Review on "The Shack"

Having had such high hopes for this book, I was sadly disappointed about its content, being for the most part simply unbiblical. Yes, there were poignant scenes and emotional moments that moved me to tears- but that does not tip the scales against all of the errors slipped in and truths that were twisted. Being protective especially of new Christians, I strongly caution anyone about reading it. This book should be read with much discernment. 
Kim


Kim, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I had heard about the Shack from many of my friends and ESPECIALLY my grandfather, who had underlined much of the book. The problem is that the book is fiction, but it seems like its not. And with all the good things I had heard about it, I was expecting it to bring me closer in my relationship with Christ. 
Thankfully I was warned by my parents to be objective while reading this type of literature, and to make sure that everything truly lined up with the Bible.
What I found is that the theology is very relative, and current to our culture. However, it is very sketchy and I have two major objections against it. One being God described as a woman, and two the story of the Indian Princess committing suicide. 


Lets just say it... this book is not meant for doctrine, only for leisurely reading.

How do I want the world to be different?

What should I be asking myself? Is this what I want to be doing? How do I want the world to be different because I lived in it? How do I want to be different because I lived in this world? 

 What should I  be asking myself? During my college career I have found myself questioning whether or not I am really following God's will. I have also caught myself looking for other opportunities, or alternative options for what could possibly be God's direction or will in my life. School is definitely not easy and on those frustrating days in class, I sometimes just want to throw in the towel and take a different path. But it  must be those days that I am asking myself the wrong questions. You see, I know that this is where God has me right now. Attending the school of Urban Missions. Wow how simple is that. Sometimes I am probably just thinking too much about a situation instead of trusting that God knows what He is doing. Relying on the Lord, and hoping in Him... not in school... is the key. And truly I do enjoy the college. How I have grown and how God has used it to bless my life.

Is this what I want to be doing? Yes and no. I still have some desires in my heart that are not fulfilled, but this is to prepare me and equip me for what God has for me in the future. So I guess I can sometimes try to dream myself away to the future, but right now I have a purpose in completing this year of school.


How do I want the world to be different because I've lived in it? Whoa tough question. It would be unbelievably selfish of me to say that I haven't thought about it much wouldn't it? What I mean to say is that I have thought about how I want to impact those around me, but I don't think I have come to the realization of  how big the world is.
My best answer to this question, it that I hope when the world remembers me they remember how I brought people into worship, and how I strived to be as close to the Lord as humanly possible. And how the God was the one who mattered most to me.

Relating to God and the Shack

“How do we relate to God? Clearly Scripture portrays God as holy and just. We speak of grace but the issue of sin, as breaking the Law of God, is ever before us. If God is so holy that he cannot look at sin, how is it possible to know him in any real way?”

Relating to God in the sense of understanding Him, cannot be done. But relating to Him in the sense of person to person can be. How is this so? Especially when we are so unlike God? God is perfect, and just, and we are very imperfect and unjust. God is eternal whereas we are only temporal beings.


And just how much of my sins does grace cover, without it becoming injustice?
Most people store these questions in there hearts, to ponder throughout the rest of their lives.


Not to be cliche, but Jesus Christ really is the answer to these questions. He is the one who fills in the cracks, so that we can relate to God. All of our sins are forgiven if we are willing to confess them and come to true repentance. Then, and only then can we stand before God pure and blameless. And as for the question of how much grace covers... it covers everything! We are not perfect but we are being perfected. And when we are a less than perfect God brings convictions to our hearts.


In the shack Mack is confronted by three individuals (who are yet one) that represent God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. He seems to not have a definably close relationship with God, even though he believes God exists, and seemingly does all the "Christian" things.


What make discovers by visiting the shack is that God is relatable through Jesus, and that God and the Holy Spirit love him just as much.
 

English Composition (Serro and Ethnicity)

Ethnicity has taken on slightly different connotations and now tends to be used to describe people who are often a minority in the country in which they live. People who live in a country that is not their original land often find that they need to reaffirm their identity. For many people, their ethnic identity is an important part of who they are. How are these ideas expressed in Serro's peice? Do you share a similar experience?

Ethnic identity is positively one of the most important aspects of what makes up a persons physical identity. Serro brings this into view by drawing the perspective of  descendants of foreigners living in America. The conversations she discloses to us are somewhat hilarious, and boggling. But however amusing these conversations are I can't dismiss the bitter tone Serro seems to carry. She views questions about her ethnicity as a negative experience that is plainly annoying. She ends her work by practically saying that she feels sorry for Caucasians because they do not know where they are from.

Although I do not get asked what my ethnicity is often, I know I would feel special if I did. I cannot relate to Serro, simply because I have never had an experience like this. I have met a fair amount of white people what their ethnicity is.... and guess what? They knew. I am Caucasian and even I know. I think that everyone wonders where everyone is from. And its a reasonable question at that. It is part of getting to know someone, and can be fascinating none the less.

New Year Expectations

New, everything feels new, and yet somehow the same. Every new year I almost feel like its my chance to start over. I might finally scrapbook, sew, perform six modern pieces of fairly hard music composition, or even accomplish my goal of doing the splits. I don't know, maybe I set my standard pretty high. Or not high enough. Some of these new year revolutions I will accomplish, others I won't (most likely doing the splits) but even then, who knows? I can be quite driven.

There is some sort of significance every new year holds. There is always a beginning to something you never knew was going to happen. Relationships begin with the most unlikely people, school will end and begin again, summer will rise and then fade. But there are always those moments that you will remember for the rest of your life. But I feel that nothing gets done in this life, I mean accomplished in the most excellence sense, without prayer.

I suppose that is why I feel it is so important to pray for the new year. Pray that God will grow you, and will open doors that you can do things that will glorify Him. Pray that God will put people in your life that will impact you and that you will impact. I ask God to give me the discipline necessary to continue even when it seems unbearable.

Free Write (Language Barriers)

Describe an event in which someone you knew spoke non-standard English or maybe you yourself have had such an experience. In any case, in what ways did the use of non-standard English affect the person or you? What lessons about language did the experience teach you?

JSH Farms, the company I work for,  hires a lot of Mexican's. Mostly because they are very hard workers, and do a good job. I encounter what we call a language barrier all the time, because I don't speak Spanish. Yes I know I should learn, but I never seem to have enough motivation. Anyways I help with payroll, and take and make phone calls. So the Hispanic families will come in to pick up their paychecks, or sometimes they will have a problem with their checks and ask me to help them. One particular story I remember is when two young men came in asked me for their checks. I handed them the signature sheet and asked them their names. One thing that I have realized is that whenever you ask them for their names they always give you their first name. And even though I've been doing this for quite some time, their accents were so thick that I couldn't understand their names! Oh no! So I checked the signature sheet to see which names they had signed their signatures under, and found the paychecks. Handing them the checks they looked at them and handed them back... they had signed under the wrong names on the list. Finally I got my boss who knew who they were and let them get it sorted out.


I really don't view this as a negative experience I think that they felt somewhat out of place since no one in our office speaks Spanish but at least I was able to find someone who could help them.


As far as what I learned from this, I learned their names, and I learned that they don't always sign under the right names on the signature sheet.


I am encouraged to learn Spanish, and I want to but right now in my life I honestly don't have time. Maybe someday... it is a beautiful language.

Free Write (Where was I born?)

I was born in Yakimah Washington, but I lived in Farmington New Mexico from the age of five to ten. I now live in Hermiston Oregon, where one of our mint farms is. As far as identifying with where I was born, I think I do and don't. I do because I still have family over in that area, and I don't because I only lived there for a short time in my life. I know that I live in Hermiston Oregon, now for seven years, but I still feel like a newby sometimes. But not in a bad way. I think the land here is absolutely beautiful. The people are nice too. It is a small place, but I do know that this is my home. I think Hermiston is a very nice place to live, there may not be very many places to go, as far as restraunts and such, but we have people. And these people need God just as much as people on the other side of the world.  I know that God has called me here, and Hermiston is not altogether too small. I don't know what else to say, no not really. hmmmm writing can be exhausing because you have to really express a lot.