I am a voracious reader and yet I seldom buy books. I've certainly never bought a case of books. But these days, I've been thinking about it. You see, I want everyone to read this book.

It's called The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity, by William P. Young. It's the fictional story of a dad who experiences the kidnap and death of his youngest daughter. I know, so far it doesn't sound like a book you'd want to take to the beach. Furiously grieving her death for years, he's surprised to receive a letter from God, inviting him to The Shack, the very site of her murder. In essence, God is giving him a chance to duke it out, to wrestle with Him, to find answers.

It's a must read. I can't say more. You must run, not walk, to your bookstore and get it. I'd send you a copy if I could.

You see, I know what Scripture says about death. 1 Corinthians 15, for instance, verses 50-52:
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

Yes, changed, but how? Into what? These are some of the questions that The Shack wrestles with...and answers. I'll tell you the truth. By the end of the book, you just may feel differently about death, heaven and why God allows tragedy.

I've always been annoyed, frankly, at how 1 Corinthians 15 concludes, verses 54b and 55:

"Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"

I have felt the sting of death. If you have also been stung by death, you've got to read this book. I'm begging you. Then let me know what you think.

And when you're finished with it, pass it on to a friend.

2 Timothy 2:6-7
Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and a sound mind.


So I've been wondering...what does it take to fan something into flames? Timothy was given a gift, but he's asked to nuture it and let it catch. How? How do embers become flames?

One sure way to kill a fire is to ignore it. This I know firsthand. While recently visiting my dear friend Angela, we were charged by her husband to keep the fire burning. Our non-stop conversation didn't leave us any time for fire-tending. Mere embers were left by the time we turned our gaze on the former roar.

Newspapers, twigs, fire-starters and dry wood did nothing to the dead coals. Blowing on it only resulting in choking me with ashes. Finally, as her husband came up the stairs, I resorted to a desperate prayer..."Lord, let there be light!"

The ensuing gigantic flames nearly burned my eyebrows off.

Do we actually even believe that God has given us gifts? And if so, what are we doing to fan them into flames? Or are we acting like the proverbial wet blanket...putting out the fire with our fear and discouragement? You know, the thoughts like, "I'm not that special. I don't believe I have gifts" and the like?

God knew we'd need to be encouraged. See, the VERY NEXT verses go on to say, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind." Those are the flames. Nuture them! If there's a spirit of fear, ignore it! Send it away, in the name of Jesus. See, He gave us what we needed to keep the fire burning. The tools are power, love and a sound mind.

Fan the Power into flames.
Fan the love into flames.
Fan the sound mind into flames.

Just like the fire at Angela's house...do whatever it takes! And don't give up.
God has not given you a spirit of fear. Instead, He's given you gifts and abilities. It's up to you to use them.

Fan the flames!

I love the news on Yahoo. The story bursts are exactly as short as my attention span. Often you can tell the whole story by the headline. Like this recent one:

Shopping in Lousy Mood Will Cost You.

A quote from the LiveScience article sums it up:

Participants who were feeling blue and also had a high level of self-focus were the biggest spenders.

This combination, sad and high self-focus, likely causes individuals to devalue themselves and their current possessions. The result, (researchers) say, is an increased willingness to dole out more for material goods, presumably to enhance the sense of self.

Today, I'm hearing the siren call of irrational spending. When feeling down-in-the-dumps, there's one place that calls my name. Goodwill. There's always something fun to see, try on, consider, and buy. For years I've justified my Goodwill habit as actually superior spending, since it's 10% of the expenditure of a typical trip to the mall. My kids have caught the Goodwill fever. Recently Caroline needed spring clothes and requested a trip to Goodwill. She said, "Look, Mom, we filled a whole cart for the same price we'd spend on one pair of jeans at Limited, Too!" Like mother, like daughter.

Sensible spending is important. But emotional, need-to-feel-better-so-will-shop is a trap....no matter where you end up spending.

The Sad Shoppers article debuts in the June edition of Psychological Science magazine. But it's not news. Isaiah 55:2 says: "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."

Next time you feel blue and dissatisfied, take it to The Big Guy. Ask Him to show you true satisfaction. It's a free gift from God. And hide your car keys. The feeling will pass...and the peace will last.