Tuesday, June 16, 2009

God things!



Wow! Today I have to share about last night with William Paul Young, the author that wrote the Shack...it was fantastic! God moved in that building and it was amazing! It was a Monday night with LSU playing baseball, Les Miles in town and we still had over 750 people come to talk about God. Is that not fabulous? God worked in a big way and it was awesome!!!

God is definitely using this man to share His story. I don't know the right words other than to say God is working and in a mighty big way. Paul shared with all of us that he wrote this book for his children and only intended to run the original 15 copies that he ran at Office Depot. I believe he told us last night that it is now over 13 million? not quite sure the exact number he used ~ but huge! Did you know that a normal best seller only sells 7500 copies? Most books sell 5000? Don't tell me that God isn't in this book. Did you know that they only put in $300 to advertise this book? They sold over a million copies out of a garage the first year.

When Paul talks it is so about a friendship with God. The relationship that we all yearn and how religion isn't what God wants ~ he wants it about Him and being wtih Him ~ relationship, friendship! He was very scriptural he answered the questions that people have about the book with much thought and so from the heart. He continually talked about the things that God was doing and that it wasn't Paul doing anything. He talked about how they wrote this book together and how God heals through this book. He talked about the conversations that this book is starting and that is what this book is about. God is using this book to open hearts to openly talk about Him. Continually the whole evening never once did Paul try to take the glory the whole evening was about what God was doing and how he gets to travel along that one year ago he was still cleaning toilets and working in a manufacturing plant.

We all have a shack. Did you know that? It is our secrets in our souls that you only share with God, the Holy Spirit and Christ. You have a shack and you need to meet them in your shack to heal, to forgive and to love! Some of you may have been hurt by religion and that is what Paul beautifully addressed it's not God. Don't shut your door on God it is the flaws of people that hurt one another. Go to the Shack and be healed by God. Did you know that secrets cause all of us to lie? A secret causes so much pain that it just builds and builds and the pain goes right along with the secret of growing until your Shack is a building with many rooms to cover all the secrets?

The highlight of the evening was at the end, when the audience stool in a standing ovation and Paul turned his backs to the audience lifted his hands and arms in the air and gave all the glory to God! It was a moment that moved everyone in that room beyond words. It was so very moving. God is so good.

If you have been hurt by humans that are just that human in a church, at a job, in your family ~ don't shut your heart to God. I suggest you read this book and maybe it will help to heal you with God going through the experience with you. He will be there, it is a book of healing. God works in mysterious ways that we are not able to imagine, so don't try to put Him in a box to even try. I encourage you to just watch Him work and enjoy being in the friendship with Our Savior. Talk to God today..whatever you call Him..Father, God, Almighty, Poppa, just talk

Talking,

2 comments:

Frankie said...

Debbie, I couldn't wait to see if you wrote about the event last night and you did. It sounds as though it was an awesome evening. Thank you for sharing how it touched you. I think that I will read "The Shack" again.

Praying that God reveals to me what I have hidden away that needs His healing balm.

John said...

Debbie,

It was agreat and wonderful evening. Seeing so many people of God come together to hear from someone who has touched so many lives, was a true joy. Everyone was touched by his message.

As it is stated in 2 Samual 14:14, "But God does not just sweep life away; instaed he deviseds ways to bring us back when we have been seperated from him."

Blessings,

John