The Shack by William P.Young is one fiction I would recommend you to read.
It is more than a book. It has the ability to heal your broken heart especially if you have just lost a loved one and struggled with your Christian faith in loving & trusting God in your life. Undoubtedly, it answers & deals with boldness on huge issues at the most personal level. God, Jesus and the Holy spirit is personified and The Trinity is amazingly portrayed outside of the typical stereotype.
Quite frankly, I never realise how much inner healing I needed until I read this book. It was left sitting on the bookshelf after Josh read & raved about it. I was deliberately avoiding to read it because I knew deep in my spirit that God will (& HE has) speak to my heart through The Shack. Finally I mustered enough courage to bring the book along in my last business trip & I never regretted. With tears in my eyes, throbbing pain in my heart & most of all a deeper longing yearn for the Lord's presence....I completed the book within a short span of 4hrs.
Missy reminded me of Seth. A son whom I lost while he is only 10 wk old when i mis-carried in 2006. I knew he is a boy because the Lord revealed that to me when I was wheeled into the surgery room. It was there where he waved goodbye & smiled, that shattered my heart. 1.5yrs later, God graciously blessed me with Nadine who is a healthy 16mth old girl today. Nonetheless, Seth will always be Nadine's elder brother, my son & a precious child of God. After reading The Shack, I am once again assured that Seth is with Jesus & there he is, well loved, protected & blessed in the presence of God.
God's love is unconditional. Honestly, I am not sure if I will ever comprehend the depth of His love for me in my lifetime. Especially when tragedy strike, the first reaction is to doubt & be angry but It takes a deep relationship with Papa to develop that innermost trust & faith to trust that regardless of what happens in life...the good, bad and ugly, God still care, He still love & He has a purpose for everything.
Read The Shack to renew your love & rekindle that relationship with the Lord. Apart from Him you can do nothing and you ain't anything but with Him, you can be assured that He never leaves or forsake us...not even when He seemed to be far away because He is not. Take that path of faith & trust God to restore you again as He always does, faithfully
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
By Max Lucado
What a statement of trust! Whatever you want me to have is all I want. Some days the plate runs over.
God keeps bringing out more food and we keep loosening our belt. A promotion. A privilege. A friendship. A gift. A lifetime of grace. An eternity of joy. There are times when we literally push ourselves back from the table, amazed at God's kindness. "You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup fills with blessing" (Ps. 23:5 MSG).
And then there are those days when, well, when we have to eat our broccoli. Our daily bread could be tears or sorrow or discipline. Our portion may include adversity as well as opportunity.This verse was on my mind last night during family devotions. I called my daughters to the table and set a plate in front of each. In the center of the table I placed a collection of food: some fruit, some raw vegetables and some Oreo cookies.
"Every day," I explained, "God prepares for us a plate of experiences. What kind of plate do you most enjoy?"The answer was easy. Sara put three cookies on her plate. Some days are like that, aren't they? Some days are "three cookie days." Many are not. Sometimes our plate has nothing but vegetables--twenty-four hours of celery, carrots, and squash. Apparently God knows we need some strength, and though the portion may be hard to swallow, isn't it for our own good? Most days, however, have a bit of it all. Vegetables, which are healthy but dull. Fruit, which tastes better and we enjoy. And even an Oreo, which does little for our nutrition, but a lot for our attitude.All are important and all are from God. The next time your plate has more broccoli than apple pie, remember who prepared the meal. And the next time your plate has a portion you find hard to swallow, talk to God about it. Jesus did.
In the garden of Gethsemane his Father handed him a cup of suffering so sour, so vile, that Jesus handed it back to heaven. "My Father," he prayed, "if it is possible may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matt. 26:39).
Even Jesus was given a portion he found hard to swallow. But with God's help, he did.
And with God's help, you can too.
What a statement of trust! Whatever you want me to have is all I want. Some days the plate runs over.
God keeps bringing out more food and we keep loosening our belt. A promotion. A privilege. A friendship. A gift. A lifetime of grace. An eternity of joy. There are times when we literally push ourselves back from the table, amazed at God's kindness. "You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup fills with blessing" (Ps. 23:5 MSG).
And then there are those days when, well, when we have to eat our broccoli. Our daily bread could be tears or sorrow or discipline. Our portion may include adversity as well as opportunity.This verse was on my mind last night during family devotions. I called my daughters to the table and set a plate in front of each. In the center of the table I placed a collection of food: some fruit, some raw vegetables and some Oreo cookies.
"Every day," I explained, "God prepares for us a plate of experiences. What kind of plate do you most enjoy?"The answer was easy. Sara put three cookies on her plate. Some days are like that, aren't they? Some days are "three cookie days." Many are not. Sometimes our plate has nothing but vegetables--twenty-four hours of celery, carrots, and squash. Apparently God knows we need some strength, and though the portion may be hard to swallow, isn't it for our own good? Most days, however, have a bit of it all. Vegetables, which are healthy but dull. Fruit, which tastes better and we enjoy. And even an Oreo, which does little for our nutrition, but a lot for our attitude.All are important and all are from God. The next time your plate has more broccoli than apple pie, remember who prepared the meal. And the next time your plate has a portion you find hard to swallow, talk to God about it. Jesus did.
In the garden of Gethsemane his Father handed him a cup of suffering so sour, so vile, that Jesus handed it back to heaven. "My Father," he prayed, "if it is possible may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matt. 26:39).
Even Jesus was given a portion he found hard to swallow. But with God's help, he did.
And with God's help, you can too.
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