The Shack - William P. Young

Imagine taking 3 of your children with you on a family camping trip and returning home with only 2. It's no wonder such an occurrence would propel Mackenzie Phillips into a crisis of faith. While his wife, Nan, remained strong in her faith (even referring to God as "Papa"), Mack lived with The Great Sadness.

One morning, a note arrived in Mack's mailbox telling him that Papa would be at the Shack that weekend. Papa...Nan's Papa? Certainly not his own father. And why would anyone pull such a cruel prank as to even mention the shack where his beloved Missy went missing?

Ultimately, Mack decides to return to the cabin for a weekend. Little does he know that he will come face-to-face with the trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I won't give away the unique description of the trinity presented in the book, but suffice it to say it will make you wonder. Over the course of the weekend, Mack enters into true relationship with the trinity and much healing takes place in his life which then overflows into his human relationships when he returns home.

The first 100 or so pages of this novel were a breeze, but I struggled with the remainder. I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with some of the author's perspectives and disagreeing (sometimes strongly) with yet others. The point is, it made me think. It made me question some of my own preconceived notions and both affirmed and challenged some of my spiritual beliefs. The important thing to take away from this novel is that each of us has a personal and individual relationship with God.