Underserved or Over-scorned?

I am not a frequent blogger and I have always been careful to not crossover into narcissism with twitter or facebook. With that said, I think that the digital world is a neat place to see people’s ideas and to hear and see what is happening in the culture that we live… In many ways it is the acropolis of Paul’s day were ideas and opinions are placed on display and people then in turn challenge, debate, and share on the issues at hand. With that in mind I found myself perplexed recently with regard to Taylor Swift’s CMA success and the response of young women to the aforementioned success.

For a better description of the argument check out people’s article @ http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20316530_20319864,00.html. As a fellow musician an artist I could debate from either side of the argument with regard to her selection for the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year, but to me that is a minor issue when compared to how young women respond to her achievement. I have seen recently many really nasty comments with regard to her winning the award. I am not sure where this mentality comes from and when I asked my wife she said that it comes from the catty, jealous nature that many young women work through. I am not certain and want to put it out there for you…. What do you think about what I have shared? What do you think about how women seem to attack other women’s success or accolades? I will be waiting and watching to see what you think!

Caused me to Pause!

Every once in a while you come across something that brings pause to the hecticness of your schedule. It halts your life for a moment of pause to contemplate the depth of the Godly wisdom that was infused in that particular saint. This evening was one of those moments. While studying the theological implications of death I came across this poem from Anna L. Barbauld:

Life! We have been long together

Through pleasant and through cloudy weather;

‘Tis hard to part when friends are dear, Perhaps ‘twill cost a sigh, a tear;

Then steal away, give little warning,

Say not ‘Good night,’ but in some brighter clime

Bid me ‘Good morning.’

It is rumored that Dr. Fuller, possibly remembering this poem, as he passed when he said to his nephew “Good night, James, but it will soon be morning.”
In reading this poem from this saint I was struck with the power of the Gospel to level the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55). Over the last few years I have lost many dear friends who were followers of Christ. When my evening eventually draws near I will bring to remembrance that Christ has destroyed the power of the death and that in the sunrise of eternity I will see those who have gone ahead in victory. For those who are in Christ there is no termination, but simply a transition into the care of a loving Savior who does not merely bring a horizon but is indeed our Sonrise! (Colossians 1:27)

the Shack

If you have not heard of the the Shack by William P. Young, you probably will soon. At the time of this writing the Shack is the #3 best-selling book on Amazon.com and is also on the New York Times best selling list. So, what is it all about?

The Story
The basic thrust of this fictional book is a father (Mack) is dealing with the pain of the loss of his daughter. She was murdered by a serial killer and he has never received closure with her death or with his anger with God over allowing her to die. Mack received a letter from God one morning asking him to meet God at the shack where his daughter’s murder occurred. Mack after some deliberation agrees to go. He arrives at the shack and meets God in the form of three persons (Representative of the Trinity) and begins to work through his grief and anger in a face to face encounter with God.

As a Work of Fiction
This is a well written and extremely creative book. It held my attention and tugged at my heart as I walked through this fictional character’s pain. I also really enjoyed certain elements of God’s love and interaction with the main character (Mack). The basic moral story that the book tells is that God does want to be involved in our life and that He also wants to heal our hurts! Therefore, it really hits us hard on an emotional level.

God Facts (Theology)
In this novel William Young makes some gross errors with concern to who God really is, how God reveals Himself to us, and what it really meant for Jesus to come into our world. For instance on page 95 of the book Mack notices that God the Father bears the marks of the crucifixion on His hands. This is a heretical stance known as modalism / sabellianism. Well known apologist Dr. Norman Geisler has sighted 14 incorrect teachings in the Shack.

If you decide to read the Shack, please understand that you should not build a definition of who God is or how He wants to be involved in your life personally. If you have a desire to know these truths: Read the Bible, ask your Teaching Pastors about these truths, or ask them for recommended books on the topics.

For Further Research
1. Wikipedia: Search “The Shack”

2. Chuck Colson: http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=7830

3. Norman Geisler: http://www.normangeisler.net/theshack.html