by William Paul Young. It's about a man who spends three days struggling with God in the shack where his young daughter was murdered. I wouldn't recommend it as great literature. It is self-published and shows the inexperience of the writer. It's not great theology either. On the other hand the issue of how God can allow suffering to exist and still love us is timeless. Look at Job who lost everything and struggled with the same problem. I enjoyed our discussion last night. It was fruitful and made The Shack worth reading.
Showing posts with label women's spirituality group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's spirituality group. Show all posts
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Reading the Shack
Our women's spirituality group is reading a new book, The Shack by William Paul Young. It's about a man who spends three days struggling with God in the shack where his young daughter was murdered. I wouldn't recommend it as great literature. It is self-published and shows the inexperience of the writer. It's not great theology either. On the other hand the issue of how God can allow suffering to exist and still love us is timeless. Look at Job who lost everything and struggled with the same problem. I enjoyed our discussion last night. It was fruitful and made The Shack worth reading.
by William Paul Young. It's about a man who spends three days struggling with God in the shack where his young daughter was murdered. I wouldn't recommend it as great literature. It is self-published and shows the inexperience of the writer. It's not great theology either. On the other hand the issue of how God can allow suffering to exist and still love us is timeless. Look at Job who lost everything and struggled with the same problem. I enjoyed our discussion last night. It was fruitful and made The Shack worth reading.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Our women's spirituality group at church is now praying with Birth: A Guide for Prayer
by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Marie Schwan, CSJ. I felt a little behind yesterday because I hadn't read all of the first week's readings--I only got the book on Monday. It is very much a product of Ignatian Spirituality using the imagination in prayer. It's not the easiest prayer form for me. I like centering prayer, the Rosary, and just talking to God as I would a friend. I suppose it helps to have a book as the centerpiece of our faith sharing but could we slow down? I can find enough to pray about in one day's reading for a week.
I highly recommend another book that I am reading called One Minute Wisdom.
It has little one page gems of contemplation that fill a prayer period. The one for today was about miracles. A disciple of the Master says, "In your land it is regarded as a miracle if God does someone's will. In our country it is regarded as a miracle if someone does the will of God"(page 4).
by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Marie Schwan, CSJ. I felt a little behind yesterday because I hadn't read all of the first week's readings--I only got the book on Monday. It is very much a product of Ignatian Spirituality using the imagination in prayer. It's not the easiest prayer form for me. I like centering prayer, the Rosary, and just talking to God as I would a friend. I suppose it helps to have a book as the centerpiece of our faith sharing but could we slow down? I can find enough to pray about in one day's reading for a week.
I highly recommend another book that I am reading called One Minute Wisdom.
It has little one page gems of contemplation that fill a prayer period. The one for today was about miracles. A disciple of the Master says, "In your land it is regarded as a miracle if God does someone's will. In our country it is regarded as a miracle if someone does the will of God"(page 4).
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bless this mess
I finally made it to my women's spirituality group last night. I felt like I was behind everyone else because I hadn't completed all the assignments in the book. My cold has left me with little energy and some days I've been lucky just to collapse at the end of the day and thank God for my blessings and ask for his help for those I love. I'm too tired for words so we're just there, God and me. Anyway, many of the women had done all the reading and journaling and had some profound insights. It inspired me to take the book we are using, The Cup of Our Life by Joyce Rupp, and begin anew with the second week's exercises today.
Today's topic was the clutter in our lives that keeps us from filling our soul-space with God. I had trouble with that at first because I live a cluttered life. I've been trying to change for years but my OCD stands in the way. I've learned to live with it, occasionally throwing stuff out or shoving it to the side. So the exercise is this, "Sit quietly. Go within. Look around inside. See what clutters your life with God." That's what I did. I went inside myself and God just picked up the stack of magazines and newspapers on the couch of my mind and shoved them to the side. Then he sat next to me. God meets me where I am and works with me so that I can become what he wants me to be. He looks beyond the clutter and he sees me.
Today's topic was the clutter in our lives that keeps us from filling our soul-space with God. I had trouble with that at first because I live a cluttered life. I've been trying to change for years but my OCD stands in the way. I've learned to live with it, occasionally throwing stuff out or shoving it to the side. So the exercise is this, "Sit quietly. Go within. Look around inside. See what clutters your life with God." That's what I did. I went inside myself and God just picked up the stack of magazines and newspapers on the couch of my mind and shoved them to the side. Then he sat next to me. God meets me where I am and works with me so that I can become what he wants me to be. He looks beyond the clutter and he sees me.
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