it, I may never have done so.

I don’t recall ever having dog-eared and or highlighted a fiction book in the way I have THE SHACK. The story was amazing. The characters were three dimensional. The writing superb, and the insight to the trinity outstanding.

I’m so impressed by THE SHACK and its ability to depict Christ, forgiveness, and how to live one’s life; I intend to purchase several copies to share this remarkable book with others. I highly recommend it for everyone, no matter where they are spiritually. From those that are very far from God, to those that are mature Christians.