THE SHACK

I read The Shack by  William P. Young for the first time in 2008.  I have read it twice more since then.  If I was rating this book I would give it a 10.  It was a life altering book for me.  It is the story of a man who has pretty much everything he could want and believes in God until, his youngest daughter is abducted and killed.  He goes through the next several years increasingly more angry with God and doubting his belief all together.  He ends up spending a weekend with God and he asks all the hard questions.  The ones we'd all like to ask, and God answers him.  The author does an amazing job of this.  The book is emotionally draining at times and I had to put it down to really absorb all I'd get from a passage or chapter and then go back and re read it again.  And just when you think you've gone as deep as you can, you are brought deeper.  This is not a book for "surface" level people, it is a book for deep thinkers.  For some, the book starts out a little slow but begins to pick up in about the fifth chapter.

A big controversy exists between the book and the religious community evidently over what I believe to be  superficial reasons.  I think the real reason is because the author emphasizes the value of people and personal relationship with god outside of programs and church.  He doesn't say church is bad but he does stress that that is not what God is about and I think this is the main thing that ruffles their feathers.  But I think he is right, that we have come to substitute church for God and God misses us.

This is my number one recommended read.  For those of you who do not like to read they also make this in audio book.  It's an excellent way to pass time on a road trip or while going to and from work.