Church Studies

The Shack: Bible Study 16

2009-03-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

Chapter 18: Outbound Ripples

P242 The images and memories began to flood back so powerfully that he felt like they might pick him up and sweep him off his bed and out of this world. And as he remembered he began to cry, until tears were rolling down his cheeks.

Q: What kind of memories makes us cry? Do they have to be powerful?

Psalm 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

Mack paused, grasping for words. “He said, ‘Tell Willie that I’m especially fond of him.’”

Q: How would Mack’s words have affected Willie? What does it mean to us to be told that we are fondly loved by God?

Ephesians 3:17b-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

P243 As she talked, Mack thought it indeed strange that he would get in an accident right after spending a weekend with God. The seeming random chaos of life, wasn’t that how Papa put it?

Q: If life is seemingly random and chaotic, what makes it predestined and orderly?

Ephesians 1:11-12 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

When Nan finished recounting her side of the events, Mack began telling her all that had happened to him. But first, he asked her forgiveness, confessing how and why he had lied to her. This surprised Nan, and she credited his new transparency to the trauma and morphine.

But the vividness and depth of his memories touched her and slowly undermined her resolve to stay objective. There was life in what he was telling her and she quickly understood that whatever had happened had greatly impacted and changed her husband.

Q: How does Mack’s story change Nan? Is she upset at being excluded? Why did Mack need her forgiveness?

Colossians 3:13-14 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

P244 Mack “None of us meant for this to happen, Kate. It just happened, and we’ll learn to live through it. But we’ll learn together. Okay?”

Q: Why is this so important to completing the story? How does this kind of restoration work in our own relationship to God?

P245 When Nan noticed that his eyes had opened, she quietly approached so as not to wake their daughter and kissed him. “I believe you,” she whispered, and he nodded and smiled, surprised by how important that was to hear. It was probably the drugs that were making him so emotional, he thought.

Q: Why did Mack need to hear that Nan believed him? How did that restore their relationship?

1 Timothy 4:9-10 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe .

P246 They probably would never have found the exact spot if it hadn’t been for Papa. Sitting at the top of a pile of stones in front of the cave was the rock with the red marking turned outward. To realize what Papa had done made Mack almost laugh out loud.

Q: What had Papa done that made Mack laugh? Is this divine intervention? Can this happen in “real life?” How?

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Even though Mack’s alibi was flawless, there would still be serious questions.

Q: Why would these questions be necessary?

After Words

P 247 Do I think all of it is true? I want all of it to be true. Perhaps if some of it is not actually true in one sense, it is still true nonetheless – if you know what I mean. I guess you and Sarayu will have to figure that one out.

Q: Where do we find real truths in this tale? Is this because we have experienced similar situations or through the revelatory powers of the Holy Spirit?

Ephesians 3:4-5 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.

Somehow he (Mack) has become a child again. Or maybe more accurately, he’s become the child he never was allowed to be; abiding in simple trust and wonder.

Q: Is this what Christ means by becoming a child again in order to enter into God’s Kingdom? How do our childhood experiences affect our faith in God?

Mark 10:15-16 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

P248 As I write this, Mack is testifying at the Ladykiller trial. He had hoped to visit with the accused, but has not yet been granted permission. But he’s determined to see him, even if it happens long after the verdict is rendered.

Q: Does this kind of faith and forgiveness happen in the world today? Where and when have you seen it happen?

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins

…you will son learn that he’s (Mack) hoping for a new revolution, one of love and kindness – a revolution that revolves around Jesus and what he did for us all and what he continues to do in anyone who has hunger for reconciliation and a place to call home.

Q: Is this revolution what we call real Christianity? How can we make this happen in our homes, churches, and communities?

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Instead it (the revolution) will be the quiet daily powers of dying and serving and loving and laughing, of simple tenderness and unseen kindness, because if anything matters, then everything matters. And one day, when all is revealed, every one of us will bow our knee and confess in the power of Sarayu that Jesus is the Lord of all Creation, to the glory of Papa.

Q: How do we know that Christ is the Lord of all Creation? Where do we expect to be and what shall we hope to be doing when this moment occurs? How can we help others to experience the same?

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I hope you have enjoyed this study. I’d love to hear how you have been using it or how you plan to use it. Please drop me an email at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

God bless you all.

The Shack: Bible Study 15

2009-03-05T12:53:00.001-08:00

Chapter 17: Choices of the Heart

P231: Jesus gently relieved him of his burden and together they went to the shop where he had been working.

As Mack walked around the box he immediately recognized the etchings in the wood. On closer examination he discovered that details of Missy’s life were carved into the wood.

Q: What do you think of the imagery here? Where does the author draw it from? In what ways have we experienced Jesus as being our burden-carrier?

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

P232: Mack turned and hugged Jesus, and as they embraced, Jesus whispered into his ear, “Missy helped; she picked out what she wanted on it.”

Sarayu stepped forward. “I,” she said with a flourish and bow, “am honored to sing Missy’s song, which she wrote just for this occasion.”

Q: What do you think of the notions that Missy prepared her own funeral? How would that have helped Mack? Can we help our loved ones by doing the same? What arrangements would you like to see organized at your own funeral?

Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song ; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

P233 Come kiss me wind and take my breath

Till you and I are one

And we will dance among the tombs

Until all death is gone.

When the task was complete, Sarayu reached within her clothing and withdrew her small, fragile bottle. From it she poured out a few drops of the precious collection into her hand and began to carefully scatter Mack’s tears onto the rich black soil under which Missy’s body slept.

Q: What were your impressions of Missy’s song? Why do you think Sarayu sang it? How do you feel about the Holy Spirit scattering Mack’s tears over Missy’s grave? What is the purpose of tears?

Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

John 11:35 Jesus wept .

P234 Sarayu then, in her whispery breeze-blown way, turned and smiled at Mack, who had been watching transfixed. “It is a tree of life, Mack, growing in the garden of your heart.”

Papa – “You can remain with us and continue to grow and learn, or you can return to your other home, to Nan and to your children and friends. Either way, we promise to be always be with you; although this way is a little more overt and obvious.”

Q: What do you think about the choice that Papa gave to Mack? How would you have responded? Do we also feel that God is always with us?

Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Timothy 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

P235 Papa to Mack about Missy Although she would love to be with you today, she lives where there is no impatience. She does not mind waiting.

Mack Let me ask you something. Is what I do back home important? Does it matter?

Sarayu Mack, if anything matters, then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again.

Mack And I really believe that you will never leave me or abandon me, so I am not afraid to go back. Well, maybe a little.

Q: Does everything matter? How could an act of forgiveness change the universe? How do our acts of grace, generosity, and love influence the world?

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

P236 Kate believes that she is to blame for Missy’s death.

Mack to Jesus Can you keep it for me? All my best treasures are now hidden in you anyway. I want you to be my life.

“I am,” came the clear and true voice of assurance.

Q: How does Mack respond to Christ’s statement about Katie? Why does Mack give his treasures to Jesus? How can we also be assured that Christ is our life?

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

P237 Mack God the servant…it is more truly God, my servant.

Ha hadn’t had a chance to say good-bye, but as he thought about it, saying good-bye to God seemed a little silly. It made him smile.

He was back in the real world. Then he smiled to himself. It was more likely he was back in the un-real world.

Q: What do you think of God being our servant? Does this diminish God’s authority? What is the real world – this one or the next? Why?

John 13:12-17 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

P238 Lost in thought, Mack simply pulled through the intersection when the light turned green. He never even saw the other driver run the opposing red light. There was only a brilliant flash of light and then nothing, except silence and inky blackness.

Q: How did you respond to this incident? Was it totally unanticipated?

The Shack: Bible Study 14

2009-02-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

Chapter 16: A Morning of Sorrows

P218 The man standing next to him looked a bit like Papa; dignified, older and wiry and taller than Mack. He had silver white hair pulled back into a ponytail, matched by a gray-splashed mustache and goatee. Plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up, jeans, and hiking boots completed the outfit of someone ready to hit the trail. “Papa?” Mack asked.

Q: Did this change surprise you in the book? Why/ why not? What does this tell us about the author’s understanding about God?

P219 Papa – This morning you’re going to need a father.

Q: When do we need God to be a father in our lives? Why?

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 12:49-50 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

P220 Papa - I suppose there is something very special about an only begotten son. That is part of the uniqueness in which I know him.

Q: Do you ever wonder about God relationship to Christ? What does it teach us about being a parent, a son, or a daughter?

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

P221 Mack – thinking – And then last night’s celebration topped it off, including the reconciliation with his father – so much healing with so little spoken.

Papa - I understand Mackenzie. We are coming full circle. Forgiving your dad yesterday was a significant part of your being able to know me as Father today.

Q: How do we imprint our earthly father’s characteristics onto those of God? Does this help or hinder our relationship with God?

P222 Papa there was no way to create freedom without a cost, as you know. I knew that my creation would rebel, would choose independence and death, and I knew what it would cost me to open a path of reconciliation.

Could I have prevented what happened to Missy? The answer is yes.

Papa - At this point all I have to offer you as an answer is my love and goodness, and my relationship with you. I did not purpose Missy’s death, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use it for good.

Q: Why would Papa’s statement have angered or disappointed Mack? Have there been occasions in our own lives where we thought God should intervene? What happens to our beliefs when He doesn’t?

Psalm 13:1-2 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

P223 Papa spoke gently and reassuringly. “Son, this is not about shaming you. I don’t do humiliation, or guilt, or condemnation. They don’t produce one speck of wholeness or righteousness, and that it why they were nailed into Jesus on the cross.

Q: Is this a biblical view of God or one that the author has? Does God reject humiliation, guilt, or condemnation?

John 3:17-18 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

John 8:9-11 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11 "No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

1 John 3:19-20 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

P224 – Papa – Mack, for you to forgive this man is for you to release him to me and allow me to redeem him.

Papa – Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack. It is about letting go of another person’s throat.

Papa – because of Jesus, there is now no law demanding that I bring your sins back to mind. They are gone when it comes to you and me, and they run no interference in our relationship.

Q: What do you think about these statements regarding forgiveness and sin? Why would forgiving someone else allow God the freedom to redeem that person? What did Jesus do to change the demands of the divine law? How does that help us relate to God today?

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven-if there was anything to forgive-I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

P225 – Papa – Forgiveness does not establish relationship. In Jesus, I have forgiven all humans for their sins against me, but only some choose relationship.

Papa – Forgiveness is first for you the forgiver…to release you from something that will eat you alive; that will destroy your joy and your ability to love fully and openly.

Papa – When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgment, but without true change, no real relationship can be established.

Q: How does forgiveness affect our relationships? Are their people in our lives that we cannot seem to forgive? Have we been unforgiven by other people?

P226 – Papa – Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive. But should they finally confess and repent, you will discover a miracle in your own heart that allows you to reach out and begin to build between you a bridge of reconciliation.

Q: How can trust be built up after forgiveness? What happens to our relationships when those we truly forgive see the error of their ways? Is this how God operates with us?

Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Luke 17:3-4 "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Hebrews 8:12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

P227 – Papa – Just say it out loud. There is power in what my children declare.

Don’t let the anger and pain and loss you feel prevent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck.

Son, you may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after, until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely. And then one day you will pray for his wholeness and give him over to me so that my love will burn from his life very vestige of corruption.

Q: How does this suggestion about learning to forgive someone else in stages relate to your own experiences? Does God forgive in stages like this?

P228 – Papa – Don’t ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be the healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak.

Q: How true has this been for you? Why do we fight back our tears? What is their purpose?

P230 – Not a word had been spoken except for Mack muttering occasionally under his breath, “I forgive you…I forgive you…”

The Shack: Bible Study 13

2009-02-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Chapter 15: A Festival of Friends

P209 Mack - He could see that the stars were in motion, not hurriedly but smoothly and with precision, as if there were grand celestial conductors coordinating their movement.

Q: Why are we so fascinated with stars? Where do we see and experience divine order in the Cosmos?

Job 38:31-32 "Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?

P210 Mack – he did and gasped. Even in the darkness of the night everything had clarity and shone with halos of light in various hues and shades of color. The forest was itself afire with light and color, yet each tree was distinctly visible, each branch, each leaf.

Q: What do you think of this notion that the author creates about truly seeing creation? Does it inspire you? Why is light so important to our understanding of God’s work in us?

Genesis 1:14-15 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth."

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

P211 Mack – he examined the rest of his body to find that light and color robed him completely; a clothing of purity that allowed him both freedom and propriety.

They broke into the meadow, an army of children. There were no candles – they themselves were lights. And within their own radiance, each was dressed in distinctive garbs that Mack imagined represented every tribe and tongue.

These were the children of the earth, Papa’s children.

Q: What do you think about this part of the story? Does this picture help us better understand how God relates to all of humanity?

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

P212 Sarayu – Mackenzie, the pattern of color and light is unique to each person; no two are alike and no pattern is ever the same twice. Here we are able to see each other truly, and part of seeing means that individual personality and emotion is visible in color and light.

P213 They were taller flames, seeming to blow with the wind currents, and were a similar sapphire and aqua blue, with unique bits of other colors embedded in each one.

“Angels,” answered Sarayu before Mack could ask. “Servants and watchers.”

Q: Do you believe in angels? If so, what are their main purposes? Have you experienced their help?

We are not only able to see the uniqueness of one another in color and light, but we are able to respond through the same medium. But this response is very difficult to control, and it is usually not intended to be restrained as this one is attempting. It is most natural to let its expression just be.

You love each person differently because of who they are and the uniqueness that they draw out of you. And the more you know another, the richer the colors of that relationship.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light , as he is in the light , we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Q: How do our relationships with one another affect our feelings for God? In what ways can our relationships strengthen our faith?

P214 Sarayu – The one having so much trouble containing himself – that one is your father.”

P215 Mack – he was lost in a wash of ruby and vermillion, magenta, and violet, as the light and color whirled around and embraced him.

Mack – “Daddy, I’m so sorry! Daddy, I love you!” The light of his words seemed to blast the darkness out of his father’s colors, turning them blood red. They exchanged sobbing words of confession and forgiveness, as a love greater than either one healed them

Q: How did you respond to this healing between Mack and his father? What hope does it give you for your own parental relationships?

1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light , and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

P216 Mack – As he passed through the ranks of children, he could feel their touches and colors quickly embrace him and fall away. Somehow, he was already known and loved here.

Suddenly to their right, from out of the darkness emerged Jesus, and pandemonium broke out. He was dressed in a simple brilliant white garment and wore on his head a simple gold crown, but he was every inch the king of the universe.

He walked the path that opened before him into the center – the center of all creation, the man who is God and the God who is man. Light and color danced and wove a tapestry of love for him to step on.

Tonight the universe was as it was intended.

Q: How has Jesus reconciled all of creation? In what ways do we experience and revere Him as the Lord of the Universe and King of all Creation?

Revelation 21:23-24 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light , and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.

P217 Even these (the animals) Jesus walked among, calling each by name until they and their young turned to make their way back to dens and nests and bedding pastures.

Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Mack – Like a curtain being drawn across his eyes, he was suddenly blind again; his vision returning to normal. He felt a loss and a longing, and even a little sad, until Jesus came alongside and took his hand, squeezing it to let Mack know that everything was as it should be.

1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Q: What do you think about this chapter as it relates to the whole story? How has it touched you? Are there people in your life who would be helped by this? How can you be that agent of change, healing, and help?

The Shack: Bible Study 12

2009-01-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Chapter 14: Verbs and Other Freedoms

P194 Mack even sang a few songs, a couple of old hymns and a couple of old folk songs. Singing was also something he had not done in a long time.

Q: What is the purpose of singing? Why has God given us the gift of music?

Psalm 98:1-6

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

P195 Sarayu – “For you to know or not, “she explained, “has nothing at all to do with whether I am actually here or not. I am always with you; sometimes I want you to be more aware in a special way – more intentional.

…you can always talk to me and I will always be with you, whether you sense my presence or not.

Q: How does the Holy Spirit make itself intentionally more known to us in our lives? How does the Spirit’s presence reassure and comfort us?

John 3:5-8 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit . 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit ."

P 196 Sarayu laughed – of course you will make mistakes; everybody makes mistakes, but you will begin to better recognize my voice as we continue to grow our relationship.

I don’t want to make mistakes – Mack grunted

Sarayu – mistakes are a part of life, and Papa works his purpose in them, too.

Sarayu – Emotions are the colors of the soul; they are spectacular and incredible. When you don’t feel, the world becomes dull and colorless. Just think how The Great Sadness reduced the range of color in your life down to monotones and flat grays and blacks.

Q: Why are mistakes an important part of life? How does God use them to work out His purposes?

Ephesians 1:11-12 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

P197 Sarayu – So check your perceptions and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms – what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn’t make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe. The more you live in truth, the more your emotions will help you see clearly. But even then, you don’t want to trust them more than me.

Q: Why should we reexamine our beliefs? Why should we not trust them more than the Holy Spirit? Is this the author’s belief or is this rooted in scripture?

John 3:16-18

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

P197/198 Sarayu – The Bible doesn’t teach you to follow rules. It is a picture of Jesus. Whole words may tell you what God is like and even what he may want from you, you cannot do any of it on your own. Life and living is in him and in no other. My goodness, you didn’t think you could live the righteousness of God on your own, did you?

P198 Sarayu – it is true that relationships are a whole lot messier than rules, but rules will never give you answers to the deep questions of the heart and they will never love you.

Q: Does or doesn’t the Bible teach us to follow rules? Is it only a picture of Jesus? What happens to our relationships when we break the rules?

Galatians 3:10-14

10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law ." 11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law , because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Mack asks Sarayu if he will ever see her again

Of course. You might see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or through people, or in Creation, or in your joy and sorrow. My ability to communicate is limitless, living, and transforming, and it will always be tuned to Papa’s goodness and love.

Mack asks the Trinity why they love him, when he has nothing to offer in return

Jesus – it should be very freeing to know that you can offer us nothing, at least not anything that can add or take away from who we are…That should alleviate any pressure to perform.

Q: How do we recognize the Holy Spirit’s creativity in our lives? Why does the Holy Spirit communicate to us through different mediums?
Why do we try to repay God with our good works?

John 14:25-27

25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit , whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

P201 Papa – Keep in mind Mackenzie, that I am not a human being, not in my very nature, despite how we have chosen to be with you this weekend. I am truly human in Jesus, but I am a totally separate other in my nature.

Q: How is God made fully human in Jesus? Why would God do this?

John 17:20-23

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

P202 Sarayu talking about the purpose of the Ten Commandments We wanted you to give up trying to be righteous on your own. It was a mirror to reveal just how filthy your face gets when you live independently.

But how can you clean your face with the same mirror that shows you how dirty you are? There is no mercy or grace in rules, not even for one mistake. That’s why Jesus fulfilled all of it for you – so that it no longer has jurisdiction over you. And the Law that once contained impossible demands – Thou Shall Not – actually becomes a promise we fulfill in you.

Q: Why do the Ten Commandments make impossible demands? How did Jesus fulfill them? What does that fulfillment mean for us?

Ephesians 2:14-16

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

P203 Sarayu – But bear in mind that if you live your life alone and independently, the promise is empty. Jesus laid the demand of the law to rest; it no longer has any power to accuse or command. Jesus is both the promise and its fulfillment.

…those who are afraid of freedom are those who cannot trust us to live in them. Trying to keep the law is actually a declaration of independence, a way of keeping control.

It grants you the power to judge others and feel superior to them. You believe you are living to a higher standard than those you judge. Rules cannot bring freedom; they only have the power to accuse.

Q: Why does living our life independently of God make Christ’s promises empty for us? How do we use rules to keep us independent of God? If rules cannot bring freedom, why do we use laws to maintain our liberty?

Galatians 3:19-22

19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

P204 Sarayu – Nouns exist because there is a created universe and physical reality, but if the universe is only a mass of nouns, it is dead. Unless ‘I am,’ there are no verbs, and verbs are what make the universe alive.

Q: What do you think about the above statement?

John 1:1-5
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

P205 Sarayu – My words are live and dynamic – full of life and possibility; yours are dead, full of law and fear of judgment. That is why you won’t find the word responsibility in the Scriptures.

Sarayu – Religion must use law to empower itself and control the people who they need in order to survive.

Q: Why are God’s words so dynamic and full of life? Why do we use rules to stifle this?

Romans 7:7-10

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law . For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

P206 Sarayu – Responsibilities and expectations are the basis of guilt and shame and judgment, and they provide the essential framework that promotes performance as the basis for identity and value. You know well what it is like not to live up to someone’s expectations.

P207 Papa – You see Mackenzie, I don’t just want a piece of you and a piece of your life. Even if you were able, which you are not, to give me the biggest piece, that is not what I want. I want all of you and all of every part of you and your day.

Jesus - I don’t want to be first among a list of values; I want to be at the center of everything. When I live in you, then together we can live through everything that happens to you. Rather than a pyramid, I want to be the center of a mobile where everything in your life – your friends, family, occupation, thoughts, activities – is connected to me but moves with the wind, in and out and back and forth, in an incredible dance of being.

Q: What do you think about God wanting all of our life, and not just a part of it? How can we put this demand into practice? How does the mobile illustration help you to understand Christ’s desire for a real, living relationship with us?

P208 Sarayu – Actually, you see very little even though for a human you see fairly well. But just for tonight, I would love you to see a bit of what we see.

Q: How do you think God sees the world – individually or collectively? How can we strive to see the world through God’s eyes?

1 Corinthians 2:6-10

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-

10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

Bible Study on President Obama's Inaugural Speech

2009-01-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

I’ve written this extensive Bible study on President Obama’s Inaugural Speech for my Sunday School Class. If you would like a Word document copy of the study, please send me an email to traqair@aol.com. Put “Study on Obama’s Speech” in the subject line.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

Q: What were the ideals of our forebears? How can we remain faithful to them? What founding documents should we be true to? Does this make us legalistic or libertarian?

Psalm 78:1-4

O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old--
what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.

Q: What were the ideals of our scriptural forebears? Are we faithful to them? Which scriptures should we remain true towards? How can these age old traditions and documents be relevant to our modern lives?

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

Q: What hard choices have we failed to make? How has greed and irresponsibility weakened our nation? What has caused our national pride and patriotic confidence to be sapped? What are the remedies to these issues?

Amos 5:11-15

You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Q: What part has the Church to play in restoring our people’s confidence? How have we, as Christians, been greedy and irresponsible? How can we faithfully apply our beliefs to help remedy the issues our nation faces today?

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.

The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

Q: How have our politics been strangled? How did we allow this to happen? What childish things do we need to set aside as a nation? What could our better history look like? Do we honestly feel that our freedom and pursuit of happiness are God given promises?

1 Corinthians 13:11-13

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Q: How do faith, hope, and love relate to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? As Christians, are we meant to pursue happiness or heaven? Are those two things compatible?

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

Q: How can our nation earn greatness and respect in the world today? What examples have previous generations of Americans shown us that we can apply today? What kind of sacrifices do you think we will all be called to make throughout the next decade in order to preserve our greatness? Is America called to be great or to be free?

Hebrews 11:32-40

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Q: How much does our present faith owe to Christian believers in the past? Do we respect our faithful forebears or do we diminish their sacrifices? What kind of issues will the Church face in the next decade? Are we called to make Christianity great or to find freedom in Christ?

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Q: What narrow interests have we been protecting? What unpleasant decisions now need to be made? What is the rightful place for science? Can health care quality be raised whilst costs are lowered? What are the new age demands that our schools and colleges must meet?

Matthew 7:24-27

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Q: What is our foundation for new growth in the Church? What is the rightful place for science in the Church? Have we been guilty of protecting our own interests rather than caring for the world? What new challenges do our churches and seminaries face today?

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Q: What achievements have free Americans made in the past? Do we honor those accomplishments or take them for granted? Is it the government’s responsibility to help us find decent paying jobs, affordable care, and dignity in retirement? If so, how can these goals be accomplished? How can we hold those who hold and spend public money accountable? Will this involve bigger or larger government?

Romans 13:1-5

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority ? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

Q: What are the historic achievements of the Church? How can our churches help others find decent jobs, provide care, and support retirees? Is this part of the Churches responsibility? How good are we as stewards of God’s money? Do we use it to make our churches grander or God’s work greater?

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

Q: Does our nation only favor the prosperous? What watchful eye is needed over the free market system? Can it be a free market with government oversight? How can our nation extend prosperous opportunities to every willing heart? What is meant by the common good?

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Q: Do our denominations only favor successful churches? How can successful churches be supportive of struggling ones? How do we make the common good of all churches our goal?

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

Q: How do our ideals affect our safety? How do our ideals still light the world? How can America be a friend to the entire world? Is that what our founding fathers meant for us to be? Why can power alone not protect us? What recent causes have made us unjust in the world’s eyes?

Matthew 5:14-16

"You are the light of the world . A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Q: How do our Christian ideals light the world? How do those ideals affect the safety of Christians in other nations? Why does Jesus call His followers the light of the world? What recent things have occurred in our faith that have diminished that light?

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

Q: How can greater cooperation and understanding between the nations of the world enable us to keep the legacy of the Founding Fathers? In what ways is our patchwork heritage our strength? How has America been shaped by every language and culture? Does this give us the right to lead the world into a new era of peace?

Isaiah 2:3-4

Many peoples will come and say,” Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Q: How has Christianity been shaped by every language and culture? Is our diversity a weakness or strength? What should be the Church’s role in leading the world to a new era of peace? Is this what we are meant to do, or is there something more?

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

Q: Can we expect to move forward in peace with the Muslim world by showing them respect? Will this be mutual? How do other countries blame their nation’s ills on the West? Is this justifiable? How can we work alongside those who have no food or clean water? Shouldn’t we look after the hungry, poor, and squalid, living in our own nation first? Must we change with the world? What happens if we don’t?

Isaiah 1:23-26

Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.
Therefore the Lord, the LORD Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: "Ah, I will get relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies.
I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.
I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City."

Q: How should Christianity respectfully interact with Islam? Will this be mutual? How does the West blame the Church for its past mistakes? Is this justifiable today? How can we work alongside those who have no food or clean water? Shouldn’t we look after the hungry, poor, and squalid, living in the Church first? Must we change with the world? What happens if we don’t?

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Q: How do we honor the present day guardians of our liberty? Why is their spirit of service something that all Americans must have within them? How can we accomplish this ideal? Why can our government only do so much in fulfilling this kind of spirit? What will happen if our people put more faith in government rather than ourselves?

Isaiah 9:2-7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Q: Who are the guardians of our faith today? Why should all Christians have a servant spirit within them? What can our churches do to encourage Christian service in the world? What will happen if our people put more faith in their churches rather than Christ?

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

Q: How do those old values – hard work, honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – make Americans successful? What duties do we have to ourselves, our nation, and the world? Has God called upon us to shape an uncertain destiny? Isn’t that what God is meant to do with us? Does the meaning and liberty of our creed depend upon our vocation from God?

Galatians 5:22-26

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Q: How do the fruits of the Spirit make us successful as Christians? What duties do we have as Christians to the Church, our nation, and the world? Do we shape the Church or does God shape us for the Church’s sake? How do we find meaning and freedom in our faith through Christ?

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Q: Why are examples from our history so pertinent to us today? How will hope and virtue enable us to endure the coming storms? How will those storms be manifested? Why is God’s grace so important to sustaining us to carry the great gift of freedom? What do we hope that future generations will say about this moment in our nation’s history?

1 Peter 5:10-12

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God . Stand fast in it.

Q: What examples from our Church history are so pertinent to our faith today? What storms lie ahead for the Church? How can we overcome them? Why is God’s grace so important to our faith being sustained? What do we hope that future generations will say about the importance of Christ’s Church today?

The Shack: Bible Study 11

2009-01-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

Chapter 13: A Meeting of Hearts

Page 183: Mack – What’s this? God has time to catch a few rays? Don’t you have anything better to do this afternoon?

Papa – Mack, you have no idea what I’m doing right now.

Q: What is God doing right now in the world? How would we know?

Isaiah 40:21-24 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

Page 184: Mack apologizes for unfairly judging God. Papa answers - …that is in the past now, where it belongs. I didn’t even want your sorrow for it, Mack. I just want us to grow on together without it.

Q: Why does Papa not want any of Mack’s regret? Does God want any of ours?

Isaiah 35:10 …and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Page 185: Papa – Stories about a person willing to exchange their life for another are a golden thread in your world, revealing both your need and my heart.

Q: Why does sacrifice affect us? What makes people lay down their lives for others? How do we honor those sacrifices?

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Papa – Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don’t ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes.

Q: How does God use evil, tragedy, and suffering to fulfill His promises? Are their experiences in our lives where we have seen this occur?

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Romans 3:7-8 Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" Why not say-as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say-"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.

Papa – Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.

Q: What is grace? How have we personally experienced it?

Page 186: Mack – The world just looks a thousand times brighter and I feel a thousand times lighter.

Papa – You are Mack! it isn’t easy being the judge of the entire world.

Q: What makes us so judgmental about other people? Why are Christians so bad at recognizing this?

Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Papa – Jesus came to show people who I am and most folks only believe it about him. They still play us off like good cop/bad cop most of the time. When they want to do what they think is right, they need a stern God. When they need forgiveness, they run to Jesus.

Q: How are our beliefs about Jesus different from those we have about God? Aren’t they the same?

John 17:20-23 My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Page 187: Papa – Guilt will never help you find freedom in me. The best it can do is make you try harder to conform to some ethic on the outside. I’m about the inside.

Q: How does the Church use guilt to impinge upon our freedom? Why? Can we give examples?

Luke 11:46 Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

Papa – lies are a little fortress; in side them you can feel safe and powerful. Through your little fortress of lies you try to run your life and manipulate others. But the fortresses need walls, so you build some. These are the justifications for your lies.

Page 188: Papa – the truth is, Mack, the real reason you did not tell Nan was not because you were trying to save her from pain. The real reason is that you were afraid of having to deal with the emotions you might encounter, both from her and in yourself. Emotions scare you, Mack. You lied to protect yourself, not her!

Q: Why do we resort to lies to protect ourselves? What are we trying to hide? How do these lies affect our relationship with God and other people?

John 8:44-46 Jesus said: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?

Papa – When you mess up again, ask for forgiveness again. It’s a process, honey, and life is real enough without having to be obscured by lies. And remember, I am bigger than your lies. I can work beyond them.

Q: How is God bigger than our lies? How can He work beyond them?

Page 189: Papa – faith does not grow in the house of certainty.

Q: What has faith got to do with doubt? Why can’t faith grow in a house of certainty? If true, what does this say about our churches?

Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

People are tenacious when it comes to the treasure of their imaginary independence. They hoard and hold their sickness with a firm grip. They find their identity and worth in their brokenness and guard it with every ounce of strength they have.

…my love is bigger than your stupidity. I used your choices to work perfectly into my purposes.

Q: How do our stupid choices affect our lives? What does God do with them? How do we know that God’s love is greater than our foolishness?

1 Corinthians 3:19-20 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."

Page 190: Papa – I understand how difficult it is for you, so lost in your own perceptions of reality and yet so sure of your own judgments, to even begin to perceive, let alone imagine, who real love and goodness are. True love never forces.

Q: Why can love never be enforced? What does this tell us about God’s love for us?

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Nobody knows what horrors I have saved the world from ‘cuz people can’t see what never happened. All evil flows from independence, and independence is your choice.

You and this Creation are incredible, whether you understand that or not. You are wonderful beyond imagination. Just because you make horrendous and destructive choices does not mean you deserve less respect for what you inherently are – the pinnacle of my Creation and the center of my affection.

Q: How do we feel about being the pinnacle of creation and the center of God’s affection? How should those honors affect how we deal with, think about, and judge other people?

Psalm 8:3-5 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

Page 191: Papa – So whose choices should we countermand, Mackenzie? Perhaps I should never have created?....You demand your independence, but then complain that I actually love you enough to give it to you.

Mackenzie, my purposes are not for my comfort, or yours. My purposes are always and only an expression of love. I purpose to work life out of death, to bring freedom out of brokenness and turn darkness into light. What you see as chaos, I see as a fractal.

Q: When do we complain to God about not being involved in the world? Are we willing to give up our freedom in order to let God protect the world from evil?

Luke 13:1-5 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them-do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Mack – What exactly did Jesus accomplish by dying?

Q: What exactly did Jesus accomplish by dying? What did He personally accomplish for you?

1 Peter 2:23-25 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Papa – Nothing much – just the substance of everything that love purposed before the foundations of creations.

Page 192: Papa – everything is about him. Creation and history are all about Jesus. He is the very center of our purpose and in him we are now fully human, so our purpose and your destiny are forever linked. You might say that we have put all our eggs in the one human basket. There is no plan B.

Q: If Creation and history are all about Jesus, why do we prohibit Him from being the center of our lives?

Revelation 3:19-22 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Papa – You asked me what Jesus accomplished on the cross; so now listen to me carefully: through his death and resurrection, I am now fully reconciled to the world.

Mack – The whole world? You mean those who believe in you, right?

Papa – The whole world, Mack. All I am telling you is that reconciliation is a two way street, and I have done my part, totally, completely, finally.

Q: How is the whole world reconciled to God through Jesus? Why is this a two-way street? How can we play our part in this divine process?

Romans 5:9-11 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The Shack: Bible Study 10

2008-12-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

Chapter 12: In the Belly of the Beasts

P171: Jesus – Sophia is a personification of Papa’s wisdom.

She’s part of the mystery surrounding Sarayu.

Q: How would you define wisdom? Have there been instances in your life when the Holy Spirit shared some of God’s wisdom with you?

Proverbs 8:7-11
7 My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

P172: Jesus (speaking of Sophia) – with her, everything is normal and elegantly simple. Because you are so lost and independent you bring to her many complications, and as a result you find even her simplicity profound.

Jesus – Time, as you know it, presents no boundaries to the One who created it.

Jesus – Would all this be any less ‘real’ if it were inside a dream?
Mack – I think I’d be disappointed.
Jesus – Why? Mack, there is far more going on here than you have the ability to perceive.

Q: How can we be sure reality is real? Can we ever know all that is going on? Why/why not?

1 Corinthians 13:9-12
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

P173: Jesus (talking about Missy’s last horrifying experiences) – Mack, she was never alone. I never left her; we never left her for one instant. I could no more abandon her, or you, than I could abandon myself.

Q: When and where have we experienced the holy presence of Jesus? Do we truly understand that he is always with us? Is that a comforting or uncomfortable thought?

Matthew 18:19-20
19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Jesus – She had no idea what was going to happen. She was actually more worried about you and the other kids, knowing that you couldn’t find her. She prayed for you, for your peace.

P174: Jesus – The darkness hides the true size of fears and lies and regrets. The truth is they are more shadow than reality, so they seem bigger in the dark.

Q: What makes us fearful as children? How do those fearful things affect us as adults?

Matthew 6:22-23
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

P175: Mack – why do we keep all that crap inside?
Jesus – because we believe it’s safer there…then you grow up on the outside, but on the inside you’re still that kid in the dark cave surrounded by monster, and out of habit you keep adding to your collection.

Jesus – We’re meant to experience this life, your life, together, in a dialogue, sharing the journey. You get to share in our wisdom and learn to love with our love, and we get…to hear you grumble and gripe and complain….

Q: How can we share our lives with Jesus? How much of our lives do we actually share with Him?

Matthew 6:31-34
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

P176: Jesus - If the universe contained only one human being, timing would be rather simple. But add just one more, and, well, you know the story. Each choice ripples out through time and relationships, bouncing off of other choices. And out of what seems to be a huge mess, Papa weaves a magnificent tapestry.

Q: How do our choices affect others? How does God deal with 6.5 billion choices each day? What is the affect of those choices on our planet?

P177: Jesus - Only Papa can do it and she does it with grace.

Jesus – Pearls, Mack. The only precious stone made by pain, suffering and – finally – death.

Matthew 13:45-46
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

P178: Jesus – (about the church) What I see are people and their lives, a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs.

My church is all about people and life is all about relationships. You can’t build it. It’s my job and I’m actually pretty good at it.

Q: Why do we perceive the church as a building where we do religious things? How can Jesus help us to get out of our overactive need for programs?

1 Timothy 3:15
15 If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Mack, you don’t need to have it all figured out. Just be with me.

P179: Jesus - As well-intentioned as it might be, you know that religious machinery can chew up people! An awful lot of what is done in my name has nothing to do with me and is often, even if unintentional, very contrary to my purposes.

Q: When and where have we seen religious institutions do things in Christ’s Name that is very contrary to His purposes? What are His purposes anyway?

Luke 11:23 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

Jesus – I don’t create institutions; that’s an occupation for those who want to play God. So no, I’m not too big on religion, and not very fond of politics or economics either.

Jesus – Put simply, these terrors are the tools that many use to prop up their illusions of security and control. People are afraid of uncertainty, afraid of the future. These institutions, these structures and ideologies, are all a vain effort to create some sense of certainty and security where there isn’t any. It’s all false. Systems cannot provide you security. Only I can.

Q: Is this what Jesus really thinks or are the above thoughts those of the author? How do religion, politics, and economics prop up our insecurities? Are they delusions?

Matthew 6:24-27
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money .

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

P180: Jesus - If you try to live this without me, without the ongoing dialogue of us sharing this journey together, it will be like trying to walk on the water by yourself. You can’t!

P181: Jesus – All I want from you is to trust me with what little you can, and grow in loving people around you with the same love I share with you. It’s not your job to change them, or to convince them. You are free to love without an agenda.

Q: Why do we try and change people for God? Whose job are we trying to do?

John 14:1-2
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Mack was thinking of his friends, church people who had expressed love to him and his family. He knew they loved Jesus, but were also sold out to religious activity and patriotism.

Q: Do we know people like this? Are we in danger of becoming like them? How?

P182: Jesus – Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, republicans and many who don’t vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions. I have followers who were murderers and many who were self-righteous. Some are bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians. I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformations into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved.

Q: Is the author guilty of putting into Christ’s mouth words that he would hope He would speak? Does Jesus have no desire to make us Christians? If that is the case, then why did He establish the Church?

Colossians 1:21-23
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Mack – does that mean that all roads will lead to you?

Jesus – Not at all. Most roads don’t lead anywhere. What it does mean that I will travel any road to find you.

Q: What do you think of the above statement? Does it conflict or support universalism? Are we not supposed to seek Christ?

Romans 10:20 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."

Heb 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The Shack: Bible Study 09

2008-12-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 11: Here Come Da Judge

P151 Mack – Taking a deep breath and with his hands outstretched in front of him, he ventured a couple of steps into the inky darkness and stopped. Fear seized him as he tried to breathe, unsure whether or not to continue.

Q: What was Mack afraid of? How did this moment test his faith?

Psalm 23:3-4
3 He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

P153: Mack – “She is beauty…everything that sensuality strives to be, but falls painfully short.”

Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

P154: Sophia: In some sense every parent does love their children…but some parents are too broken to love them well and others are barely able to love them at all.

Q: Have you ever experienced this kind of broken love? Do parents today want to befriend or love their children? What’s the difference?

P155: Mack (responding to Sophia’s question about which child he loves the most) Come to think of it, it’s like when Papa says she is especially fond of someone. When I think of each of my children individually, I find that I am especially fond of each one.

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God !

Sophia: You are wise in the ways of real love, Mackenzie. So many people believe that it is love that grows, but it is the knowing that grows and love simply expands to contain it.

Q: What do you think of Sophia’s statement above? How does this affect us in loving relationships?

P156: Sophia to Mack – You didn’t move beyond your father’s inability (to love you) on your own, it was God and you together who changed you to love this way. And now you love your children much the way Father loves his.

Q: How can God change the way we love? Are we aware of such an influence?

1 John 5:1-2 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.

P157: Sophia (in response to Mack’s question about being dead): I am sorry to disappoint you, but you have not fallen asleep in your world….

Mack: This hardly seems fair! Does this happen to other people – getting judged, I mean, before they’re even dead? What if I change? What if I do better the rest of my life? What if I repent? What then?

P158: Sophia – You have judged many throughout your life. You have judged the actions and even the motivations of others. You have judged the color of skin and body language and body odor. You have judged history and relationships. You have even judged the value of a person’s life by the quality of your concept of beauty.

Q: What makes us judge other people? Is it a defensive mechanism? Are our judgments fair and balanced?

Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge , or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

P159: Sophia – tell me, by what criteria do you base your judgments?

Judging requires that you think yourself superior over the one you judge.

P160: Mack – So, who is it that I am supposed to judge?
Sophia: God and the human race.

Q: How often do we judge God’s intentions for the world? How often do we judge God’s intentions for ourselves?

John 8:15-16 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge , my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.

Sophia: Surely there are many people in your world you think deserve judgment. There must be at least a few who are to blame for so much of the pain and suffering? What about the greedy who feed off the poor of the world? What about the ones who sacrifice their young children to war? What about the men who beat their wives?...Don’t they deserve judgment?

P161: Sophia - How far do we go back, Mackenzie? This legacy of brokenness goes all the way back to Adam, what about him? But why stop there? What about God? God started this whole thing. Is God to blame?

Q: Why do we blame God for terrible things that happen in our lives? Would we honestly want Him to interfere in our lives? What would happen to us if God decided to change everything?

Sophia: Isn’t this where you are stuck? Isn’t this what fuels The Great Sadness? That God cannot be trusted? Surely, a father like you can judge the Father?

God knew that one day your Missy would be brutalized, and still he created. And then he allowed that twisted soul to snatch her from your loving arms when he had the power to stop him. Isn’t God to blame, Mackenzie?

Q: Why is Mack so angry with God? Have you ever felt the same way? Why doesn’t God intervene where suffering occurs?

If you are able to judge God so easily, then you can certainly judge the world.

P162: Sophia: God knows every person ever conceived, and he knows them so much deeper and clearer than you will ever know your own children…You believe he will condemn most to an eternity of torment, away from his presence and apart from his love. Is that not true?

Q: Isn’t this what we are taught to believe? Why do we not feel comfortable with this today? Do we think God will change His ways to suit our modern sensitivity?

Romans 3:5-6 But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?

Mack – How could God ask him to choose among his own children? There was no way he could sentence Katie, or any of his children, to an eternity in hell just because she had sinned against him.

P163: Mack – Could I go instead? If you need someone to torture for eternity, I’ll go in their place. Would that work? Could I do that?

Sophia: Now you sound like Jesus. You have judged well, Mackenzie. I am proud of you!

Q: What do you think about the above conclusion to the discussion? Would we be willing to sacrifice ourselves for our children? Is this why God sent Jesus into the world?

John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

P 164: Mack – I just don’t understand how God could love Missy and let her go through that horror. She was innocent. She didn’t do anything to deserve that.

Sophia: Your world is severely broken. You demanded your independence, and now you are angry with the one who loved you enough to give it to you.

Q: How does our fierce independence cause suffering in the world? Where have we broken our world with our selfish ways? Why does it trouble us to give up our free spirited ways and submit ourselves to God?

Romans 1:21-23 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Sophia: He chose the way of the cross where mercy triumphs over justice because of love. Would you instead prefer he’s chosen justice for everyone? Do you want justice?

Q: Which would we prefer from God: mercy or justice? What would happen if we only received justice from God?

Jeremiah 10:24-25 Correct me, LORD, but only with justice --not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing. Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name.

P165: Sophia – Papa (God) never needed evil to accomplish his good purposes. It is you humans who have embraced evil and Papa has responded with goodness. What happened to Missy was the work of evil and no one in your world is immune from it.

Q: Why are we not immune from evil? What causes humankind to embrace evil? How does God counter this?

Romans 1:24-25 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen.

P167: Mack (about Missy) – She’s really okay, isn’t she?
Sophia: More than you know. This life is only the anteroom of a greater reality to come. No one reaches their potential in your world. It’s only preparation for what Papa had in mind all along.

Q: What are we being prepared for in this life? Why can we never reach our full potential?

Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

P168: Sophia – if you remember, you were saving your son. Only you, in the entire universe, believe that somehow you’re to blame. Missy doesn’t believe that, nor Nan, nor Papa. Perhaps it’s time to let that go – that lie.

Q: How is Sophia trying to help Mack here? What does she want him to let go?

P169: Sophia – Mackenzie, judgment is not about destruction, but about setting things right.

Q: Why do we often envision judgment as being destructive and not re-constructive? What do you think about Sophia’s statement? How could we put this into practice in the church or in the world?

John 12:47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.

The Shack : Bible Study 08

2008-11-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Chapter 10: Wade in the Water

P140 What Jesus had been suggesting, Mack finally allowed into his consciousness. He was talking about walking across on the water. Jesus, anticipating his hesitation, asserted, “C’mon, Mack. If Peter can do it…”

Q: What is Jesus trying to do with Mack when he asks him to walk on the water? Why does this request make Mack hesitate?

Matthew 14:25-31 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

P141 Jesus: Such a powerful ability, the imagination. That power alone makes you so like us. But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel task master. …do you think humans were designed to live in the present or the past or the future?

…now tell me, where do you spend most of your time in your mind, in your imagination; in the present, in the past, or in the future?

Q: How much do we live our lives in our imagination? Why do you think God planted that ability within us? When does our imagination help or hinder our faith?

Deuteronomy 28:64-67 Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods--gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind , eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!"--because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.

P142: Jesus – Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?

It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn’t even real, nor will it ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear.

The person who lives by their fears will not find their freedom in my love.

Q: What things make us insecure and unfaithful to God? Why do we rarely picture Christ as being at the heart of our future? What does this tell us about our faith?

John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

P144 Jesus - Our earth is like a child who has grown up without parents, having no one to guide and direct her. Some have attempted to help her but most have simply tried to use her. Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration, other than their immediate needs.

Q: Why do we dominate the earth and abuse it? How do our modern lifestyles affect our planet’s ecosystem? What should we be doing as Christians to change this?

Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

P145 Jesus - have you noticed that even though you call me Lord and King, I have never really acted in that capacity with you/ I’ve never taken control of your choices or forced you to do anything, even when what you were about to do was destructive or hurtful to yourself and others.

To force my will on you, …is exactly what love does not do. Genuine relationships are marked by submission even when your choices are not helpful or healthy.

Q: Why doesn’t Jesus take charge over our lives? Would we expect Him to change things to suit ourselves if He did? How can we allow Him to influence our choices? Why are we sometimes resistant to this?

1 Peter 4:1-2 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

P146: Jesus – I don’t want slaves to my will; I want brothers and sisters who will share life with me.

That’s because like most men you find what you think of as fulfillment in your achievements, and Nan, like most women, find it in relationships.

Q: How can we fulfill our lives in Christ? How would that affect our accomplishments and relationships?

John 17:21-23 Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me . May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

P147: Jesus – Women, in general, will find it difficult to turn from a man and stop demanding that he meets their needs, provides security, and protects their identity, and return to me. Men, in general, find it very hard to turn from the works of their hands, their own quests for power and security and significance, and return to me.

Q: Why do we find it so difficult to return to Jesus? What obstacles get in our way?

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

P148: Jesus - Power in the hands of independent humans, be they men or women, does corrupt….remember, I am not about performance and fitting into man-made structures; I am about being. As you grown in relationship with me, what you do will simply reflect who you really are.

I came as a man to complete a wonderful picture in how we made you. 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 be alone; she was purposed from the beginning.

Q: What makes us identify ourselves through what we do, instead of focusing on who we are in God’s eyes? When we end up glorifying our achievements, do we cheat God?

Isaiah 46:5-7 "To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.
They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.

P149: Jesus - Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy. Being my follower is not trying ‘to be like Jesus’ it means for your independence to be killed. I came to give you life, real life, my life. We will come and live our life inside of you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and touch with our hands, and think like we do. But, we will never force that union on you. If you want to do your thing, have at it. Time is on our side.

Q: Are our lives meant to copy Christ? Is he not an example to us? What is the author trying to convey by making Christ speak these words? What do you think he means by ‘time is on our side’?

John 13:15-17 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example , that you should follow in his steps.

The Shack: Bible Study 07

2008-11-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

Chapter 9: A Long Time Ago, In a Garden Far, Far Away

P128 Mack about Sarayu (Holy Spirit) – No wonder so many people are a little unnerved at relating to her…She obviously is not a being who is predictable.

Q: Does having the Holy Spirit in our lives make us feel uncomfortable? Why/ why not?

Romans 9:1-4
I speak the truth in Christ-I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit - I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.

P 129 Sarayu – A fractal…something considered simple and orderly that is actually composed of repeated patterns no matter how magnified. A fractal is almost infinitely complex. I love fractals, so I put them everywhere.

P 131 Sarayu: Oh, Mackenzie, if only you knew. It’s not the work, but the purpose that makes it special. And…it’s the only kind I do.

Q: Why are we so obsessed with getting things accomplished rather than asking ourselves what is the purpose behind our actions?

Galatians 3:5
Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Sarayu: I created everything that actually exists, including what you consider the bad stuff. But when I created it, it was only Good, because that is just the way that I am.

P132 Mack: Then why has so much of the ‘Good’ gone ‘bad’?

Q: Why has so much of the ‘Good’ gone bad?

Sarayu: You (humans) are truly blind to your own place in the Creation. Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don’t even comprehend that you are dragging the entire creation along with you.

Q: Where do we see the effects of our disobedience in the world? What motivates us to spoil God’s good works?

Romans 1:18-20
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Sarayu: That is the wonder and adventure of exploration, a piece of what you call science – to discern and discover what we have hidden for you to find.

Sarayu: For any created being, autonomy is lunacy. Freedom involves trust and obedience inside a relationship of love.

Q: Why do we associate freedom with independence? How can freedom involve trust and obedience?

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

P133: Sarayu: Humans have a great capacity for declaring something good or evil, without truly knowing.

P134 Mack: That’s going to bother some people. There are lots of people who think it (Garden of Eden) was only a myth.

Sarayu: Well, their mistake isn’t fatal. Rumors of glory are often hidden inside of what many consider myths and tales.

Q: What do you consider to be the truths about the Garden of Eden? Why do many people attribute it to being a myth?

Genesis 2:8-9
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Sarayu: When something happens to you, how do you determine whether it is good or evil?

And how confident are you in your ability to discern what indeed is good for you, or what is evil?

Q: How do we determine what is good and evil? How do we know this to be true?

Hebrews 5:12-14
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil .

P135 Sarayu…that which you determine to be good will change over time and circumstance. And then beyond that and even worse, there are billions of you each determining what is good and what is evil. So when your good and evil clash with your neighbor’s, fights and arguments ensue and even wars break out.

And then if there is no reality of good that is absolute, then you have lost any basis for judging. It is just language, and one might as well exchange the word good for the word evil.

Q: Why are we so resistant to absolutes in our society? If there is no absolute right or wrong, why do we both reward and punish people?

The choice to eat of that tree (in Eden) tore the universe apart divorcing the spiritual from the physical.

Mack: I spend most of my time and energy trying to acquire what I have determined to be good…and I spend a huge amount of energy and worry fearing what I’ve determined to be evil.

Q: How could Adam & Eve’s disobedience wreck the harmony between the physical and spiritual? How true is Mack’s statement above to your own life?

P136 Sarayu: You must give up your right to decide what is good and evil on your own terms. That is a hard pill to swallow; choosing to only live in me. To do that you must know me enough to trust me and learn to rest in my inherent goodness.

Q: Why are we afraid to give up our right to determine what is right and wrong? How can we live by and with the Spirit?

Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to both Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist.

John 12:35-36
Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

P137 Sarayu: No Mack. A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has the right to be protected.

Mackenzie, Jesus didn’t hold on to any rights; he willingly became a servant and lives out of his relationship to papa. He gave up everything, so that by his dependent life he opened a door that would allow you to live free enough to give up your rights.

Q: What did Jesus give up to become one of us? How has His sacrifice helped our salvation?

Hebrews 2:8-9
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

P138: Sarayu: And well you should, Mackenzie, because this garden is your soul. This mess is you! Together, you and I, have been working with a purpose in your heart. And it is wild and beautiful and perfectly in process. To you it seems like a mess, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive – a living fractal.

Q: What kind of messes are our own souls experiencing? How can we get the Holy Spirit to work with us to make our souls wild, beautiful, and perfect in process? What does that mean to you anyway?

The Shack: Bible Study 06

2008-11-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

Chapter 7: God on the Dock

P105 …but Jesus went straight to Papa and, kneeling at her feet, began to wipe off the front of her clothes. He worked down to her feet and gently lifted one foot at a time, which he directed into the basin where he cleaned and massaged it.

John 13:3-5 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Mack: Obviously, what was truly important here was the love they had for one another and the fullness it brought them. He shook his head. How different this was from the way he treated the ones he loved!

Q: How does love bring fullness to our lives? Why is it so elusive at times?

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

P106: Sarayu: You can’t share with one and not share with us all.

We have limited ourselves out of respect for you…as we are listening to you, it is as if this is the first time we have known about them (Mack’s children), and we take great delight in seeing them through your eyes.

P107 Mack had to snicker at the thought of God having devotions.

Mack sat transfixed as he watched Jesus kiss his father’s hands and then look deep into his father’s eyes and finally say, “Papa, I loved watching you today, as you made yourself fully available to take Mack’s pain into yourself, and then give him space to choose his own timing.

What was he witnessing? Something simple, warm, intimate, genuine; this was holy.

Q: How do we offer our devotion to God. When do we make time for devotions? What holy moments have we experienced.

Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness .

P108 Sarayu began humming…To him (Mack) it sounded Gaelic, and he could almost hear breath-pipes in accompaniment…if he could just keep listening to her, he would be thrilled to do dishes the rest of his life.

P109: (Jesus looking at the stars). “I created it as the Word, before the Word became flesh. So even thought I created this, I see it now as a human. And I must say, it is impressive!”

Q: Does this passage make Christ more human to us? Is it more important to make a human connection with Christ, rather than a divine one?

Genesis 1:16-18 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

P110: (Mack to Jesus) It’s like I’ve always known you. But Papa isn’t at all what I expected from God, and Sarayu, she’s way out there.

Jesus : She is Creativity; she is Action; she is the breathing of Life; she is much more. She is my Spirit.

Sarayu means Wind – a common wind…

John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Q: What do you think about this description of the Holy Spirit? Is it helpful to your understanding?

P111: Elousia: El is my name as creator, but ousia is ‘being’ or ‘that which is truly real,’ so the name means Creator God who is truly real and the ground of all being.

Q: How real is God in our lives?

Mack asking about the place for humanity – Jesus answers: Right where you were always intended to be. In the very center of our love and our purpose.

Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Q: How do we know that we are at the center of God’s love and purpose? What hinders us from accepting this?

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God ! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Jesus laughed. “I am Jewish, you know. My grandfather on my mother’s side had a big nose; in fact, most of the men on my mom’s side had big noses.”

P112: Jesus: God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things – ultimately emerging as the real – and any appearances that mask that reality will fade away.

P113 Jesus (again looking at the stars) I’ll never get tired of looking at this. The wonder of it all – the wastefulness of creation, as one of our brothers has called it.

Q: Is creation wasted? On whom?

P114 Mack says he feels lost. Jesus responds: I know Mack. But it’s not true. I am with you and I’m not lost. I’m sorry it feels that way, but hear me clearly. You are not lost.

Q: Why is it important to know Christ is with us when we fell lost? What events have we experienced to know that this is true? Have there been moments when we have not felt this way?

John 18:8-9 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

Chapter 8: A Breakfast of Champions

P115 He hadn’t had a flying dream in years, not since The Great Sadness had descended, but tonight Mack flew high into the starlit night, the air clear and cool but not uncomfortable.

P116 As odd as it sounds, Mack had learned inside his dreams to fly like this; to lift off the ground supported by nothing – no wings, no aircraft of any sort, just himself.

Q: Have you had any flying dreams? What did it feel like to you?

The dream had provoked The Great Sadness and before he could even get out of bed, he was once again fighting his way through the despair that had devoured too many of his days.

Q: Have you ever felt this kind of despair? How did you cope with and overcome it?

Psalm 42:5a Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

P118: Papa – Dreams are sometimes important, you know. They can be a way of openin’ up the window and lettin’ the bad air out.

Mackenzie, I have no favorites; I am just especially fond of him.

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Q: Does God have favorites? Why/ why not?

P119: Papa talking about humanity – I don’t like a lot of choices they make, but that anger – especially for me – is an expression of love all the same. I love the ones I am angry with just as much as those I’m not.

Papa I’m not asking you to believe anything, but I will tell you that you’re going to find this day a lot easier if you simply accept what is, instead of trying to fit it into your preconceived notions.

P120 Papa: I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.

Q: What do you think about the above statement? Is it true to scripture or just the author’s wishful thinking? Should sin be punished by God? Should we be excused for our sins?

Ezekiel 5:8 "Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations.
Hosea 9:7 The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand.
Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great…

Matthew 25:46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Hebrews 2:2-3 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

P121 Mack talking about the Trinity I know that you are one and all, and that there are three of you. But you respond with such graciousness to each other. Isn’t one of you more the boss than the other tow?

Jesus Does that make sense to you, Abba? Frankly, I haven’t a clue what this man is talking about.

P122 Sarayu Mackenzie, we have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are in a circle of relationship, not a chain of command or ‘great chain of being’ as your ancestors termed it…Hierarchy…is your problem, not ours.

P123 Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you.

When you chose independence over relationship, you became a danger to each other….Authority…is merely the excuse the strong use to make others conform to what they want.

Q: What do you think about this section on hierarchy and authority? If this is true of the Trinity, what does this say about Christ’s Church? Would the Church work without hierarchy?

Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Papa: We carefully respect your choices, so we work within your systems even while we seek to free you from them. Creation has been taken down a very different path than we desired.

P124 Jesus If you had truly learned to regard each other’s concerns as significant as your own, there would be no need for hierarchy.

Q: Why are we not significantly interested in other people’s concerns? What causes us to ignore or pass by other people in trouble?

Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

P125 Mack …what is the value in a little girl being murdered by some twisted deviant? There is was gain, the question that lay burning a hole in his soul. “You may not cause those things, but you certainly don’t stop them.

Psalm 94:3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant?
Psalm 44:24 Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?

Q: Why is Mack so angry with God at this point? Why doesn’t God stop bad things happening to innocent people? Is it all just down to good and bad choices?

Papa …your choices are also not stronger than my purposes, and I will use every choice you make for the ultimate good and the most loving outcome.

In their disappointment, they either become softened toward me or they become bolder in their independence.

Q: Have you found the above statement to be true in your own life? If so, when and where?

Mack was staggered. “Look at the cost – all the pain, all the suffering, everything that is so terrible and evil…And look what it has cost you. Is it worth it?

“Yes!” came the unanimous, joyful response of all three.

P126 Papa - You see pain and death as ultimate evils and God as the ultimate betrayer, or perhaps, at best, as fundamentally untrustworthy. You dictate the terms and judge my actions and find me guilty.

Q: Why do we blame God for everything tragic that happens in the world? When do we feel betrayed by God? How does our faith overcome those times?

Sarayu: Mackenzie, you cannot produce trust just like you cannot ‘do’ humility. It either is or is not.

John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

Q: Do we trust God naturally, or is it learned by experience?

I just want you to be with me and discover that our relationship is not about performance or you having to please me.

Q: What makes us want to please God through what we do?

Mack I just can’t imagine any final outcome that would justify all this.
Papa We’re not justifying it. We’re redeeming it.

Q: What do you feel about these words between Mack and God? What does it mean for God to redeem situations and not justify them?

Luke 1:68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

The Shack ; Study 05

2008-11-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Chapter 6: A Piece of Pi

P88 God: or if you don’t want to do that, you can do whatever you want.

Q: is this what is meant by free will? What does it mean to you?

P89 Jesus: She loves surprises, and even thought you might not think it, her timing is always perfect.

Jesus: Don’t go because you feel obligated. That won’t get you any points around here. Go because it’s what you want to do.

Q: What causes us to feel obligated to God? When and where do we experience this?

Micah 6:6-8 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

God: I’m in the kitchen Mackenzie. Just follow my voice.

P90 Suddenly Mack wanted to ask a thousand questions, or say a thousand things, some of them unspeakable and terrible.

Q: What do you think are the unspeakable and terrible questions that Mack wants to ask of God? What kind of questions would you like to ask God?

Mack: So God listens to funk?...I thought you would be listening to…you know, something churchier.

P91: these kids ain’t saying anything I haven’t heard before; they’re just full of vinegar and fizz. Lots of anger and, I must say, with some good reason too.

Q: Why does the author suggest this attitude of God toward popular music? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Mack gasped voluntarily. He wasn’t used to having deep secret surface so quickly and openly. Instantly guilt and anger welled up and he wanted to lash out with a sarcastic remark in response.

P92 Mack: if you couldn’t take care of Missy, how can I trust you to take care of me?

God: Mack, I’m so sorry. I know what a gulf this has put between us….That’s why you’re here…I want to heal the wound that has grown inside of you, and between us.

Q: What causes Mack to fiercely blurt out this question? How does God feel about the issue? Is this the way that God deals with our issues?

Psalm 44:23-26 Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.

P93 God: I’m not trying to make this harder for either of us. But this is a good place to start. I often find that getting head issues out of the way first makes the heart stuff easier to work on later…when you’re ready.

Q: Why does the head stuff often get in the way of the heart stuff?

God: Mackenzie, I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you.

To reveal myself to you as a very large grandfather figure…would simply reinforce your religious stereotypes, and this weekend is not about reinforcing your religious stereotypes.

Q: What religious stereotypes do we have about God? Where do they come from? What do they accomplish?

P94 Mack…why is there such an emphasis on you being a Father? I mean, it seems to be the way you most reveal yourself.

God: Let me say for now that we knew once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering.

Q: Is this an adequate explanation for God being emphasized as Father? Why/why not?

Matthew 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

God: Of course you are! I’m not interested in prisoners. You’re free to walk out that door right now and go home to your empty house.

P95 God: or we could talk about all the limiting influences in your life that actively work against your freedom. Your family genetic heritage, your specific DNA, your metabolic uniqueness….and then there’s advertising, propaganda and paradigms. Inside that confluence of multifaceted inhibitors…what is freedom really?

Q: What inhibits us from being truly free? Are we aware of them?

God: Mackenzie, the truth shall set you free and the truth has a name; he’s over in the woodshop right now covered in sawdust. Everything is about him.

Q: Why does God suggest that Christ is the truth that sets us free? Have we ever experienced this?

John 8:31-32

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ."

P96: Love always leaves a significant mark…We were there together. (Calvary)

Mack: How can you say that? You abandoned him just like you abandoned me!

God: Don’t forget, the story didn’t end in his sense of forsakenness. He found his way though it to put himself into my hands. Oh, what a moment that was!

Q: How do the events at Calvary align themselves with Mack’s pain? Why would God allow so much pain to happen to Him and His Son?

Matthew 27:45-46 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

P97: God: You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around.

God: Mack, pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly…And if unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place.

Q: What limitations do pain, loss, and sorrow afflict on our lives? How do they damage and diminish our created capacity to love?

97/98 God: I am God. I am who I am. And unlike you, my wings can’t be clipped.

P98 God: the problem is that many folks try to grasp some sense of who I am by taking the best version of themselves, projecting it to the nth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive, which often isn’t much, and then call that God. And while it may seem like a noble effort, the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who I really am.

Q: Why do we insist in creating God in our own image? Why do all our images fall pitifully short of who God actually is?

P99 Mack: But what about all the miracles? The healings? Raising people from the dead? Doesn’t that prove that Jesus was God – you know, more than human?

God: Although he (Jesus) is also fully God, he has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything.

Q: What do you think about Jesus not drawing upon His divine nature? Where did His healing powers come from?

Mark 5:25-30 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

P100 Mack: So, when he healed the blind?
God: He did so as a dependent, limited human being trusting in my life and power to be at work within him and through him. Jesus, as a human being, had no power within himself to heal anyone.

God: remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them…

Q: What do you think about the above statement? Does it crush or inspire you?

P101 God: To begin with, that you can’t grasp the wonder of my nature is rather a good thing. Who wants to worship a God who can be fully comprehended?

Q: What makes God so mysterious to us? How does it make us feel that we cannot fully comprehend God?

God: All love and relationship is possible for you only because it already exists within Me, within God myself. Love is not the limitation; love is the flying. I am love.

Q: What do you think about God being the source of our love? How should that help our relationships with our loved ones?

1 John 4:7-12 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love . This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

P102: God: The God who is – the I am who I am – cannot act apart from love!

Mack: Not that he actually believed any of it. If only it were true. His experience told him otherwise.

Q: Why does Mack doubt God? How do our bad experiences create barriers of doubt between us and God?

John 20:26-28 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas , "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

God: As much as you are able, rest in what trust you have in me, no matter how small, okay?

Q: Why is it so important to God that we trust Him?

John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

P103 Mack: I’m so sorry that you, that Jesus, had to die.

God: I know you are and I thank you. But you need to know that we aren’t sorry at all. It was worth it.

Jesus: “And I would have done it even if it were only for you, but it wasn’t!” he said with an inviting grin.

Q: Why does Mack say he is sorry? What do we feel about Jesus being crucified for us? How do we communicate those feelings to others?

The Shack: Study 04

2008-10-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Chapter 5: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

P67 Perhaps there is a suprarationality: reason beyond the normal definitions of fact or data-based logic; something that only makes sense if you can see a bigger picture of reality. Maybe that is where faith fits in.

Where does faith fit in these days? Have fact and data based logic overtaken our need for faith?

P68 Besides, acknowledging the note would mean admitting that he had kept secrets from her; secrets he still justified in his own mind. Sometimes honesty can be incredibly messy.

Why does Mack not tell Nan of his plans? How can honesty get messy sometimes?

Bible passage: Genesis 12:10-20 Abraham conceals the identity of Sarah from Pharaoh.

P69 He reasoned that he wouldn’t need much if God had sent the invitation, but just in case, he loaded up a cooler with much more than enough….added a sleeping bag, some matches, and a number of survival items.

What does this tell us about Mack’s faith in the note? Have we experienced anything similar about our confidence in God?

Bible Passage: Matthew 14:15-21 loaves and fishes

P70 Mack to Willie maybe I’m just losing it. I know it sounds crazy, but somehow I feel strangely drawn to find out for sure. I gotta go, Willie, or it’ll drive me nuts forever.

What is compelling Mack to make this journey?

P71 Willie: But God doesn’t do stuff like that. At least I’ve never heard of him sending someone a note. Not that he couldn’t, but, you know what I mean. And why would he want you to return to the shack anyway? I can’t think of a worse place….

Mack: I guess part of me would like to believe that God would care enough about me to send a note.

How does God communicate with us today? Would a note be so out of place?

Daniel 5:5-6 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
NIV

Maybe what happened to Missy is God’s judgment for what I did to my own dad. I just don’t know.

Why does Mack feel this way? Is it a common experience? Why/ why not?

Exodus 21:15 "Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death.
NIV

P72 “I didn’t lie to her, “ Mack objected.
“Well excuse me for splitting hairs,” Willie snapped back. “Okay, you didn’t lie to her because you didn’t tell her the whole truth.”

Is holding back the truth lying?

P73 Willie: God, of course. What do you think he’ll look like, if he even bothers to show up…

Mack: I don’t know. Maybe he’s a really bright light, or a burning bush. I’ve always sort of pictured him as a really big grandpa with a long white flowing beard, sort of like Gandalf in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings

How do you picture God? Where does that image come from?

Bible Passage: Exodus 24:9-18

P74 …he sailed by Multnomah Falls without looking. He had pushed away any thoughts of the place since Missy’s disappearance, sequestering his emotions securely in the padlocked basement of his own heart.

Why does Mack do this? How does it help him cope with Missy’s murder?

He knew he was driving straight into the center of his pain, the vortex of The Great Sadness that had so diminished his sense of being alive. Flashes of visual memory and stabbing instants of blistering fury now came in waves, attended by the taste of bile and blood in his mouth.

What is happening to Mack’s emotions? Why are they surfacing this way?

P77 Determined he was done with being afraid, he continued down the path, trying to look more confident that he felt. He hoped he hadn’t come all this way for nothing. If God was really meeting him here, he was more than ready to get a few things of his chest, respectfully, of course.

What things would Mack want to talk to God about? Why would he be respectable about it?

The shack itself looked dead and empty, but as he stared it seemed for a moment to transform into an evil face, twisted in some demonic grimace, looking straight back at him and daring him to approach.

What is Mack seeing in the shack? How do we confront evil?

P78 Turning his eyes heavenward, he began screaming anguished questions. “Why? Why did you let this happen? Why did you bring me here? Of all the places to meet you – why here? Wasn’t it enough to kill my baby? Do you have to toy with me too?”

“God, you couldn’t even let us find her and bury her properly. Was that just too much to ask?”

Why is Mack so enraged? Who does he believe God to be? How do our own frustrations and anger shape our communications with God? Why do we expect God to look after us?

Bible Passage: Job 19

“Well, I’m here God, and you? You’re nowhere to be found!! You’ve never been around when I needed you – not when I was a little boy, not when I lost Missy. Not now! Some ‘Papa’ you are!” He spat out the words.

When do people feel really disappointed with God? Why? How can other believers help them through those times?

P79 Oh to stop caring, to stop feeling the pain, to never feel anything again. Suicide? At the moment that option was almost attractive. “It would be so easy,” he thought. “No more tears, no more pain…

Killing himself would be one way to strike back at God, if God even existed.

Why does Mack consider suicide? Is it the answer to his problems? Why does he want to strike back at God in this way? What stops him?

1 Kings 19:3-5 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

P80 “I’m done, God,” he whispered. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired of trying to find you in all of this.”…if God wanted him, God would have to come and find him.

Why did Mack give up trying to find God? Is this defiance, exhaustion, or frustration?

P82 He now faced another dilemma. What should you do when you come to the door of a house…where God might be? Should you knock? Presumably God knew that Mack was there…And how should he address him?...Father…Almighty One…Mr. God?

How should we address God? What will we say when we meet God at last?

…just as he raised his fist to do so, the door flew open, and he was looking directly into the face of a large beaming African-American woman.

How does this image of God affect you? Why does William Young do this?

P83 AfAm woman: I have been really looking forward to seeing you face to face. It is so wonderful to have you here with us.

Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by the scent emanating from her, and it shook him. It was the smell of flowers with overtones of gardenia and jasmine, unmistakably his mother’s perfume that he kept hidden away in his little tin box.

What do we expect God to look like? Had we ever considered what God would smell like?

AfAM woman: …go ahead and let it out. It does a soul good to let the waters run once in a while – the healing waters. (referring to tears)

How do tears heal us? Why don’t men like to cry?

P84 the large black woman gathered his coat and he handed her the gun, which she took from him with two fingers as if it was contaminated.

Is this telling us something about God or the author?

Asian woman: …we all have things we value enough to collect, don’t we?...I collect tears.
He appeared Middle Eastern and was dressed like a laborer, complete with tool belt and gloves.

How do these depictions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit affect you? Are you delighted, intrigued or offended?

P85 Mack: Are there more of you? Woman: We is all you get, and believe me, we’re more than enough.”

But he knew all this as more an impression of her than from actually seeing her, as she seemed to phase in and out of vision.

Mack suddenly felt lighter than air, almost as if he were no longer touching the ground. She was hugging him without hugging him, or really without even touching him.

How does the Holy Spirit affect us? How would we describe our encounters with the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-4
2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

P86 woman: I am the housekeeper and cook. You may call me Elouisa.

Jesse: I try to keep things fixed up around here…I am a Hebrew to be exact, from the house of Judah.

P87 I am Sarayu…Keeper of the gardens, among other things.

Mack: Was one of these people God?...Since there were three of them, maybe this was a trinity sort of thing. But two women and a man and none of them white? Then again, why had he naturally assumed that God would be white?

Which one of you is God?..... “I am,” said all three in unison.

How do the names relate to their divine owners? What do you think about this?

The Shack: Study 03

2008-10-20T13:42:00.001-07:00

Chapter 4: The Great Sadness

P43: Not wanting to appear overanxious or panicky, he found and soberly informed his two new friends that he couldn’t find Missy and asked if they would each check with their families.

Why doesn’t Mack want to panic at this time? What’s stopping him from being over-anxious?

P44: She was nowhere and he jogged back towards Emil’s, unable to pray anything except, Oh God, help me find her…Oh God, please help me find her.”

Have you ever prayed a prayer like this? What were the circumstances? Did the prayer help you?

Psalm 71:12 Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.

P46: As he walked between the tents and trailer, he was praying and promising. He knew in his heart that promising things to God was rather dumb and irrational, but he couldn’t help it. He was desperate to get Missy back, and surely God knew where she was.

What causes us to make promises to God in the midst of our troubles? What are we trying to get God to do?

Hosea 10:4a They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements;

P49: What he would give for a do-over; a chance to have this day start from the beginning.

What circumstances, events, or experiences make us want to be given a do-over? Why is it hard to let go of our mistakes?

P54: Word had quickly spread, and friends arrived to help him pack up the site and cart everything back to Portland. His boss called, offering any support he could and encouraging Mack to stay as long as he needed. Everyone they knew was praying.

What is the power behind community prayers? Have we ever had any said for us? How did it make us feel?

Acts 4:31-32a After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
All the believers were one in heart and mind.

P55: As Jesse gave Mack a long hug, he whispered that they would see each other again, and that he would be in prayer for all of them.

How sincere is this kind of support? What does it mean to be “in prayer” for other people?

Romans 12:11-13 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Vicki’s world had been shaken by the events, and now she had to be almost pried from Nan as her own grief threatened to sweep her away. Nan held her, stroking her hair and whispering prayers into her ear, until she was settled enough to walk to the waiting car.

What’s the purpose of these whispered prayers? Are they effective? When may we use them?

P57: “Thank you,” was all Mack could say, and he looked down at the floor. Emotions seemed so near the surface, and even the least bit of kindness seemed to poke holes in his reserve.

Some people say that kindness kills. Have you ever experienced anything like this? Do we sometimes find it hard to accept help in the midst of our pain and suffering? Why?

P59: Something in the heart of most human beings simply cannot abide pain inflicted on the innocent, especially children.

Why is this a common feeling throughout so many cultures and people across the world? Why would God place this feeling within us?

Mark 9:42 "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

P60: By now he had only one prayer left: “Dear God, please, please, please take care of my Missy. I just can’t right now.” Tears traced their way down his cheeks and then spilled off onto his shirt.

Have you ever prayed this kind of prayer? How hard is it to surrender our loved ones into God’s hands?

P63: For Mack, the next few days and weeks became an emotion-numbing blur of interviews with law enforcement and the press, followed by a memorial service for Missy with a small empty coffin and an endless sea of faces, all sad as they paraded by, no one knowing what to say. Sometimes during the weeks that followed, Mack began the slow and painful merging back into everyday life.

How have shock and grief affected our own lives? How hard is/was it for us to get back to ‘normal’ life? Why is it difficult for others around us to say or do the right thing when we are hurt and grieving?

Psalm 88:11-12, 18
Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

P64: At some point in the process, Mack attempted to emerge from his own pain and grief, at least with his family. They had lost a sister and daughter, but it would be wrong for them to lose a father and husband as well.

What makes Mack take this decision? Why is his stability so important to his family?

Mack and Nan weathered the storm of loss together with reasonable success, and in some ways were closer for it. Nan had made it clear from the start, and repeatedly, that she did not blame Mack in any way for what happened. Understandably, it took Mack much longer to let himself off the hook, even a little bit.

How difficult is it for us to forgive ourselves at times? Why is it easier to forgive other people? How can God help us through times when we feel destitute of forgiveness and hope for ourselves?

P65: The fact that he was unable to bury Missy’s body magnified his failure as her daddy.

Why does this make Mack feel such a failure?

The tragedy also increased the rift in Mack’s own relationship with God, but he ignored this growing sense of separation. Instead, he tried to embrace a stoic, unfeeling faith, and even though Mack found some comfort and peace in that, it didn’t stop the nightmares…

What causes people to abandon God when they are deeply hurt? Why is it easier to shut off our feelings in the midst of loss or pain?

Psalm 42:9-10

I say to God my Rock,” Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"
My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long,” Where is your God?"

Does God even write notes? And why the shack – the icon of his deepest pain?

Why does Mack question God’s intentions? Why would God lead him towards his deepest pain?

In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects.

Has God stopped communicating with us? Does He only speak to us through scripture?

Judges 6:13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

P66: It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book.

Why is it easy to keep God in a box or a book? What do we fear when we let Him out?

Who sent the damn note? Whether it was God or the killer or some prankster, what did it matter? Whichever way he looked at it, it felt like he was being toyed with. Andy anyway, what good was following God at all? Look where it got him.

Are there times when we feel that God is toying with us? How does our faith testify against that possibility?

He realized he was stuck, and Sunday prayers and hymns weren’t cutting it anymore, if they ever really had. Cloistered spirituality seemed to change nothing in the lives of the people he knew, except maybe Nan.

Why are some people spiritually stuck and cannot get anything out of church worship? Can church worship contribute to those ruts?

He was sick of God and God’s religion, sick of all the little religious social clubs that didn’t seem to make any real difference or affect any real changes.

Mack seems to express something that a lot of people feel about religion. Why have many churches become religious social clubs and what can be done to change that?

Revelation 3:14-16
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

The Shack: Study 02

2008-10-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2: The Gathering Dark

P24: Mack does not mention the note to Nan. Why?

P25: The great Sadness had draped itself around Mack’s shoulders like some invisible, but almost tangible heavy quilt.

Has there been a time of sadness in your life that has burdened you? How did/ how do you cope with this?

Mack dreams of being stuck in the mud and unable to scream, as the dark shadow follows Missy. Why did this recurring dream make him feel both guilty and nauseated?

P26: Why do you think they called the cat “Judas?”

P27: Missy wants to hear the story of the Multnomah princess again. What makes this kind of sacrificial story so appealing to us?

P28: After praying and giving herself to the Great Spirit, she fulfilled the prophecy by jumping without hesitation to her death on the rocks below.

How does this Multnomah story compare to that of Jepthah’s daughter?

Judges 11:29-40

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break."

"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

From this comes the Israelite custom that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

What does this story tell us about God? How does He compare to the Great Spirit?

P29: It had all the elements of a true redemption story, not unlike the story of Jesus that she knew so well.

How does Christ’s life and death become a redemption story? Redemption from what?

Mack’s heart was suddenly penetrated by unexpected joy…he was a rich man, he thought to himself, in all the ways that mattered.

In what ways does being rich matter to us?

P30: Of all the places he sensed the presence of God, out here surrounded by nature and under the stars was one of the most tangible.

Why does the starry sky bring us closer to God? How often to we stop to look at the stars at night? Why/why not?

Compare Mack’s feeling to the imagery of Psalm 8.

P31: Missy asks: “So is Jesus dying a legend?” – How would we answer such a question if it came from a friend or an adult?

Missy asks: “Is the Great Spirit another name for God?” – are all the names for God in the world just other names for God? Why/why not?

Missy asks “Then how come God is so mean?” What does she mean by this question? How have we come across the same type of question? What is our answer?

Mack tells Missy: Jesus chose to die because he and his daddy love you and me and everyone in the world. He saved us from our sickness, just like the princess. What is our sickness? How does Mack’s answer compare to John 3:16-18?

John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”

When did Jesus decide to die for us? What did He hope His death would accomplish?

P32: Missy asks “Will God ever ask me to jump off a cliff?” – What makes her ask this question? Does God ask people to do this for Him? If so, when? If not, why not?

Chapter 3: The Tipping Point

P36: “This is one of those rare and precious moments,” thought Mack, “that catches you by surprise and almost takes your breath away.”

Have you ever experienced similar breath taking moments? When and where?

Psalm 16:5-6 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

P37: Mack explains to Sarah that Nan works as a nurse with cancer patients. As he says, “She helps people think through their relationship with God in the face of their own death.”

Why is this important? Is it just for cancer patients?

Psalm 18:2-6

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

P38: Mack confesses that Nan’s name for God, ‘Papa,’ is something that seems too familiar and uncomfortable for him.

Are there forms of addressing God in church that make us feel the same way?

P39: As he sat mesmerized by the fire and wrapped in its warmth, he prayed, mostly prayers of thanksgiving. He had been given so much. Blessed was probably the right word. He was content, at rest, and full of peace.

Are there times when we have felt the same? What makes us thankful to God in the midst of our blessings?

P40: Emil thinks the canoe accident is his fault because it is his canoe.

How does Mack release him from feeling guilty? Where can we apply this in our own lives?

The Shack: Study 01

2008-10-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Foreword:

P7/8 Although externally religious, his overly strict church-elder father was a closet drinker, especially when the rain didn’t come, or came too early, and most of the times in between.

P8…his daddy was not a fall-asleep-happy kind of alcoholic, but a vicious mean beat-your-wife-and-then-ask-God-for-forgiveness drunk.

What causes overly-strict religious people to become abusive? How is God’s grace perceived when Christians seek forgiveness for everything? Do we abuse God’s kindness and take His patience for granted?

Mack confesses during revival – only to regret as his confessor is a worker with his abusive father…

For almost two days, tied to the big oak at the back of the house, he was beaten with a belt and Bible verses every time his dad woke from a stupor and put down his bottle.

Why is confidentiality so important to the credibility of the Church? What happens when we breach this?

P10 His favorite topics are all about God and Creation and why people believe what they do.

Mack seems to have a love/hate relationship with religion, and maybe even with the God that he suspects is brooding, distant, and aloof.

Why are people attracted to talking about religion more than practicing it? How does God become distant in our lives? What causes some people to have a love/hate relationship with religion?

P11 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.

Why do loving relationships sometimes hurt us? Is it important for healing to come from within a relationship rather than from outside help?

While Mack’s relationship with God is wide, Nan’s is deep.

What do you think this means? How common do you think this is?

P12 You know that place: where there is just you alone – and maybe God, if you believe in him. Of course, God might be there even if you don’t believe in him. That would be just like him. He hasn’t been called the Grand Interferer for nothing.

How does God interfere in our lives? Do we need proof that God exists? Why/why not?

Relevant Scriptures:

Titus 1:6-9; James 5:13-16; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; Romans 12:17-21; Hebrews 11:5-6; Psalm 14:1-7

1: A Confluence of Paths

P19 “What’s wrong with you, Mack? Still smoking too much dope or do you just do that on Sunday mornings to make it through the church service?”

Is sarcasm a problem for Christians? Does it contain a grain of truth? Did Jesus ever use sarcasm to emphasize a point? Why/ why not?

P20 Mack was taking no chances on how she might remember the conversation in a day or two. Wouldn’t be the first time that her sense of humor morphed into a good story that soon became a “fact.” He could see his name being added to the prayer chain.

Why are Christians bad at exaggerating circumstances, difficulties, and problems about other people. What makes us so prone to gossip and hyperbole? How does the world respond to our exaggerations?

P21 Nan: “I just don’t know what to do. I’ve been praying and praying that Papa would help us find a way to reach her, but it feels like he isn’t listening.”

When do we feel like God isn’t listening to our prayers? Are we just not listening to His answers? In what kind of situations have you experienced waiting for God? How was this resolved?

P22 Papa was Nan’s favorite name for God and it expressed her delight in the intimate friendship she had with him.

What do you think about Nan’s name for God? What do you frequently call God? What does that name tell you about your relationship with God?

Mack: “Honey, I’m sure God knows what he’s doing. It will all work out.” The words brought him no comfort but he hoped they might ease the worry he could hear in her voice.

Nan: “I know. I just wish he’d hurry up.”

Are we guilty of using trite holy words to ease others’ anxiety or pain? What causes us to do that? Are we offering help or just easing our own anxiety? What does this type of insincerity reveal about our own insecurity with God?

Relevant Scriptures

Matthew 19:23-24; Matthew 23:23-24; 2 Corinthians 12:19-21; Mark 14:32-36; Galatians 4:4-7; Psalm 6:1-10

Bible Study: The Shack

2008-10-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

The first book that our group will be discussing is William P Young's best seller, The Shack. The study will take approximately ten weeks and will offer questions for consdieration, as well as apposite Bible texts.

If you would like the studies emailed to you, please contact me at traqair@aol.com Put "Shack Study" in the subject line.