The Shack

I just finished reading this book. I don't want to be a plot spoiler, but here's the promo blurb:

"Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book! "

From the start, this book promised many synchronistic and "erk-y" moments. I was on Amazon searching something completely unrelated. Area rugs. Now, don't ask me how I ended up in the book section on the page belonging to "The Shack" because I couldn't tell you. I looked at the page that opened and voila. There I was at "The Shack." I either accidentally clicked something or something more mysterious happened. I simply don't know. The book was on sale for $6.00 with free shipping. I was intrigued by the reviews. Thousands of them. Obviously, this book had been out for a while, had made the NYT bestseller list, and I had missed it all. Until now.

When these things happen ... seemingly "random" things that lead one to another, I pay attention. I ordered the book. It came 2 days later. I'm not kidding. 2 days later. Via UPS in a large brown envelope. When I opened it, whoever had inserted the book into the sleeve must have accidentally creased the cover because it was folded over from top right corner, into a triangle, meeting the spine of the book about half-way through. It made an odd crease from the #1 in New York Times, through the "E" in SEVEN**, into the top right corner of the "H" in "SHACK" and down through the peak of the "shack's" roof, crossing down across the shuttered window, through the ground snow toward the lower right, and finally ending where the road meets the landscape at the farthest right side.

*** note .. my copy read "seven" million copies in print. The cover pic above was captured from Google images, reading "one" million.

Now, it would take some 'splainin' to understand what the "highlights" of that crease's journey would mean. First, the "triangle" of the crease struck me weirdly, as the book delves into the "Trinity" of God, Son, Holy Spirit but in very human forms. Then we have #1, E, H, peak, window, snow, ground, road. These 7 things have meaning in the world of Autism that I know. I was on the phone with a good friend and mentioned "The Shack" and the plot line. Having been awakened the night before by what was thought to be a child or woman screaming, my friend was a little freaked. Living in an area similar to the book's setting, there are a number of "abandoned" log "shacks" in them there woods. He was also in the middle of writing about a "Ladybird" in Texas, a human one! Ladybugs are also known as "ladybirds" in some parts.

All in all, it seemed that there was a larger force moving me to read and then share this book. Apparently, there is a great deal of controversy over this book. Some thinking it a work of "new age" mysticism or even evil. Some thinking it's the best thing since sliced bread and/or the New Testament. Some have compared it to "Pilgrim's Progress" in terms of how it will affect our generation/culture. I don't think it's any of those things. I can say with certainty that - in my little corner of the world - earthly and spirit - this book was written by someone who was given insights from on high. It's one of those books that will stay for a while if you invite it in, and make its presence and meanings known at various appointed times in your life.

The ladybug (or ladybird in the South) is featured on the front and back covers. In the book, the serial child killer is nicknamed "The Little Ladykiller." Now, that was awful because ladybugs have been very special to us. The children used to be frightened to high heaven of ladybugs. I loved them. To ease their fears, I told them that ladybugs were sent by the angels and if one landed on you, you got to make a wish to God that would come true. After a short time, Sarah and Orion would sit outside waiting for ladybugs to *land* on them. lol So, this book giving association to ladybugs with a child serial killer made me sad. However! The whys of that association were not fully explained or revealed. No matter --- the book ended up relieving that sadness in association.

Mack does, indeed, meet God and the "trinity" .. but I won't spoil it for you. You will not guess in a million years the form God takes at first. It changes over the course of the book, but the first meeting is startling. And uncomfortable. All with purpose, though.

I tried to scan the book cover to show you the odd crease, but my scanner is refusing to work. If I ever get it working, I'll show you. In the meantime, I'm packing the book off to a friend and hope he has good experiences with it. It can be life changing, boring, blasphemous, or just interesting - depending on where you're at on the Spirit Road. The author's name is William Paul Young (William Paul being one of my brother's names.) This is what the author blurb wrote:

WM. PAUL YOUNG was born a Canadian and raised among a stone-age tribe by his missionary parents in the highlands of what was New Guinea. He suffered great loss as a child and young adult, and now enjoys the "wastefulness of grace" with his family in the Pacific Northwest.

I'm still thinking about the "wastefulness of grace." So, what did this book do for me? The day I started reading it, a new lamp arrived. It is a beautiful stained glass lamp that I've dreamed of having for a long time. It had been out of $ reach, priced at over 179.00. Just before the New Year, it went on sale at a favorite decorator's outlet for .. I kid you not .. $44.99. How could I pass up that sale???? I wondered if something was wrong with it, but took the chance. It arrived in the morning at least 3 days before its expected delivery. I set it up and admired the beautiful jewel-toned patterns of it. That afternoon, I started reading the book. A garden features prominently in this book. *JUST* before I read the words describing the garden/flowers in that book, I looked up and realized that the lamp looks very much like a garden. So, given the circumstances of happening accidentally upon the book *and* the lamp all in the same few days had my head buzzing a bit.

The book did reinforce that my decision to work hard at not judging others, particularly in relation to good/evil, was a good one. According to "The Shack" and its inhabitants, it's crucial. It made me want to have the relationship with God that Mack develops. I'm not quite there yet. It was very helpful tho, and I'm getting closer! It's not heavy in an intellectual way, but I had to put it down a number of times and leave it be for a bit because of the emotional aspects of it, as well as how many things hit so close to home! As many people who read it believe .. I, too, believe/feel that this book was placed in my direction by God (or at least an angel.) :o)

Boy, did this get *way* long ... didn't intend it to be. But there it is.