The Shack

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity

            by Wm. Paul Young

“Mackenzie Allen Philip’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment, he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.”

In approximately 250 pages, Young adapts his own story of change and tells us where God is in a world filled with such unspeakable pain. Young’s main character, Mack, encounters God—in all three forms—in very real ways. Man? Meet God.

Young recognizes the ability to describe a place where you have been, and he uses the land around him. The details give depth and honesty into Young’s story. The setting details and family crisis set the reader at ease, enabling the story to take hold of the heart.

Mack begins the adventure of talking with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, when he runs into Jesus, a large, loud, black woman. Mack continues to shock readers with his encounters and discussions. Talking with God and Jesus, readers quickly identify with Mack’s understanding, or lack thereof, of the divine trio.

God is represented by an overweight, African American woman. Jesus is represented by a young, average looking, Jewish man. The Holy Spirit is represented by an Asian woman who looks like a mirage and moves like the wind. Young compels the readers to unconsciously accept a god who transposes all generations and cultures.

While this idea of encountering God sheds great light onto the mysteriousness and misunderstanding of God, it also omits a very important element of the Judeo Christian belief: God is the father, Jesus the son, and Holy Spirit is God living inside humans. Even as Young writes for later chapters, most readers find that even with creative license, God should very much be portrayed as a male.

“I [Jesus] came as a man to complete a wonderful picture in how we made you [man]. From the first day we hid the woman within the man, so that at the right time we could remove her from within him. We didn’t create man to live alone; she was purposed from the beginning. By taking her out of him, he birthed her in a sense. We created a circle of relationship, like our own, but for humans. She, out of him, and now all the males, including me [Jesus], birthed through her, and all originating, or birthed, from God”

            Chapter 10

Young creates a character that anyone can immediately connect with. Even as readers learn more about Mack, they find themselves looking into a mirror at times. Readers learn in the first half of the novel that Mack cannot escape his pain, even while with The Great Comforter. And like most humans lost in this technology age, Mack cannot share his pain with those who care most about him.

When Young presents the discussion about the crucifixion, his presentation lacks a few important elements. Part of the identity of Judeo Christianity is based in the crucifixion and the resurrection, but Young brings in an element of creativeness that somehow detracts from the story laid out from the Bible.

Perhaps the most gripping chapters are very late in the book—incredibly climatic even within themselves. Mack is asked, by a new representation of God, to sit for judgment. Mack’s argument with her presents the limited human understanding and our urge for fulfillment through loving those around us. The most powerful moment of the entire reading is found on the pages when Mack verbalizes his understanding of the sacrifice Jesus made for all humans on the cross.

Ending with a surprise that will completely catch you off guard or that you see coming a mile ahead, Wm. Paul Young writes a fictional novel that is sure to catch the attention of your heart. Whether or not you believe in the God he writes about will not matter; the discussions and understanding that one human finds in his quest for peace may change your world. It change Young’s.

Your Grade: C

A “C”? What the crap? That’s passing, but it’s only average.

I am studying Cooperative Discipline through Critical Connections Academy and Ashland University. The text that this course is based upon is a phenomenal read because of the human insights it provides: Albert’s 3 C’s.

Linda Albert has traveled around the world, helping teachers understand the needs of their students (pre-K through graduate students). She bases her whole strategy on the 3 C’s: capable, connection, and contributing. Show everyone in your classroom (work place, study hall, home, family) that they are capable of reaching their realistic goals; that you care about them and are establish a connection with that person; and make sure they understand you value their contribution to society and your life, or show them how to contribute.

The most profound part of Linda Albert’s teaching has been Connecting. She states that all 3 C’s are critical, but I think that Connecting is the most important because the other two will automatically follow. Connecting doesn’t mean to tell that person or group they are integral to your life, it means showing them.

Acceptance, Attention, Appreciation, Affirmation, and Affection are how we show the Connection. I love it! Meet these basic needs of every human and you are all ready to take on the world. Perhaps you’re not actually ready, but you’ll feel like it.

Acceptance—accept the person as they are, complete with quirks, flaws, and faults. It must be unconditional: there is no substitute for authenticity in our relationships. It is not necessary that you condone the way the person acts or talks and conducts business, but they need to know you accept them as an individual for no other reason than you value their life as a human.

Attention—make yourself available to that person and share your time with them. Many people find it uncomfortable to listen to other people’s problems because of the incorrect belief that we must solve all the problems brought to our attention. No! Just listen. Nod your head a few times. Summarize verbally when they take a breath. Then politely end the conversation without unsolicited advice. They will love it!

Appreciation—this differs from applause because the focus is on the contribution, not the achievement. Focus on the deed. Focus on the present.

Side Note for anyone working with peers or young people: sometimes people need to know that it’s ok to ask for appreciation. It is a normal, biological need. I haven’t figured out how to do this, but some days I even find myself thinking, “I wish someone would just say that I did a nice job, gave great effort, something.” This is normal: the need for appreciation.

Affirmation—acknowledge the person’s positive personality trait(s). Now focus on the doer. Every person has at least one positive character trait. This is also a need for almost everyone: to know that they have the potential to be liked.

Side Note: watch your vocal volume. Not many people over the age of 12 want you to broadcast these things. Just tell them quietly, so one or two others hear it.

Affection—this is simply, “I like you because I like you.” It is always addressed to the doer, regardless of the actions. When you genuinely like other people, it becomes hard for people to dislike you. Hard, but not impossible. This is probably the hardest for me to do, but I’m learning slowly.

Show people you care about them. Not because they’re nice. Not because they’re hot. Show them you care about them because they are human; they are worthy of your acceptance because you are worthy of someone else’s acceptance.

Show someone else you care about them. They deserve it.

Be Nice!

For as much emphasis people place on treating others, what about how we treat ourselves?

Growing up, we’re told …

                                    be nice

                                    don’t say mean things

                                    be kind

                                    don’t hit him/her

                                    … It’s been about being nice to everyone around us. Showing compassion to the other person and saying nice things is what’s it’s been about since we entered Kindergarten. Today, in middle school, I repeated everything my teachers and parents told me: don’t say mean things, be nice to him/her, keeps your hands to yourself… And as a professional (teacher, plumber, janitor, college student) showing up before your job starts is courteous, being attentive during work is expected, listening when your boss is speaking is expected, not being intoxicated or overly tired is critical to keeping your position; you get the idea. But what about you?

What about being nice and kind to yourself?

I am closely related to a person who never understood why they were stressed out every work day. I have worked and studied with people who don’t understand why they can’t pay attention. I live with someone who doesn’t understand why their temper flares so quickly some days. And the people I work with don’t understand why their attention spans are up to par, why they get frustrated quickly, nor why new concepts take so long to comprehend.

It’s because they are not being nice to themselves.

Try it. Be nice to yourself these next two weeks and see what happens.

A.    Turn off all electronic devices 30 minutes before you are supposed to go to bed.

B.     Set your alarm for 5 minutes before you are supposed to get up, and get up when the alarm rings.

C.     Keep your morning quiet—no TV or computer or music devices.

D.    Take a walk during lunch or after work. Take someone with you or just walk in silence.

Take some time to be nice to yourself. You will relax, get some needed rest, and feel better all around.

I dare you.