The Shack

It is a very interesting book and encouraged me to think outside of the box. It has broadened my views of God and my relationship to Him, to Jesus and the Holy Spirit and their roles in my life.

I was not happy with this book. I consider it a waste of my hard earned money. There are strange concepts about God the Father that troubled me. Isn't God the Father a Spirit? Then why is He a women working in the kitchen in this book? Seems like a lack of reverence for God to lower His true idenity.

It did show the love God has for His children. It left me with more questions about the author and where he's coming from.

This book is so awesome. After I read it, I ordered five more copies to give away to people I love. Every page had something beautiful on it. I'd have to stop and put the book down and just breathe for a minute to absorb what I'd just read. The first few chapters are tragic and difficult to read through, but it gets so much better--it's so much bigger than I'd imagined. This story of pure love is amazing. I truly do wish everyone could read The Shack and get something out of it. If I had more money, I'd buy dozens of copies and share! And I wholly encourage others to do so. Read it and pass it on! It's soooooooo goooooood!

I personally enjoyed this book. In fact, I could hardly put it down. I disagree with some who said it lacked originality. It couldn't be anymore original in my opinion. It portrayed God in a very unique way while staying Biblically sound. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who has recently lost a loved one or just having a hard time and wondering where God is in the middle of the pain. Even though there are a few theological points I'm not sure about, I love how this book portrays God as being so approachable. The author definitely has a solid revelation of who God is and how much He loves us. Theological soundness and good writing skills aside, the spirit of this book is beautiful and captivating.

What an emotional roller coaster this book was. This book was hard to put down. It is about a man who is overcome with grief at the loss of his 6-year old daughter. His daughter was kidnapped by a serial killer and brutally murdered. He was already struggling with his relationship with God before this happened and this whole incident really took him over the edge.

Let me just interject, after reading about the abduction of his daughter and the brutality, I found myself wondering how in the WORLD this author was going to make this book have a happy ending...it is after all a Christian book, so I expected a message of hope. My curiosity of how he was going to 'turn this around' motivated me to keep reading albeit some parts were pretty tough to read. He paints a clear picture of what goes through the family's lives and hearts when someone they love is brutally murdered. It helped me emphasize to say the least.

So, anyway, he gets a note in the mailbox from God that says meet me at "The Shack". The 'shack' is where they found the bloodied clothes of his daughter, so he's not sure if this is a joke or for real, but he goes anyway. What he finds is the physical manifestation of Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit waiting for him. The dialogue between them all is easy to understand. This dialogue was worth re-reading after I finally find out how he ended this book on a happy note.

Thru the dialogue he has different encounters and emotions with dealing with the death of his daughter, understanding Gods part in all of it and also dealing with buried issues of his childhood. At one point in the book, I started to well up because I was overcome with JOY!!!! I had to close the book to regain composure. This author actually found a way to turn this story into a story of redemption, forgiveness, hope and mercy!! I felt good again.

I do plan on returning to the dialogue and contemplating further the talks they had (God, Jesus, Mack and the Holy Spirit). I immediately gave this book to a friend of mine who had recently lost a close friend to a brutal murder because I thought it would bring comfort.

I feel like anyone dealing with grief, not just grief from a loved one being brutally killed, should read this book. I believe it will bring peace and comfort to their spirit and soul.

The added bonus for me is that I'm from the Portland, OR area living in AZ so it was familiarly 'territory' where it takes place. The author's use of adjectives very definitely describes the scenery exactly as it is.

This book is WORTH THE READ!! I recommend it to anyone who wants to be moved emotionally and spiritually!!!

I think this book is worth supporting to be made into a movie. Not all books are good for movies, this one is.