The Shack

New Hope, the church that i'm pastoring, just launched into a study of this book. Thought you might like to join us.

First to be up front, as a man who has suffered the agony of the death of a son I was able to enter into the Shack by the front door. My story is different and the grace that Papa gave me and my wife was as thick as the Spirit of God (for that is what it was) but i wore the interpretive lenses of Mac. We all do, if we have the guts to be honest. Some are just a bit thicker than others.

So we met last night at a coffee shop, most of us getting jacked up on espresso, others on the company. God was i'm sure rather giddy about the whole gathering, i mean, it was quite the eclectic group with crazy stories of where we had been, where we were, and dreams of where we were going. So we took up most of the shop, more of the tables, and an hour of time.

I asked a simple question: "we've read the first chapter, what hit you?" We didn't even get past the forward.

"...Mack has been married to Nan for just more than thirty-three mostly happy years. He says she saved his life and paid a high price for it. For some reason, beyond understanding, she seems to love him now more than ever, even though I get the sense that he hurt her something fierce in the early years. I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside..." pp10-11

Now, i'm not saying that Young meant to say this, but as i stare again at this passage I can't help but see Jesus..do you? See, Jesus began his public ministry at the age of thirty, and preached, healed and did other Jesus-type stuff for three years, making him how old when He breathed this last and gave up His Spirit?

Still not there? Perhaps you've forgotten the high price paid for your life by the one who saved it?

...and it's beyond your understanding that God called Israel to be His, and yet they rebelled...still Papa demonstrated His greatest love through a very personal gift. But that doesn't make much sense. That's grace from the outside...

...and it is so true that our hurts and healing both come through relationships...we died because of our actions and we are made alive because of His...

How many missed these few sentences i wonder, in their rush to get into the story? To be honest, i did, but today it seems clear as day...and they make all the differece. So let me ask you this:

Are you reading too fast that you miss the grace throughout your life?

Are you part of the hurt or part of the healing?

What price are you willing to pay to save someone or something?

Do you think that price is too great? Remember what it cost Papa...

blessings friends...and grace for the journey

b