The Shack Movie: God and your Tragedy

18 March, 2017 by Leave a Comment

When this book was first published, I heard it was great, but wasn’t in a good place to read it because I had a five-year-old little girl at the time. As soon as I realized what could happen, I put down the book and finally picked it back up when she was ten.

Paul Young has written and incredible story and though it was initially self-published it for his family. Mainstream media caught wind of it and, well, you know the rest.

There has been much controversy over the movie on theology, though not clearly evident. It wasn’t until I looked back and thought about some of the scenes that I questioned whether or not Mr. Young was keeping biblical truths in tact.

One big question asked was “why wouldn’t God save Mack’s little girl?” or in general, (why do bad things happen to good people?”) Here’s my opinion on that one if you’d like to check it out: “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People”

The following is an article written by a co-writer who has published quite a few books and is a good Christian man. I’ve heard him speak and taken several classes from him. He offered this article to be shared with the release of this movie to answer some of those shaky theological questions.

Hope the article sheds some light on the good and the bad in this fictional story. Any conversation starter about God is a good thing in my book.

The Shack movie: God and your tragedy

By Rusty Wright

 

When your personal tragedy strikes – and it will – is God good?

Millions wrestle with that question. The Shack, a bestselling novel and now a movie, uses fanciful fiction to help people process age-old intellectual and emotional struggles about evil, suffering, and divine character.

Did a loved one just die? Maybe your marriage is failing, your boss showed you the door, your lump is malignant, or an earthquake leveled your home.

Perhaps an important business deal collapsed or false gossip torpedoed a treasured friendship.

“God, how could you allow this?” comes the cry. How could God be all loving, all powerful, and all just?

From Office Depot to a theater near you …

Author William Paul Young first self-published fifteen copies of The Shack at Office Depot as Christmas gifts. It’s now sold 19 million copies and been translated into 50 languages. Clearly, the story has hit a nerve. Film stars include Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (The Help), Sam Worthington (Avatar), and Grammy winner Tim McGraw.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Mack, the protagonist, has submerged much of his childhood pain from his abusive, alcoholic father. He now enjoys life with his wife and family, until a serial killer abducts and murders his young daughter Missy, sending him into deep depression. Through some curious happenings, he revisits the murder scene, a decrepit shack deep in the woods.

There he spends a fascinating weekend with … God. Actually with all three members of the Trinity: God – a large, loving African-American woman named “Papa” (the story explains this); Jesus – an actual Jewish carpenter; and the Holy Spirit – an Asian woman with a Sanskrit name, Sarayu, meaning “wind.”

Processing pain

The four enjoy sumptuous food, starlit nights, and lots of conversation. The three guide Mack through processing the painful “if only” questions related to Missy’s death, and in forgiving his adversaries.

They also help with the intellectual questions: God gave humans free will, hence human evil. Jesus came in love. By his death and resurrection, humans can be reconciled to God and enjoy the relationships – divine and human – for which they were created.

Multiple resonances

Many may find The Shack emotionally/spiritually therapeutic and intellectually satisfying. The story resonated with me on multiple levels.

I agree that God, though sovereign, gave us freedom to follow or disobey him. This does not answer all concerns (because he sometimes does intervene to thwart evil) but suggests that the problem of evil is not as great an intellectual obstacle as some imagine.

Pain’s emotional barrier to belief can be formidable. Jesus understands suffering. He was scorned, beaten, and cruelly executed, carrying the guilt of human rebellion.

When I see God, items on my long list of questions will include a painful and unwanted divorce, betrayal by trusted co-workers, my second wife’s tragic death last year from cancer, and all sorts of disappointing human behavior and natural disasters. Yet in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection I’ve seen enough to trust him when he says he “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.”

Serious conflicts

That said, The Shack book has some serious conflicts with a biblical view of God, and some with simple logic. (The movie avoids some – but not all – of these.) Others have detailed such issues, so I’ll mention just a few.

The book seems to indicate that Jesus’ death and resurrection will bring all humanity back into a relationship with God, regardless of individual decisions. The biblical documents maintain that individuals must personally accept divine pardon for it to be effective in their lives. The film only hints at this issue.

The book’s Sarayu and Papa say rules like the Ten Commandments were given not to make humans good but to reveal their flaws and their need for God. Fair enough. It took me nineteen years to understand that important distinction. But the two also believe rules and expectations harm relationships, which should be our focus. (The movie touches this matter tangentially.)

I would stress the proper emphasis. Biblical expectations (about love, service, forgiving, spousal faithfulness, etc.) can be tracks for healthy living once we’re plugged into divine power for living.

In the book, Sarayu perplexingly claims the word “responsibility” is not found in the Bible. A simple search disputes that. The film omits this mistake.

The book’s Jesus maintains that all mental turmoil and anxiety are related to religious, political or economic institutions. Including concern for tsunami deaths, for instance? “Allness” claims invite rebuttal. Better “much,” or something similar. The movie omits this overstatement.

The Shack film will get people thinking about important issues. If you view it – or read the book – I encourage you to do so with discernment, discuss it with friends, and measure it by the Good Book.

Rated PG-13 (USA) “for thematic material including some violence.”

www.TheShack.movie Opens March 3 (USA) International release dates

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2017 Rusty Wright

The Shack movie: God and your tragedy. When your personal tragedy strikes – and it will – is God good? Millions wrestle with that question. The Shack, a bestselling novel and now a movie, uses fanciful fiction to help people process age-old intellectual and emotional struggles about evil, suffering, and divine character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack (Sam Worthington) and “Papa” (Octavia Spencer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack and his family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus, Mack, Papa, Sarayu

Filed Under: BLOG POSTS, Guest Posts, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Movie Review, Real Relationships Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tips to a Happier you in 2012~The Sweet Truth

31 March, 2012 by 1 Comment



What are the most common conditions for which we would consider a change in our diet?


•   High blood pressure? 
•   Obesity?
•   Diabetes?
•    
Those are the no-brainers. But what about your brain? Do you think about the food we eat being connected to our brain? 

Let me give you an example from personal experience: 

When I was finishing pharmacy school, I did a clinical rotation at Greenville Memorial Hospital in the Cancer Treatment Center. I had to be up on the 5th floor of the hospital at 7:00 AM to do rounds with Dr. Gluck. Every single morning, about half way through rounds, I got very light headed, weak, shaky, and I broke out in a sweat. My heart beat so hard I felt like I was having a panic attack. I’d go into the hall and sit down with my head between my knees afraid I would throw up or pass out, neither of which anyone had time for. 

After a few weeks of this everyday occurrence, Dr. Gluck examined me, but could find nothing wrong. The patients we were seeing every morning were stage 4 cancer patients at the very end of their lives—tough situations for a 20-year-old college student to handle at 7:00 AM every morning. We just figured the situations were getting to me. It was somewhat overwhelming, but I couldn’t believe it could make me physically ill. 

Finally, when I was about at the end of my rotation, the pharmacist I worked with asked me what I was eating for breakfast. Every morning I ate toast with grape jelly around 6:15 AM.

He suggested I switch to cheese toast and see if it would make a difference. 

What do you know? I was absolutely fine. 

When I ate jelly on my toast for breakfast, I was getting a sugar high. Then, around 7:30, my insulin was in high gear to take care of processing that sugar, and caused my sugar to drop so rapidly, it almost did me in. I ended up in a hypoglycemic state. It can be confusing to think of getting hypoglycemia when we eat too  much sugar, but it’s the insulin’s response to the high sugar that throws us into hypoglycemia. 

Look at today’s prescription verse. …Be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
There is a definite mind-body-soul connection. What affects one affects the other.  

Our brain relies on a steady, balanced level of glucose to function properly. When we eat too much sugar, our body goes into overdrive trying to process it, causing a rise in adrenalin and cortisol (the fight or flight hormone). As I’ve stated before, this rise in cortisol will cause a decrease in serotonin and other hormones in the brain. Basically, everything gets out of whack. The more unbalanced our sugar intake is, the more unbalanced our mood is. 

Our brain and body need to stay in balance, so it is essential that our diet be balanced as well. 

Too much sugar does not a balanced diet make. Here’s the link to a great article I found explaining this phenomenon well: Conquering Anxiety, Depression, and Fatigue Without Drugs—the Role of Hypoglycemia
My reaction to sugar was somewhat extreme. Most reaction are much more subtle and not as easy to diagnose. Here are some symptoms to look for that could be blamed on sugar intake: 
•   Anxiety
•   Nervousness
•   Restlessness
•   Irritability
•   Depression
•   Forgetfulness
•   Crying spells
•   Inability to concentrate
…And there are many more. 

How incredible would it be to just balance your sugar intake and solve these problems without the use of drugs? It may or may not work, but all you’ve lost is a few pounds! 

Here are some suggestions from The Hypoglycemic Diet to start you in the right direction: 
1) Avoidance of sugar, coffee, strong tea, nicotine if possible, refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, cakes and sugary drinks, candy bars, colas, cookies, ice cream sweetish fruits such as bananas, grapefruit, melons, honey and dates (these fruits may be reintroduced at a later stage in moderation) etc.
2) High protein + complex carbohydrates snacks every three hours or sooner, to provide a slow release of glucose, and to prevent the hypoglycemic dip. A high protein breakfast must be considered the most important meal of the day. Good sources of proteins are eggs, white meat as in chicken and fish. Eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits and the more varied the diet the better it is.
3) Supplementation of diet with Anti-stress vitamin B-Complex tablets, including vitamin B6, B3, B12, chromium picolinate, magnesium, zinc + Vitamin C, and fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids), vitamin D. 
4) Other supplements that could slow down the absorption of glucose (thereby avoiding blood sugar peaks and the release of stress hormones) are: Psyllium Seeds Husks (1 tbsp. per day), Glucomannan including pectin (follow instructions on bottle), Grapefruit and Cinnamon.
So the sweet truth is that sugar is not so sweet after all. It can be downright mean. 

Let’s don’t let something so simple as sugar control our emotions. And did you know when we stop eating sugar, we stop craving it? But that’s another blog post…
From my heart,
Celeste
P.S. If you’d like more great information on sugar and diet, here’s the link to my delicious stack of articles on The Sweet Truth.
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, Eating to Live, God's Pharmacy, Making Changes, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Are you on OVERLOAD?

16 January, 2012 by Leave a Comment



As usual, our pastor, Perry, was speaking directly to me this morning…in more ways than one.


I am, as we all are, on overload. I was strangely thankful that I didn’t get to sit beside David this morning in our service because my side would be bruised from all of the elbowing. My toes, however, are flat from Perry stepping all over them.

But as I listened to Perry preach this morning, I was amazed that every point he made from a biblical perspective directly corresponds to the blog series I’ve been posting on “Tips to a Happier You in 2012.”  I’ve attached a link to his sermon here so you can watch it if you’d like, but I’m going to give you the main points he made, and then show you how it’s not only destructive to us spiritually, but also emotionally and physically.


Perry’s sermon on OVERLOAD


Overload = Demands exceed Resources

Solution: Margin

Margin = Space between our Load and our Limits

Here are areas where we all need margin: 

1. Emotional Life 

I have no peace! I have no quiet! I have no rest! And trouble keeps coming! Job 3:26 (GW)

How many of us always feel stressed out or at a high level of frustration? Everything is okay as long as our day goes according to plan, but if one thing goes wrong, we lose it. There are so many things that play with our emotions, but we shouldn’t let them. We must determine the things, activities, and people in our life that are the most important and give our emotional energy to them. There are many conditions in life that we can control, and many that we cannot control. Those that we can control may deserve some of our emotional energy, but those we cannot control, we need to give over to God. We all know what the Bible says about worry; so don’t waste your emotional energy there. 

Now, what happens physically when we are stressed emotionally? Our cortisol level increases (the hormone that sends our body into “fight or flight” mode) and our serotonin level decreases (the hormone that keeps us happy…the Prozac hormone). So, being overloaded emotionally contributes to depression, anxiety, and insomnia. 

Increased cortisol = frustration, stress, and insomnia
and
Increased cortisol = decreased serotonin = depression

2. Physical Energy

Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in trouble; my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out. Psalm 31:9 (GNT)

It sounds crazy, I know, but exercise will give you more energy. Have you ever lain around in your pajamas til noon and then you’re exhausted all day? I’ve done it enough for everyone. No matter how bad I sleep or how tired I feel when I wake up, I always have more energy if I get up in the morning and get out of the house. 

Exhaustion can seem like a viscous cycle. When you’re tired and sleep in, thinking that will help, you are just useless all day. Then, when you try to go to bed, you can’t sleep, because you didn’t do anything all day! I will explain further in an upcoming blog post, but in a nutshell, here’s why exercise is important: When you begin exercising, your body releases cortisol (the “fight or flight” hormone) because it perceives the exercise as stress. As you build up your endurance, it takes a much greater intensity of exercise (stress) to release the cortisol. 

Decreased cortisol = less stress = better sleep = increased serotonin = happy

3. Time

I had no time to care for myself. Song of Solomon 1:6 (GNT)

We must prioritize our time. When Perry asked the question, “What do you need more of?” The first answer shouted out was “time.” The amount of hours in a day is one thing that no one can change. Instead of get more time, we must spend our time wisely. We have to decide what is important to us and spend our time there. I can’t comment on time without bringing in the whole social media thing, but believe me; I’m stepping on my own toes there! 

Doing things with our time that brings us pleasure has been proven to increase serotonin levels. Playing music or knitting…doing things with our hands and repetitive actions with our brains…increases serotonin levels. Completing something gives us a sense of accomplishment which also increases…you guessed it…our serotonin levels. 


4. Finances

He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth–except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers! Ecclesiastes 5:10 (TLB)

Wealth does not bring happiness. I can personally attest to that one. When I was so sick and depressed, our business was doing great and we even built a dream house. But happiness did not truly come until God showed me His infinite mercy and grace, and I realized that He is in control. 

Physically, money can affect your brain in several ways, though somewhat indirectly. When we strive so hard to make lots of money, we are usually stressed, and we end up buying more stuff to take care of.

stress = increased cortisol = decreased serotonin = depression

In another respect, however, we can use money to our advantage…by giving it away. It has been proven that doing things for other people has a direct effect our brains by increasing our serotonin level. 


Overload is not a good thing. God gives us much instruction and warning in His word that shows us exactly that. We must create wider margins so we are not in danger of overload, and therefore are not a step away from endangering ourselves to depression, anxiety, and insomnia. 

I hope you are enjoying my blog series “Tips to a Happier You in 2012.” If you are, be sure and sign up to have your prescriptions delivered to your inbox so you don’t miss any!
From my heart,
Celeste

 

Filed Under: Handling Stress, How to be Happy, Living with Purpose, Making Changes, Simplify Your Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,