Take heed not to meddle in things which do not concern you, nor even allow them to pass through your mind; for perhaps then you will be able to fulfil your own task.

August 4, 2008

When: Sunday, August 03, 2008 12:00 AM to Monday, August 04, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 14: 13 – 21
 
Take heed not to meddle in things which do not concern you, nor even allow them to pass through your mind; for perhaps then you will be able to fulfil  your own task. 
— St. John of the Cross
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful, humble and knowing that I need You through Jesus in the Spirit to be the father You intend me to be; knowing when to listen, and when to speak words that like Your Gospel shed Your light on the issue in  Your Word and leaving it to Jesus in the Spirit to counsel my children. For as Jesus proclaimed ‘let him who has ears hear, and he who has eyes see the truth in You Words, and the Wisdom in Your teachings.
 
1  "Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 
2  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. 
3  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 
 
35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 
38  For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 
39  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
O Lord God that You would bless me and mine, and enlarge our territory for You. That Your hand would be with us to keep us from evil and from causing pain. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances (Unabridged) By: Carol Kent Sometimes we make sacrifices to help us get ahead, to allow us more time with family, or because we believe in the cause. And then there are sacrifices in which we have no say, "Isaac experiences" as in Genesis 22, thrust upon us without warning or survival instructions. This audio book outlines eight transformational power principles that Gene and Carol Kent learned in the process of facing the news that forever changed their lives.
Becoming a Person of Influence By: John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan "You can immediately [sense a] spark when you hear John Maxwell and Jim Dornan talk about leadership. Their understanding of influence is like mine for guitars; it’s woven into the fabric of their being." – (Bob Taylor, President, Taylor Guitars). With influence, you can achieve success at home, work, and in every other area of life.
 

What a man is before God, that he is, and nothing more.

August 2, 2008

When: Saturday, August 02, 2008 12:00 AM to Sunday, August 03, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
A vision comes to a young woman in Nazareth (Today’s Gospel)
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." 
Luke 1:26-33
 
(First words of Jesus in Luke)
Twelve years later: the boy Jesus goes with his parents to Jerusalem
Every year at the Passover festival Jesus’ parents used to go to Jerusalem. When he was twelve years old they went up to the city as usual for the festival. When it was over they started back home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without his parents’ knowledge. They went a day’s journey assuming that he was somewhere in their company, and then they began to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. They failed to find him, however, and turned back to the city, looking for him as they went. Three days later, they found him – in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All those who heard him were astonished at his powers of comprehension and at the answers that he gave. When Joseph and Mary saw him, they could hardly believe their eyes, and his mother said to him, "Why have you treated us like this, my son? Here have your father and I been very worried, looking for you everywhere!" And Jesus replied, "But why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?"
Luke 2:41-49
 
Jesus faces temptation
Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and he was led by the Spirit to spend forty days in the desert, where he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during that time and afterwards he felt very hungry. "If you really are the Son of God," the devil said to him, "tell this stone to turn into a loaf." Jesus answered, "The scripture says, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’ ." Then the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of mankind in a sudden vision, and said to him, "I will give you all this power and magnificence, for it belongs to me and I can give it to anyone I please. It shall all be yours if you will fall down and worship me." To this Jesus replied, "It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve’." Then the devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest ledge of the Temple. "If you really are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here, for the scripture says, ‘He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you’, and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone’." To which Jesus replied, "It is also said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’." And when he had exhausted every kind of temptation, the devil withdrew until his next opportunity.
Luke 4:1-13
 
What a man is before God, that he is, and nothing more.
— St. Francis of Assisi
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, humble, thankful and aware I come to You. Humbled by my weaknesses and nature, thankful for Your blessings and unconditional love which is the source of Thy mighty grace and mercy by which I walk under the sun, aware of Your presence always seeking to be conscious of Your will and purpose for me under the sun. As I feel I know You more I am humbled by the thought which becomes knowledge through Your grace by which I walk for it is by Your grace and mercy that I have been given the time and numerous chances to awaken to Your truths which are rooted in Your unconditional love, grace and mercy brought to life through Jesus and alive in me in the Spirit. It is through these truths that I feel blessed to know it is by Your grace and mercy that I am truly blessed, and can count the blessings as I feel them. I know I have many self create issues to deal with, but I also know I must now walk and deal with them according to who I am, not what have been. This secret brought to me through Jesus and available to me, mine and us because of His sorrowful passion as shown and taught me, through repetition that I can die to what I have been and rise in Jesus as what I am; and by this too I am humbled, thankful and aware. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances (Unabridged) By: Carol Kent Sometimes we make sacrifices to help us get ahead, to allow us more time with family, or because we believe in the cause. And then there are sacrifices in which we have no say, "Isaac experiences" as in Genesis 22, thrust upon us without warning or survival instructions. This audio book outlines eight transformational power principles that Gene and Carol Kent learned in the process of facing the news that forever changed their lives.
Becoming a Person of Influence By: John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan "You can immediately [sense a] spark when you hear John Maxwell and Jim Dornan talk about leadership. Their understanding of influence is like mine for guitars; it’s woven into the fabric of their being." – (Bob Taylor, President, Taylor Guitars). With influence, you can achieve success at home, work, and in every other area of life.
 

God is ready to heal those who sincerely wish to amend their lives, but cannot take pity on the obstinate sinner.

August 1, 2008

When: Friday, August 01, 2008 12:00 AM to Saturday, August 02, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13: 54 – 58
 
God is ready to heal those who sincerely wish to amend their lives, but cannot take pity on the obstinate sinner. The Lord pardons sins, but He cannot pardon those who are determined to offend Him. He who receives pardon is pardoned through the pure mercy of God, and they who are chastised, are justly punished. God is not obliged to wait for your repentance.
— St. Alphonsus Liguori
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, awakened, aware, humbled and thankful I come to You today singing the words of the Psalmist ‘O God, thou knowest my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from thee. .. For zeal for thy house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult thee have fallen on me. When I humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.’ In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances (Unabridged) By: Carol Kent Sometimes we make sacrifices to help us get ahead, to allow us more time with family, or because we believe in the cause. And then there are sacrifices in which we have no say, "Isaac experiences" as in Genesis 22, thrust upon us without warning or survival instructions. This audio book outlines eight transformational power principles that Gene and Carol Kent learned in the process of facing the news that forever changed their lives.
Becoming a Person of Influence By: John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan "You can immediately [sense a] spark when you hear John Maxwell and Jim Dornan talk about leadership. Their understanding of influence is like mine for guitars; it’s woven into the fabric of their being." – (Bob Taylor, President, Taylor Guitars). With influence, you can achieve success at home, work, and in every other area of life.
 

He is generous even to exhaustion; and what is most wonderful is, that He gives Himself thus entirely, not once only, but every day, if we wish it. Every fresh Communion is a new gift which Jesus Christ makes of Himself.

July 31, 2008

When: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:00 AM to Friday, August 01, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
Matthew 13: 47 – 53 
 
He is generous even to exhaustion; and what is most wonderful is, that He gives Himself thus entirely, not once only, but every day, if we wish it. Every fresh Communion is a new gift which Jesus Christ makes of Himself.
— St. Ignatius of Loyola
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful, humbled and fighting off preoccupation of a busy mind, burdened with the load of my past I come to You today and as always You reach into and touch my heart and soul with wisdom that is faith, hope and love. O that as You spoke to Jeremiah that You would ‘like the clay in the potter’s hand‘ continue to mold me into what You intend; making new all that was broken and removing all that is not of You in Jesus, making one in myself as I seek to be one with You, in Jesus through the Spirit. O Lord God, for the sake of His sorrowful passion and mercy on me and mine, and on the whole world. Continue to bless me and mine indeed, enlarge our territory for You, let Your hand be with us to protect us from evil and from causing pain. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Art of Presence By: Eckhart Tolle In The Art of Presence, Eckhart guides you through seven hours of transformational insights that allow "presence to naturally arise" in you. With his one-of-a-kind instruction, you will learn how to ground yourself in the vibrancy of your "inner body" while simultaneously breaking free from the illusion of separation from the outside world.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Personal Triumphs from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Unabridged) By: Norman Doidge The discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains – even into old age – is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries.
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
 
 

The soul possesses freedom; and though the devil can make suggestions, he does not have the power to compel you against your will.

July 30, 2008

When: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:00 AM to Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 
Matthew 13: 44 – 46
 
The soul possesses freedom; and though the devil can make suggestions, he does not have the power to compel you against your will.
— St. Cyril of Jerusalem
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful for all Your blessings, humbled by awareness of myself; I come to You today stimulated in thought by the readings from Jeremiah and the Psalms. Both Jeremiah and Psalmist are moved to cry out to You because they felt besieged and afraid, driven to doubt. They cry for healing, they cry for protection, they cry for righteousness, they cry for faith, hope and love! All along they sing praise to You and honor Your steadfast love and promise. So many times when I read the Books from Your Old Testament I wonder and question the literal interpretations, but today the Spirit as helped me see beyond into the heart of man and the heart of men who lived there life’s for You; who like many of us are walking under the sun today, people of faith, people of God, people who just like me can feel besieged and afraid, driven to doubt. So if men of God like Jeremiah and the Psalmist, who from what we are presented lived their life’s for You as their one purpose, to server You and those You directed them to server, experienced these same feelings of besiegement, fear, and doubt; what are we to expect, but to learn how to walk with thoughts of besiegement, fear, and doubt, knowing unlike Jeremiah and the Psalmist that Jesus has come and His Passion as freed us, and He alone through the Spirit which lives in me and is planted in the heart of every person born under the sun, is our companion, our shield, our breast plate, our sword to fight off these feelings and replace them with feelings filled with faith, faith full of hope, and love which if we allow ourselves to feel may just remove any doubt, and without doubt, the fear that stalks us all, for in Jesus we are never alone and can never be besieged by fear, doubt or those we think maybe out to hurt or harm us. O Lord that You would continue to bless me and mine indeed, enlarging out territory and that Your hand would be with each of us, to keep us from evil, and from causing any pain. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Art of Presence By: Eckhart Tolle In The Art of Presence, Eckhart guides you through seven hours of transformational insights that allow "presence to naturally arise" in you. With his one-of-a-kind instruction, you will learn how to ground yourself in the vibrancy of your "inner body" while simultaneously breaking free from the illusion of separation from the outside world.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Personal Triumphs from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Unabridged) By: Norman Doidge The discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains – even into old age – is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries.
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
 
 

It is not in human nature to deceive others for any long time, without in a measure deceiving ourselves also.

July 29, 2008

When: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 12:00 AM to Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."
Luke 10: 38 – 42
 
It is not in human nature to deceive others for any long time, without in a measure deceiving ourselves also.
— John Henry Cardinal Newman
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful, humble, my mind is a wonder, while I wrestle to stay conscious in each moment feeling for what Jesus would do and thinking with feeling. While today’s readings from Jeremiah and Psalms remind me of all the questions I have, it is clear that like my forefathers I too tend to be more conscious, more aware of my need to be connected and be present with You when faced with the reality of the toll my sins have on me, in that as I have done and failed to do with and to others, so I have done and failed to do myself. The result is as Cardinal Newman states ‘I have deceived myself’; for sin as we think about it and have been taught it, isn’t just being disobedient to You, and causing pain in others, while only thinking of what I may want first and or above all at that unconscious moment, sin is at its source not my nature and despite what my human form may lead me to think as it has been shaped by my experiences under the sun, and my human nature is not my nature for what is natural and is what is true to my source. Thus that which I do against my nature and contrary to my source, sin, affects me most. I know what I believe, and I believe what I know, my faith is that process of believing and knowing and knowing and believing; this I know and believe that only in and through Jesus can I heal myself; help me Abba Father, in Jesus name complete the healing process and help me move to that next state of consciousness where I am my source and think, talk and walk accordingly in every way, with everything.  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I lift up in pray my love ones traveling, in pain and needing comfort. For the sake of His sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world,  Amen.     
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Art of Presence By: Eckhart Tolle In The Art of Presence, Eckhart guides you through seven hours of transformational insights that allow "presence to naturally arise" in you. With his one-of-a-kind instruction, you will learn how to ground yourself in the vibrancy of your "inner body" while simultaneously breaking free from the illusion of separation from the outside world.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Personal Triumphs from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Unabridged) By: Norman Doidge The discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains – even into old age – is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries.
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
 
 

As the result of sin, the virtues have become painful to us; we shrink from them because they mean humiliation and suffering.

July 28, 2008

When: Monday, July 28, 2008 12:00 AM to Tuesday, July 29, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words written in red; Words of Jesus
Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." 
Matthew 13: 31 – 35
 
As the result of sin, the virtues have become painful to us; we shrink from them because they mean humiliation and suffering. "You do not want to be humiliated?" Humiliation is an honor, suffering a joy, because Jesus Christ has placed in them true honor and true joy.
— St. Peter Julian Eymard
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful, humble and seeking I come to You today. Thankful for all Your blessings; humbled at the foot of the Cross; and seeking to walk in You light, reflecting that light within me, as a lantern on a hill. Help not to let the pressures and business under the sun shadow or darken my light. For I know if I can stay conscious with Jesus the Holy Spirit will guide me and You will give me what I need in each moment. O that You would bless me and mine indeed today, enlarging our territory through Jesus in the Spirit, that You hand would bring healing and protection to us, keeping us from the illnesses and evilness under the sun, helping us to be more conscious so as to be aware or our pain body and not to cause pain. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Art of Presence By: Eckhart Tolle In The Art of Presence, Eckhart guides you through seven hours of transformational insights that allow "presence to naturally arise" in you. With his one-of-a-kind instruction, you will learn how to ground yourself in the vibrancy of your "inner body" while simultaneously breaking free from the illusion of separation from the outside world.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Personal Triumphs from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Unabridged) By: Norman Doidge The discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains – even into old age – is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries.
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!