The Shack

I'm not sure how I learned about The Shack, but it is another great book that I read through in one day. It is fiction but filled with great theology. Mack, the main character, experiences a family tragedy that leaves him overwhelmed with "the great sadness". He is beckoned by God to the place of the crime and experiences personal interaction with the Trinity. The book renewed a longing in me to go to the dark places of my life to experience God more deeply. It also reminded me of God's love and goodness and the power of forgiveness and community. It's a remarkable book.

Another amazing thing about the book is that is was self published by a couple of former pastors who had a budget of $300. Now the book is listed in USA Today as a best selling book with 880,000 copies in print! They promoted it with an interactive website complete with promotional jpgs for our web posts and a blog. I think this may the be future of publishing. Self publishing and viral marketing may be the way to go for new authors.

Here's a CBN interview with the author, William Young.