My day at a Paul Young seminar.
Down to what Paul Young shared, re The Shack.
First was how the book came about. At the end of an 11 year journey of being taken apart and being renewed from the inside out, he typed it up what was really his life story till then in imagery, and had 15 copies printed for his children and a few friends. For those who read it, it had such an effect on them that they shared it with others who also wanted a copy so he printed another 15 and the rest is history. Now over 2 million copies are out there in several languages and it could become a film.
He was surprised and still is, as to what happened and knows it is God.
The second part he shared was his testimony.
His parents took him to New Guinea before he was 4 and he was first sexually molested by the tribal people at 4 years of age.
His father beat him physically and mentally, and his image of God was how he perceived his father and hated both his father and God.
The book he says is full of imagery, and Missy could well be him when he died physically and emotionally inside when he was beaten by his father and sexually molested.
He said his father was 2 people; one in the home, another outside, and he said many are like that sad to say.
He could never please his father.
He married in his twenties and had several children. Two so-called believers lead him into businesses that failed, and left him with the debt. He ended up working 3 jobs, living in a rented house, no car or spare money and his dear wife would give him loving correction that he, because of the deep wound received it as at condemnation and ended up in a sexual relationship with another lady thinking she loved him, knowing if she knew what was inside him the relationship would be broken. As he said, infatuation is destroyed the more you get to know some one.
Infatuation is the ability to love yourself through someone.
The 11 years of darkness started the day his wife found out he was having an affair, and after 4 hours of telling him what she thought of him as a husband and a Christian he replied, “we have two choices, one I walk away or 2, you sit and listen while I tell you what is in side me”.
It took him 4 days to tell her what was in his Shack.
At the end of the 4 days she said he could come home “but”…
He went to a Counsellor who told him it would take 18 months, and at the end of 11 years he was totally whole.
He said, you are not at the bottom till you stop blaming and let go of control.
Affection is the absence of performance.
Religion is all about performance.
My identity is in my relationship with Jesus.
My security is in the character of God.
We need to move from independence to relationship.
Jesus included us in his universe.
Trust is in knowing who God is and what He is like.
The fruit of the Spirit is the description of the Spirit.
While Paul was sharing his testimony, I for one, could hardly control not crying.
That about sums up what I wrote in notes and can remember.
Recommend all, including the skeptics, should get a copy of the book and read it, letting the Holy Spirit reveal the meaning.
Time to think outside of the programed mind sets we have been brought up in because of culture and traditions.