Didn't want to or know if I should - but I did - read "this"

I didn't really want to - wasn't sure I should - based on all the controversy surrounding it - & only after several people read it who I admire a great deal, I did it -- I read The Shack. Now, I think the book is in worse shape than I am for it ... as I dog-eared pages, underlined things & noted questions it prompted, etc.

Some tho'ts: - First, it's fiction & clearly identified as such. Second, few stories have prompted me to think so deeply that midway thru I prayed for discernment to sense what was more accurately represented & what was not (realize I should do this much more often! - Editorial note: & here is where I think perhaps/wonder if God may use this book to His glory - assuming it prompts others to do the same). I liked how it explained the concept of relationship vs. religion - but I'm left w/ some big issues that I'm wrestling with: First: I sensed the Trinity being represented at times as the absence of authority (or perhaps as the absence of the need for authority ....hard to explain!) - & perhaps this quote best sums up my overall concern: "You're not supposed to do anything. You're free to do whatever you like." - but I wrestled here (Legalism vs. Freedom in Christ) before I read the book too. And Third, while it addressed the freedom we each have to choose to pursue a personal relationship w/ God or not, it seemed to downplay the eternal consequences of ultimately choosing not to.

Following are some lines (some paraphrased) that prompted some really deep tho't:

I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. ... For me to appear to you as a woman & suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning.

He (Mack/main character) believed, in his head at least, that God was a Spirit, neither male nor female, but in spite of that he was embarrassed to admit to himself that all his visuals for God were very white & very male.

Does freedom mean that you are allowed to do whatever you want to do?

Freedom is a process that happens inside a relationship with him. Then all that stuff you feel churnin' around inside will work its way out.

That is the wonder & adventure of exploration, a piece of what you call science - to discern & discover what we have hidden for you to find. .... Ask any person who has a passion to explore & discover & create. The choice to hide so many wonders from you is an act of love that is a gift inside the process of life.

Pearls .... The only precious stone made by pain, suffering & - finally - death. (My note: this gave new insight to me re: the parable of the Pearl of great price)

Perhaps it was bc humans are so utterly lost & independent that we take what is simple & make it complex.

As well-intentioned as it might be, you know that religious machinery can chew up people!

I'm not too big on religion...not very fond of politics or economics either....They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth.

...just bc I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. ... Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.

Faith does not grow in the house of certainty.

Give a man an inch & he thinks he's a ruler.

...reconciliation is a two way street, & I have done my part, totally, completely, finally. It is not the nature of love to force a relationship but it is the nature of love to open the way.

So, check your perception, & beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe. Just bc you believe something firmly does't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe. The more you live in the truth, the more your emotions will help you see clearly. But even then, you don't want to trust them more than me.

But you gotta admit, rules & principles are simpler than relationships.

You might see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or through people, or in Creation, or in your joy & sorrow. My ability to communicate is limitless, living & transforming, & it will always be tuned to Papa's goodness & love. And you will hear & see me in the Bible in fresh ways. ...

...verbs are what makes the universe alive.

The trouble w/ living by priorities ... is that it sees everything as a heirarchy......If you put God at the top .....how much is enough? How much time do you give me before you can go on about the rest of your day, the part that interests you so much more ...I don't just want a piece of you ......I want all of you....