The Shack: Bible Study 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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