Battling Expectations: Review of THE SHACK

A friend of mine in high school vowed to never watch Forrest Gump. It didn't matter how much time we spent convincing him it was worth watching because that wasn't the point. He felt that the hype had elevated the movie to a height that it would surely not be able to reach upon his viewing.

I battled this same expectation as I read The Shack. Although the hype hadn't been as big as a feature-length movie with a powerful studio behind it, Christians have an uncanny way of rooting for "their own team" in a sense and as a result I felt like I read The Shack with a much more critical eye.

Plainly said, I deeply enjoyed some parts of the book while other sections left me feeling a bit cheeseball and wishing that Christian allegory and metaphors could be a bit more.

#1: My all-time favorite theme of the book was redemption found through relationships. My favorite quite comes from the Foreward, "I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside." I exhaled deeply and re-read this sentence about four times before continuing. I just wanted to camp out right here. If there were no more words written in the book, I would have been satisfied. But, gracefully there was more.

#2: The theme of redemption through relationships continued to weave itself beautifully throughout the book. I never thought the author claimed to be a theologian and so I never questioned any of the concepts he introduced. What the author, Young, did do was paint a picture of relationship between the trinity and Mack that was beautiful, authentic, and heart-lifting. When the main character, Mack, struggled to connect with a God in whom he could trust he looked to Jesus and built a solid, loving, caring relationship with a man he found so easy to love.

Thank you for emphasizing relationship and denouncing religion. That almost made me laugh out loud picturing Jesus talk about his dislike for religion.

Here is what I thought was a little cheeseball:
#1: Mack's over-eagerness to engage in such a "spiritual awakening". For a man stuck in a deep depression, he seemed a bit to easy to convince that God was inviting him on a journey to the shack. Really, is it that easy? The next weekend? I wanted to see a bit more inner fight and maybe some spiritual battle happening just to get him there.

#2: Whoa! Slow down Mack! What happened to your anger? your sadness, your questions? For me being in the presence of the Holy Spirit doesn't make my emotions any less raw. What happened to your passion? I wanted more rage, more anger, more throwing of the fist up at Papa. He just seemed to melt into submission around the crew and let them do all the talking. And, when I say all the talking, I really mean ALL the talking. I definitely get it that the mystery of God is just that, but why does Mack need to look like an idiot replying in one word phrases and insisting that his brain was turning to mush while the crew continued to simplify by using metaphors and analogies that made me feel like I was reading a devotion by John Eldredge? (not bad by any means, but not original).

I believe The Shack can and is being used to touch the hearts of many. I am passing it on to my dad the next time I see him and I hope he'll pass it on. The message of hope and that God is especially fond of us is one that I will never tire of hearing or praying that people can accept. I've known too many people who don't believe that they are loved by God and their relationship or lack thereof with God affects all the relationships around them. For them and for all of us the message of being loved by God rings loud and true in this book.

P.S. In his acknowledgements he cites Matt Wertz as one of his many musical inspirations, but then adds after Matt's name in parentheses "you are something special". This dude has GREAT taste! :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Back in the 50's and 60's Art Linkletter hosted a show with a section devoted to chatting with kids aged 5-10. Obviously, I wasn't around to see it live, but I've seen many clips and years later Bill Cosby attempted a show of his own in the late 90's with the same title. I LOVE the silly things kids say. I love how uninhibited they are and how they say exactly what is on their mind. What I also love is how they point so directly to the words on our own hearts. Often times kids say what we feel and what we wish we didn't feel. Kids haven't yet learned the art of tact or humility and in many ways they expose our own lack of humility.

Monday I took my nephews to the zoo. If you are losing interest, please stick with me. This is no doting auntie post believe me. I could post a long list of funny things my nephew, Tatum, has said, but what struck me more was a conversation he had with my dad after I took them home.

Tatum loves cars. He is a typical four year-old boy. He loves to race matchbox cars and crash them. He always asks you which one you want to be. If you answer incorrectly, he'll let you know. You have to pick the winning car. That's the way it works. As Tatum prepares for an upcoming matchbox race he proudly displays the two options before my dad.

"Which one grandpa?"

My dad selects a car at random fully aware of Tatum's game.

"No grandpa. That one loses."

My dad answers, "That's okay."

Tatum is fully bewildered at this point and tries to reason with my dad.

"Don't you want to win?"

My dad replies with a quick and easy, "No."

"But, then you'll lose. You want to lose?"

Tatum is puzzled beyond belief and his poor little head is trying to figure this concept out. His face is all contorted and if he had wrinkles on his brow, I'm sure they would've furrowed. Tatum tries again, "You don't want to be a winna" (he has a toddler accent :) and says this pleading with my dad to change his mind)

My dad responds with a classic line that characterizes the man I'm so blessed to call father. He says, "No. I don't want to win. Because If I lose, that means someone else wins and that makes me happy."

I felt as if the air stood still for a moment. It hung thick all around me as I felt tears rising from my clenched throat. Like a flood I recalled all of the countless times my dad has put me first. He truly lives his life this way. He is happiest when he loses...because others win. I am overwhelmed to have a father that has lost so many times for me so I could win. I wish I could be more like my dad, but I fear that I am more like my nephew Tatum questioning, "Don't you wanna win?" What is life really about? Can I be happy losing? or will I continue to question the sanity of those who willingly choose to lose?

Redpath

Some friends of mine just started a new group, Redpath, and I got to go into the studio to record their process. I thought it would be fun to do sort of a "behind the scenes" peek. This is their first single, "Let Go" produced by Darren Rust. They have another song coming out soon produced by Joel Hanson. I think they're pretty neat-o, but in the very famous words of LeVar Burton, "You don't have to take my word for it." Go check them out for yourself. myspace.com/theredpathsmusic