A Couple of Thoughts about “The Shack”

1. I don’t know if you have noticed this or not, but we are living in a time when what is true is judged largely by its therapeutic value. If a thing makes us feel good, it must have merit, while if it makes us feel bad, we aren’t interested. People’s responses to The Shack are an apt illustration of this cultural trend. Whenever I am asked about the book, I usually respond by saying something like this: “Before I give you my opinion, I need to ask you an important question. Do you think that the picture of God painted by William Young is the same as the picture of God you get when you read the Bible? If not, what are the differences?” What has surprised me is how few people I spoke with had even considered that question. They usually point to how wonderful the book made them feel and leave it at that. But, isn’t the question I ask more important than the question of how the book made you feel? I am convinced that facing up to the real character and nature of God is far more valuable than just pretending he is something that I want him to be for the sake of my good feelings.

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The Fog of Worry

Dear Friends,
Have you ever driven in a fog so thick you couldn’t even see to the end of your vehicle? Even if it was midday, it felt like the blackest of night to you.

That is what worry is like. When we worry, it’s as if a curtain of fog is right in front of our face. All we see is the issue at hand and nothing else, making it impossible to move forward.

You might have gotten the following advice as too how to handle worry:

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Guatemala: Wrap-Up!

Well the team is back safe and sound in Abbotsford after departing Tizate at a crisp and brisk 4am Friday morning (Mar. 12).  The night before we hosted a bar-b-q with GSO for all the families who hosted us during our stay, and our drime/drama team performed 3…yes 3 drimes (kuddos guys for being so willing and available to minister!!) to approx. 50 people.  It was quite the unique time of meal prep, as a crew made homemade tortillas, and another crew prepped chicken, salsa and lemonade.  I had the daunting task of manning the charcoal barrel bar-b-q, and I think we set a new record of 3 hours to cook chicken…thank the Lord for Ana and Mari who came to the rescue mid-way through!

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Guatemala: Day 10

hola! me nombre is Tessa. I think some of you know me.

hey so me and my freaking awesome roommate, Valeria (aka. V-dawg, V-digs, V-swizzle, V-slice), were supposed to blog on Wednesday, but we thought we were set for Thursday. but by the team Thursday came around, we had 0 time to blog….there was a lot of packing and other things to do.

so some of you are probably asking why I’m blogging if our trip is over? well…I just felt like it. I thought I’d do some sort of summary or something about the trip. if nobody reads this, that’s fine. I just like to write things.

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Holding onto your empty cards?

Dear Friends,

Through the years I’ve been given quite a few Starbucks gift cards. I’m not a coffee drinker so I’ve been collecting them. Recently I started a mentoring relationship with another woman who loves coffee so we meet at … Starbucks.

Nowhere on the card, does it tell you how much it is worth. Even using it doesn’t really let you know either.

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