I haven't read that book, Steve. Not yet, at least. Eventually I will, when I have more time that is. Just busy that's all. Any insight is appreciated.
I loved it too, Steve! Pappy is a big fan as well. Looking forward to hearing more about what others got out of this little treasure. :)
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I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
That is a great book. I got a lot out of it. The biggest thing I got and still carry with me is that we humans with our self will can really make a big mess out of things, but we should never underestimate God's ability to creat something beautiful out of our mess. Good stuff!
A friend of mine suggested this book ad I purchased it bit have yet to start it. Trying to finish another one before it. I tend to like true stories and I believe The Shack is fiction but I'm always looking forward to something new!
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Willingness without action is fantasy!
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
Like Pappy said the book really takes off after the first 100 or so pages, at first its kind of slow but once it gets going it truly is life altering. I recommend this book to any and everyone!
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Hey Steve...more than halfway through so will definetly jump back into this post when I've finished! Just got through the "judgement" part.. Which was great for me, as I'm working on 4th step. I, like Mack, thought I was tolerant of most people. I'm not racist or any of the " big" prejudices- I've worked with the homeless on a volunteer basis for years. After reading that chapter, though, I realized I DO pass judgement on people everyday, myself included. Also I have spent my life passing judgement on God. Can't wait to read the rest
Hey Steve...more than halfway through so will definetly jump back into this post when I've finished! Just got through the "judgement" part.. Which was great for me, as I'm working on 4th step. I, like Mack, thought I was tolerant of most people. I'm not racist or any of the " big" prejudices- I've worked with the homeless on a volunteer basis for years. After reading that chapter, though, I realized I DO pass judgement on people everyday, myself included. Also I have spent my life passing judgement on God. Can't wait to read the rest
Hey guys, ... ... ... Sorry I've been incommunicado lately ... Okay, don't go asking where that is !!! ... LOL
It's great that Steve started a discussion thread on 'The Shack' ... The biggest impact on me was the observation that God can come to us in any form He/She wishes ... and at any time He/She wishes ... We may never see it coming ... but should always be 'open minded enough to see it when it happens ... even if it comes in the form of a fiction piece of literature ...
It gave to me some 'continuity' between 'Father, Son, and Holy Spirit' ... Oh Lord, I need to re-read it again just to site some of the more 'high impact' lessons I learned in this book ... like what Colleen said ... I found out that I too, was judging God more than I realized ...
My life is just now getting back to normal, after my Dad's passing ... I try to post again here soon ... still trying to catch up ...
God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Just got to the part of "The Shack" where Mack is discussing emotions.. He expresses " I'm afraid of emotions. I don't like how they feel. I've hurt others with them and I can't trust them at all"..WOW that certainly speaks To me, and most alcoholics I would assume. It's taking me forever to read this book (the whole 2 job thing) but I truly am getting a lot out of it. Thanks again for recommendation, Pappy:)
Hey Colleen, ... You just explained the very reason I needed to re-read it several times ... Like our BB, it contains lessons that are only realized on 2nd & 3rd readings ...
Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
There's nothing to be afraid except finding out who the real you is ... and just perhaps you'll come to a much clearer understanding of exactly who God is ...
The biggest 'one issue' this book solved for me was the 'concept' of God ... I had always had this 'guy in the sky' with a long flowing white beard idea ... and I could really never wrap my head around that ... this book lays it all out so simply, to me ... ... ... My concept now is one of which God can take on any form He/She wishes, in order to directly communicate with us ... in fact, a lot of us pray for God's message to come flowing through us to others ... "May I do your will only in my life" ...
This book also reminds me of a great story ... see below:
God Came Thrice
Once there was a tailor who was very, very old. One day he was praying and speaking to God. He said, "Some people say You are in Heaven. Some people say You are on earth. Some people say You are both in Heaven and on earth. In my case, I believe that You are both in Heaven and on earth. Because I will die soon, I wish to see You in both places. I am afraid I will depart from this earth without seeing You. I also have no idea whether or not I will even be able to see You in Heaven. I am praying for You to come and visit me just once while I am here on earth."
The tailor continued, "Lord, I have been an honest tailor. I have always charged people less than the actual price, and they are very grateful to me. I have done many good things. Lord, I beg of You, will you not come and see me, only once, before I die?"
The tailor heard an Inner Voice telling him, "Tomorrow I shall come and visit you."
The old man was thrilled. He continued praying and praying to God. Early the next morning, the man went to his shop. He was tailoring many things. The whole time, he was hoping that God would come to visit him.
An hour later, an old lady came to the tailor. She was very sad. She said, "The children are all stealing the mangoes from my tree. I cannot do anything by myself to stop them. Will you please come and help me?"
The tailor said, "I am an old man. Will the children listen to me?"
The old lady answered, "You are a man. Whether you are old or not, it will really help if you come."
The tailor said, "All right. I will go. But I will not be able to scold the children. They will laugh at me. I will advise them that stealing is not a good thing.'"
The tailor accompanied the old lady and spoke to the children. There were five or six boys. He said, "Stealing is not good. If you steal, one day you will be caught. Then you will be punished. It is better not to steal. If you want to have a few mangoes, I am sure the owner will give you a few. Please do not steal."
There was some magic touch in the tailor's voice. The children said, "We will not steal any more." They even returned to the old lady all the mangoes that they had stolen earlier.
The old lady was very pleased and gave back a few mangoes to each boy. She said to the tailor, "Now you should get a mango!"
He replied, "Oh, no, I should not receive a mango for such a little help. Furthermore, I do not care for mangoes."
The old lady was very grateful to the tailor. He was very happy.
The old man went back to his shop and started tailoring again. Then a young girl came into his shop and said, "My father is very, very sick. He has got fever and he is vomiting. I am just a little girl, and I do not know what to do for my father. I do not even know where the doctor is. Can you help me?"
The old man said, "Yes, I know where the doctor is. I will make sure that he comes to take care of your father." The old man went to the doctor's office and brought something for the daughter to give to her father. The tailor saw that the father was, indeed, very sick. He could also see that the father was very poor. So the old man gave the father some money to pay for the doctor's fees.
Then the tailor came back and started doing his work once again. Most devotedly, he was tailoring. A very, very old lady came and said to the tailor, "I will soon die."
The tailor replied, "Why do you have to worry? We will all die one day. You will see God in Heaven."
"I will see God in Heaven?" moaned the old lady, with total disbelief in her voice.
The tailor immediately said, "You do not believe in God? Go away from my shop if you do not believe in God!"
"I will believe in God only when someone gives me the money to buy my coffin before I die."
The old man said, "You want to buy your coffin? All right. I will take you to the place where you can select the coffin; I will buy it for you. Then will you believe in God?"
The old lady answered, "Certainly! I will believe in God if you buy me the coffin I select. Once I die, my relatives will use the coffin that I have chosen."
The tailor went with the old lady to the shop and bought the coffin she selected. Then he returned to his shop once again. He said, "What have I done? What have I done? First I went out to help the lady whose mangoes were being stolen. Then I went to help the little girl find a doctor for her father. Finally, I went to buy a coffin for the old lady. Since You always keep Your promise, I am sure you came here while I was gone."
The old man's Inner Voice said, "I am so grateful to you and so proud of you. I came to you in the form of the lady whose mangoes were being stolen. I came to you in the form of the little girl whose father was dying. I came to you in the form of the old lady who was desperately in need of a coffin. I told you that I would come and see you once today. Instead, I came to you three times, and three times you have pleased Me far beyond your imagination."
-- Edited by Pythonpappy on Monday 27th of August 2012 09:15:56 AM
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
That gave me goosebumps, Pappy. Thanks for that story. I got that too from The Shack...that God can be found in the ordinary. Makes ya look at the world a lil differently, that's for sure.
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I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
You won't be sorry Tasha ... ... ... Warning, once you get to the second part of that book, you won't be able to put it down ... Be prepared!!! ... it's like a fish on a hook, you can't stop until it's in the frying pan ... LOL
Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
"But why me? I mean, why MacKenzie Allen Phillips? Why do you love someone who is such a screw-up? After all the things I've felt in my heart toward you and all the accusations I made, why would you even bother to keep trying to get through to me?"
"Because that is what love does," answered Papa (God)
Just a taste here Tasha ... ... ... Started reading yet???
Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Nope - I went to the noon meeting and sat around a while... I'm going to another meetings in a couple hours... after that I might um... awe shucks - outta excuses. I'll let you know tomorrow what I think of it ; )
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Good for you ... WARNING, ... after you get to the part where Mack gets to the cabin, to see God ... you may not be able to put the book down ... just sayin', be prepared !!!
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
OK. I struggled with the first part of the book - kept picking it up and putting it down because I have a little girl a touch younger than Missy and... well... I guess those are things I don't want to think about - but I struggled through that and got into the meat of it. Very deep, very profound but at the same time wonderfully simple. I'm about 160 pages in, but I'm having a little break to reflect upon the message so far.
I, too, had a difficult time with the first part ... Of course I didn't know it then, but the author was setting us up to start blaming God for this kind of event ... all I can say is, it worked ... I couldn't get to far into it without getting misty eyed, don't know about you ... and I realize your need to stop and reflect at your stage in the book ... I've re-read it several times(the last half) and high-lighted a lot of it just like I did my AA BB ... so much to learn there i think ... I absolutely love this book, it did, in fact, save my life by changing my entire perspective of life in general ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Oh, I could see that part was a necessary vehicle to set up the rest of the story. It's just a little close to the bone right now as I'm so far from my kids and feel helpless sometimes. Still, I drew comfort by the line 'she is protected by your love".
The part about hierarchies and relationships was really interesting. Funnily enough the authors vision of how things were meant to be describes the fellowship of AA perfectly. No bosses, none better than the other, just a group of equals submitting and serving each other in love, and the joyful banter of the Trinity would not look an inch out of place in my homegroup.
Exactly! ... ... ... my thoughts too! ... this book had such an impact on me that what it did for me is it gave me a different way to look at things ... like a 'new pair of glasses' ... I better understand things now ... most of the things going on in my life is just 'stuff' now ... I see a bigger picture now and all this other stuff is just that, stuff ... I feel like I know more about what's important in life now as opposed to before ...
I helped raise my grand-daughter when she was born to the age of five or six ... I know the bond of a little girl and her dad or grandpa (Papaw) ... I had a hard time swallowing the first part of the book too ... and I had most of the same 'feelings' as Mack did ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Frodo, I love how you mentioned it is both profound and yet so simple. That's what I adore about the book, that the story isn't complicated and yet it is so rich and meaningful I find myself drawn to the words again and again.
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I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
"But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel task-master. If I may prove my case, do you think humans were designed to live in the present or the past or the future? ...
'Well,' said Mack , hesitating, 'I think the most obvious answer is that we were designed to live in the present. Is that wrong?'
You are exactly correct, by the way. But 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? Mack thought for a moment before answering. 'I suppose I would have to say that I spend very little time in the present. For me, I spend a big piece in the past, but most of the rest of the time, I am trying to figure out the future.'
'Not unlike most people. When I dwell with you, I do so in the present --- I live in the present. Not the past, although much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay."
Does THIS sound familiar to anyone ???
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Just about all of the conversation in the shack sounded familiar.
OK. Finished.
Much to like in that book, much to learn from, much to try to apply, and much that needs to be re-read because I just know it is similar to the core stuff of AA in that it looks and is very simple but over time and after much reflection you find that the still waters of the program runs incredibly deep.
Once I've done that I've got a couple of friends in my home-group that I know will benefit from and appreciate a read of it.
I really liked that part, Pappy. It directly speaks to how I try to be in the present moment during recovery. I find whenever I am not pleased with what is going on in the moment that I really haven't been in the moment. Usually I am thinking about what is coming next and trying to rush through the now. So when I am getting that uncomfortable feeling I take a deep breath and try to just be. Most of the time, I don't really even mind the now when I let myself be in it. I just have to stop the alcoholic brain from trying to dash off to the next "fun" thing. I love that both AA and The Shack show me I don't have to be a victim of my own thoughts.
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I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
How about this one ??? ... (In Mack's imagination of the future, God was always absent ...)
"Why do I do that?" asked Mack
"It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. 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, imaging the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear."
"Yeah, that's basically what Sarayu was saying," responded Mack. "So why do I have so much fear in my life?"
"Because you don't believe. You don't know that we love you. The person who lives by their fears will not find freedom in my love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it; you talk about it, but you don't know it."
Fears & control ??? ... ... ... any comments ?
Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Fear and control... Nah, no comments.. Doesn't apply to me. Lol. Right.. These are definetly my two largest obstacles, as I'm sure is true for most of us. I identified very strongly with Mack while reading this book. I've has the same 'conversations' with God. Like Mack, this stems from a childhood of abuse.. Like Mack, I took matters into my own hands and left home on my own around the same age that he does ( If im remembering correctly, he was 12- I was 13). That's not an easy path. I'd be an arrogant fool to believe I survived without 'someone' looking after me. Some of the people I crossed paths with had to be angels. I have faith.. But I also have trouble completely trusting God. It's an issue I work on daily, and I've grown a lot spiritually. Fear is stubborn. I also find, as Vixen points out, that if I let go of my fear of, and attempts to control the future and stay in the moment.. I'm almost always content in the moment.
Fear is stubborn. I also find, as Vixen points out, that if I let go of my fear of, and attempts to control the future and stay in the moment.. I'm almost always content in the moment.
That's amazing in itself Col ... ... ... letting go has made such a difference in the way I think now-a-days ... it's made my faith stronger, cause I am continually blessed with everything I need ... I find it's no help to worry about things ... having faith that everything will turn out okay makes for one 'happy camper' ... worry (fear) never gained me one ounce of peace and serenity ... faith, hope, and love does ...
Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Reading the quotes you posted, Pappy, reminds me of something else I loved about the book...how patient God is with us! I mean, here God is, pouring out all this love for us and even though we don't always feel it and let fear block it, the love just keeps coming and coming. God never leaves us even when we stray in thought and deed. We really are blessed, even when we don't know it. It's just WAY better knowing it! :)
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I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
Reading the quotes you posted, Pappy, reminds me of something else I loved about the book...how patient God is with us! I mean, here God is, pouring out all this love for us and even though we don't always feel it and let fear block it, the love just keeps coming and coming. God never leaves us even when we stray in thought and deed. We really are blessed, even when we don't know it. It's just WAY better knowing it! :)
Took me a long time to absorb that ... GREAT observation ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I agree.. No matter how many times you feel as though God is turning her/his back on you it's actually the other way around..Gods always there even when we choose to not acknowledge that. Great point Vixen:)
Ok so I put the book on hold at the library but there are two people in front of me. Maybe I'll just have to buy it then pass it around my home group when I finish it.
Just so you know, I couldn't be without it ... mine's high-lighted just like my AA Big Book ... there is a mountain lode of wisdom in there ... personally? ... I think you'd do well to put out the
$15 to have your own copy ... cause you'll want to re-read it frequently ...
Pappy
P.S. It was on top of the best sellers list for nearly a year ... originally, it wasn't supposed to even be published ... the story behind its coming to be available is an incredible story itself ... this guy wrote it exclusively for his kids as a Christmas present ... his friend pushed to get it published ... SO ... it was written to be a private book not for sale ... and his profits from it go to a foundation for kid-knapped kids (The Missy Foundation, or something like that) ... google it ... watch the video interviews of the author if you like ...
-- Edited by Pythonpappy on Thursday 13th of September 2012 10:04:47 PM
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Ok so I put the book on hold at the library but there are two people in front of me. Maybe I'll just have to buy it then pass it around my home group when I finish it.
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I asked God for all things that I may enjoy life. He gave me life so that I may enjoy all things.
Hey Steve, ... I want to say yes to reading '5 People You Meet in Heaven', but I just can't remember if I did or not ... I remember it coming out ... I want to say I bought it, but can't pull in or recall the subject matter ... I'll look through some of my books to see if I have it ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I know you can't just poop out more time, but I can't wait till you get to the last half ... you, of all people, are the one I most want to hear from regarding the impression this book has on you ... many, many, discussion topics can come from this literature also ... I got an idea, trade some sleep for it, heehee ... ... ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Being the ever patient person that I am, , I decided that I would buy the book instead of wait for it from the library. As I was driving to mall to go to Barnes & Noble, I passed a thrift shop run by the American Cancer Society. They have a nice selection of paperbacks, and they take the time to alphabetize them, so I knew I could see pretty quickly if they had it or not. Well, looking through their book room, I found, U, V, W, then the alphabet ended. What??? Looked around a bit, no X, Y, or Z authors, so I figured they didn't have it and was setting out to the bookstore. A label on a shelf caught my eye, read miscellaneous subjects/authors. What the heck, only 50 or so books, I can scan them pretty quickly. I found one by David Gutterson, the back cover review reads that the book "...is not about the courage it takes to die, but the courage it takes to live." It is set in Washington State, where I live, and that part of the review intrigued me, so I grabbed it. I had already scanned the rest of the books once, and hadn't seen "The Shack", but I thought, one more quick glance. There it was !!! The very next book I laid my eyes on. Took my books to the register, and the lady volunteering/working the register saw "The Shack", and remarked about how it changed her life. She said she has poor memory recall, and usually forgets everything she reads, but this book she remembers well, and often calls upon its' message in her life. I told her I was looking to read it so I could take part in a discussion about it, and how there were no X, Y, Z author book sections in their room, but I had found it on a different shelf. She looked at me and with clear convinction said, well you must be meant to read it, because it was here. I started it last night, stayed up till 1am, wanted to keep reading, but my brain wasn't comprehending what I was reading. Todays going to be a hanging around the house, doing laundry, reading kind of day. Pappy, you're right, I will be keeping this book for myself, and I'm sure it will be well read and referred to often. Have a great day all. Peace
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I asked God for all things that I may enjoy life. He gave me life so that I may enjoy all things.
Yep, .... sounds to me like a greater power at work here ... I hope you enjoy it, most do, some don't ... it indeed made the recovery program of AA palatable for me ... without this book, I am pretty certain I would still be out there drunk, or dead ... it gave me a whole new perspective of what and who God is ... it made perfect sense to me when I read it ... it allowed me in all honesty, to work the 2nd and 3rd steps ... that was about 5 years ago ... I pray this book will move you like it has thousands of others, perhaps millions by now ...
Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I've handed my copy over to someone in my group with the instruction to hand it on to the next person when they're done. If it doesn't come back then I'll assume it is where it needs to be, and I'll buy another copy.
Yeah Frodo ... ... ... I've bought at least 2 maybe 3 dozen so far ... a few, I got back and loaned them out again ... you know the saying, if it only helps one person along the way to see more clearly, then it was worth it ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
"Mackenzie," Papa was strong and firm. "I already told you that forgiveness does not create a relationship. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgement, but without true change, no real relationship can be established."
I love this book ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
"Mack, 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."
Where are you Steve? ... Tasha? ... Colleen ... Alias ... Nezyb ... Frodo ... Vixen ... Stayhumble ... ... anybody ?
... Hey, where's Ruhig?
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Im here Pappy :) Ok so the above paragraph got me thinking about how everything we do either good or bad matters in whole with the universe. I mean for instant if I take a certain step on a piece of land, that will change the outcome of that landscape for the years to come just by taking that step there, it alters the soil, the grass, the levelness of it...etc. And we are all important because God made all of us individually and for a purpose. As long as we use our free will to do the next right thing he will continue to guide us. Sort of like the saying if God is with us who can be against us. Every good deed, saying, effort, has its own rewards. What do you think Pappy?
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Okay, my last two brain cells are crying 'uncle' right now and about to give up ... they need their beauty sleep ...
But here we go ... I feel Papa so loves us that He/She gave us freedom to choose ... each of us in everything we do has an effect on something or someone else ... there is something called the 'Butterfly effect' ... lets say you do something for someone, a kindness of some kind, let's say ... then that person is moved, to the point they, in turn, want to do something for someone else ... and that person is moved to do for another ... and again and again ... so what happens, is your good deed started a kind of a 'snowball' effect ... and this affects everyone in time ...
It's like planting a seed and watching it grow into a huge oak tree ... you no plant seed, you no get tree ...
The same is true for doing the evil things we do ... when we hurt others with our drinking or just out of spite, we set in motion negativity that also breeds more negativity ... ever see a parent get 'on to' a child and yell at them for something? ... and then that child goes and yells at their doll for no reason ? ... See, everything we do, does matter ... and the effects of what we do effect the universe as a whole ... in time ...
Good night ... I'll have to read this tomorrow and see if I said anything good ... LOL
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
It's been a kinda crazy week and haven't had time to post, but did finish the book. Now, I'm actually reading it, especially from when Mack leaves for the shack, highlighter in hand. Overall, this story confirms for me what I am coming to know to be true for myself. God is not someone or something I am going to find in my external world. He/She/It resides within me, always has, always will, regardless of the path I chose today. My job is to trust in that truth. Have to sign off for now, will check in again soon. (((hugs))) and Peace
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I asked God for all things that I may enjoy life. He gave me life so that I may enjoy all things.
Anymore progress reading the book Tasha ??? ... I know you had your hands full this weekend with your son's birthday party 'n all, but just curious ... I pray all went well for your son's sixth BD and that it will be memorable for him ... (in a good way!!!)
By the way, how's his arm doing ???
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Pappy, did you see this? "Young's newest book, Cross Roads, is publishing on November 13, 2012 with Hachette Book Group" They have the first chapter promotion free at Walmart :)
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
I read the Shack at your suggestion, and I finished it. For me it was one of the most useful and moving books I have ever read and I thank you for telling me about it. I learned a great deal about the Christian faith, and the concepts of forgiveness, repentance and reconciliation. I tried to read it a second time but jus can;t quite bring myself to reread The Great Sadness. I have never been that quick at grasping and understanding these concepts, but the explanations and illustrations in The Shack were written in a way I could understand and helped me a lot.
Thanks Steve for the 'heads up' on Young's new book ... I knew nothing of it ... will definitely make a reminder to myself to check it out ...
Thanks for your comments Mike(Fyne Spirit) ... this book was the same for me, moving and useful, but much more ... I think I've said it before, but again, I wish to convey that what this book did for me was nothing short of the 'miracle' we sometimes talk about in AA ... My whole 'concept' of God was formed and came together in such a way that I could actually "BELIEVE" in God or (higher power) ... it was if the author grabbed my hand and led me through a "this is the way it is" scenario ... this book saved my life by making the AA program 'believeable' ... it gave me the foundation upon which to build my 'faith' ... Faith in God and the program ... it worked for me ...
Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Yes, I would agree that for a Christian who might be angry at God, this book could guide a person to look at things differently, and ultimately even believe in God in a new way - probably a healthier way than they were for sure.
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
So - I finished the book - ran out the door to have supper with my husband, and then we sat in the parking lot and talked for a couple hours. It was a good talk. Many of the reasons it was good, was because of my reading the book. The book made me smile, and it made me cry a few times. It made me get up a few times and love my family. While I read the sentence about the blue jay landing in the window - my daughter got up from her coloring on the floor in front of me, and flashed her baby blue eyes happily at me. I literally read the word blue - and looked at her blue eyes and knew it was a sign - so much in fact - that I said "what's up baby blue jay?"... without even thinking about it.
That startled me into finishing the book in one sitting.
I understand my concept of love better... and it will stick with me.
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Yep, there's a lot to that book ... even more interesting perhaps is the author's following on the internet ... I haven't checked it in a couple of years,
but the way the book got published is something of a miracle in itself ... really an amazing story ...
It's been said on this forum, that I'm something of a 'ladies man' of sorts, or rather, has a way with the ladies ... but when I tell others I love them, it's real ... and if the others were to pay attention, I frequently say the same to the guys too ... and after a year, one of my sponsees has finally started saying he loves me after hearing me say it to him everytime he calls ... That's one of the real lessons I learned from this book ... and coupled with my irregular health problems, I wish not a day go by without expressing my love for everyone I talk to ...
If you're anything like me, you'll want to re-read the last half of the book again and again ... the solution to so many of life's difficulties are there ...
mine is 'high-lited' just like a college textbook ... and I too, found periods of laughter and also periods of tears ... it's a very moving book ...
I'm so glad you liked it ...
Loves Always and may Papa Bless you, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
