My Thoughts
By Pastor Barry Manuel

Each week I plan to share ‘my thoughts' with you. I will consider some of the ‘hot topics' for Christians at the present moment. ‘My thoughts' will be my opinion on these issues but will have a biblical basis to them.

The Shack: How I found out what they are talking about.

A visiting pastor to our Church had recommended The Shack. I had not heard of the book nor had others in our congregation. However, our bookshop person bought copies and asked me to promote it, which I dutifully did. I rarely ever promote a book that I have not read. The pastor is a friend so I gave it a ‘plug' from the pulpit.

Even though my endorsement was guarded – I said that I had not read the book – someone then gave me a copy as a birthday present.

I like reading. Reading is one of my great joys. So I got started and was enjoying the story. Like many I was shocked at Missy's disappearance and confirmed death. Mack's struggles with his daughter's death and guilt at not protecting her can be easily understood by any loving parent and especially the father of a little girl.

I have two daughters and three grand daughters.

I am not retelling the story here – I couldn't. However, if you have read The Shack, or read it, you will know that in a shack deep in a forest in Oregon evidences of Missy's abduction and death are found. Four years later strange letters purporting to be from God invite Mack to that shack.

There Mack has an encounter with the Triune God. However, what he discovers is not what he expected, nor what you may expect, certainly not what I expected. The three persons of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit are there. They are alive and well. They live together and relate in joy and happiness. But, God the Father, called Papa , is presented in a form that ‘knocked me for six.'

Mack had a similar reaction. While he was trying to work out how he should address God as he stood on the porch of the shack and hearing voices inside. The door of the shack flew open and Mack was face to face with ‘a large beaming African-American woman.'

This was his introduction to Papa God!

Now, that image was ridiculous to me. Not, the large bit, or, the African American bit. It was that Father God was represented as a woman ! I just could not relate to the imagery. I thought, “This guy, the author is a nut.” So that was it. I put the book down. My wife read it and enjoyed it but did not say much about the book.

When I mentioned my problem, she suggested that I had issues that needed addressing. That did not help much either. After all, I know a lot more theology than Janet and that was the issue! By the way, I believe without question that God is beyond sexuality. He created it. So male and female are in God and together both express his character. However, God has chosen to reveal himself as father and so I keep to that – that is why I struggled with the image of the Father as a woman. Also, I am not the only one who has struggled with that image – many others do too. However, I would say to you do not let that stop you reading the book!

Anyway the book lay in my study abandoned, rejected and unloved. It lay there until Monday October 27, 2008. Nearly four and half months after I had begun reading it and gave up when the door of the shack opened and Papa God appeared as a large, jovial African American woman.

What happened on that Monday?

Carol Taylor and her husband Larry were staying with us. Carol was reading the Shack – for the fourth time! Larry and Carol are respected friends. Carol is smart and discerning. That got my interest. She related how she stopped reading the book at the same point that I did. Obviously she and I are more sophisticated theologically than some others. But, then she has read it four times, why?

Carol told me that she had seen an interview with the author William Young on TV in the States. William Young related how he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and then as an adult while pastoring a church he had a moral failure. Out of his guilt and pain he discovered the grace and love of God and this book is the result. Wow, I thought. I have to finish the book. So I got back to reading it.

I got past the problem of Papa God as a woman. I enjoyed the beautiful encounter with Sarayu, the Holy Spirit. Then came the time alone with Jesus and the walk across the lake – yes, they walked on water.

Yes, this is a good read. I can see why people like it. Then, I came to chapter 11. The title is: Here come da judge. ‘A bit weak I thought.'

As I read this chapter, with the strange title, I was deeply impacted and moved to tears. I cried deeply and tears rolled down the side of my face. This is only the third time in my life that I can recall that reading a passage in a book, has moved me to tears.

For most of my life I have been slow to shed tears. My problems with my father had caused me to hide my pain, any pain. So I did not openly cry. I cry much more easily today and I think that is a good thing. Now, why did I cry as I read parts of that chapter?

Well, why don't you read the book? You may be impacted differently from me. However, listen to its message with the ears of your heart and see that it presents God as a happy God, living in a delightful relationship of a trinity of persons. God is a happiness within himself and delights to have relationship with us.

There is a lot in this book, it is well worth reading.