The Shack

I had the great privilege of a sister in ministry giving me a copy of The Shack. This book felt not like a revelation but rather a confirmation of what I instinctively felt about God. However it still challenged the thinking in terms of reconciling texts and stories in the bible with the authors view of God. How do you reconcile the incidents outlined in Job were God directly allowed the devil to create misery and pain in Job’s life where in the book the author places God in a different position one of being the loving God who chooses not to interfere in human life because of his love/respect for the free will of humanity. The questions beg further investigation the only conclusion I can come to in my hour of need is that God is good and nothing we can do will change that God is loving it is our human interpretation of that love that is challenged constantly.

So what is my point? Reading is a good thing it stretches the mind, challenges our thinking and allows us an insight into the way that others think. Whether you are reading something like the shack or a theological book or a work of fiction or what my friend terms “a trashy novel” it is worth taking a break from the heady work of ministry to take time to replenish your own resources and reading can be the perfect way of achieving this.