“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.”  William P. Young

If 10 is total acceptance, how would you rate your acceptance with God on a scale of 1 to 10?

Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God.  (Eph. 2:8; NJB)

Last Monday, I started to tell you about what has become one of my favorite books of all time, The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  The book is fictional, and would probably fall in the “realistic fiction” genre.  In other words, it’s a novel.  It’s not true, but maybe it could be.  Maybe it’s true, although I doubt it.  But I am sure that much of it is true…the trick is to decide which part is true and which isn’t.  Are we having fun yet?

In some ways, this is similar to the parables of Jesus — made up (?) stories that were given to illustrate a truth.  Today’s link is a great little story from William Young’s blog that demonstrates this kind of writing.  I encourage you not to miss it.  The theme of The Shack is grace and God’s love for each of us.  When you see that as the underlying message, you begin to understand why the book has created such a controversy.  Since the beginning of Christianity, there has not been many theological messages that have created more controversy and division than grace — just ask the Apostle Paul.

In my experience, you don’t find too many churches that truly believe in grace as taught in the New Testament.  Oh, they give it lip service, but then the rules start to emerge.  I was first introduced to true grace about five years ago by a little book written by Bill Gillham, titled Lifetime Guarantee: Making Your Christian Life Work and What to Do When It Doesn’t.  Now there’s a book that truly changed my life.  That particular book launched me on a almost year long study on the topic and forever altered my theological perspective.  So with that as background, my affinity for The Shack and its message should be a little clearer.

Eugene Peterson, whom many of you will recognize as the author of the highly popular Bible paraphrase, The Message is quoted as saying, “When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of the Shack.  This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his.  It’s that good!”  I would love to agree, but unfortunately can’t.  Bunyan wrote on a topic far less controversial than Young has picked.

Wayne Jacobsen, part of a team who worked with the Wm. Young on his manuscript for over a year and also part of the company formed to print and distribute the book calls The Shack “edgy.”  He said, “We knew The Shack was edgy enough to prompt some significant backlash, which is why so many publishing companies didn’t want to take it on at the beginning….What is surprising, however, is the hostile tone of false accusation and the conspiracy theories that some are willing to put on this book. Some have even warned others not to read it or they will be led into deception.”

Let me end today’s DG with Jacobsen’s counsel.  He said, “If you’re interested, read it for yourself. Don’t let someone else do your thinking for you. If it helps convey the reality of Jesus to you, great! If all you can see is sinister motives and false teaching in it, then put it aside.”  By now you already understand where I am in all this controversy.  I have suggested to others that this book is a great book to begin to understand the unfathomable love that God has for each one of us.

Prayer Power
Lord, help us to learn that love and humility unifies rather than divides.  Teach us to read and listen to others with Your love and humility.

Link of the Day
Fiction, Truth, Reality and all that stuff…

Blessings on you as you consider the true meaning of grace.

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