Outside Reading-The Shack-Melissa Faller

The first time I heard about the Shack was from one of my parent’s family friends. He could not stop talking about this book. After he finished the book, he went to the local Borders and bought every copy and started handing them out to all of his friends. You could tell that this book changed his life, so I had to read it. This novel was particularly interesting to me because it introduces a new concept to the Christian religion. It pushes the social norms of how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are perceived. The author, William Paul Young, writes about Mackenzie Allen Philips religious journey. He starts with Mackenzie getting a letter from God that tells Mackenzie to meet him at the Shack. Mackenzie not understands puts the letter aside. Later his youngest daughter, Missy is abducted and murdered. She was found in an abandoned shack in Oregon. Mackenzie thinks that the note could've been from Missy's murderer, so he goes to the shack. At the shack Mackenzie's life is transformed. It was not Missy's murderer but rather the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By reading this book you understand the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a whole new light. The reason for this is due to the way Young writes about the trio. The father is seen as a big black woman. She like God is always loving and always wanting to be around you. She is caring and treats Mackenzie with the utmost kindness making him his favorite foods and helping him with his struggles. The Son or Jesus is a Middle Eastern man. He is the most relational of the three. He is where Mackenzie feels more comfortable because he is most human. The third is the Holy Sprit. The Holy Spirit is woman from an Asian decent. She seems to be constantly moving. He compares her to the wind. I understand why Mr. Douglas was raving about the book. It is a great read and has taught me to better understand how God can still be present in a world filled with so much hurt and pain.