The Shack Series - Chapter 18
Hungering for Home

Day 1 In chapter 18, Mack begins his awakening back in his former 
life. He is recovering from a wreck that left him in a coma. On page 
242 Mack conveys a message from Papa to Willie: "Tell Willie that I 
am especially fond of him." Why do you think that strikes Willie so 
profoundly and so personally? Will that be one of the book's most 
cherished messages for you? If you listed the top three messages 
that have struck you while reading, what would they be? What 
scriptures if any support those messages?

Day 2 In the middle of page 243, Nan credits the surprise of Mack's 
new transparency "to the trama and the morphine." What would you 
credit it to specifically? What wins Nan over to becoming a believer in 
Mack's tale? Are you a solid argument for the faith you profess? Why 
or why not? Do you have the power mentioned in Acts 1:8? How do 
others most often see it in you?

Day 3 Can you say with Willie in the After Words, "Mack's story 
changed me?" Before the memory fades, list some of those changes? 
The apostle John shared his story with the historical Jesus. What did 
he long to come from the reading of it according to John 20:30-31? 
What do you think William P. Young would say his purpose in writing 
was?

Day 4 Willie says of Mack, "he a human being that continues through 
a process of change, like the rest of us. Only he welcomes it, while I 
tend to resist it."? What do you suppose Willie is talking about? Are 
you more like Willie or Mack in your posture toward the process of 
change God is working in your life? Read the short verse by Elizabeth 
Barrett Browning that concludes the book - and share with God 
which legacy you want to describe your life from now on.a barefoot 
beholder or a blackberry plucker. Which is Philippians 2:12-18 
describing? With whom will you share your "barefoot" moments?

Day 5 Michael Youseff, a leading critic of "The Shack" quotes one of 
the concluding lines of the book as an example of heresy. It reads, 
"And one day, when all is revealed, every one of us will bow our knee 
and confess in the power of Sarayu that Jesus is the Lord of all 
Creation, to the glory of Papa." Is that not congruent with the Biblical 
statement in Philippians 2:9-11? Who do you know who is "hungering 
for reconciliation and a place to call home" (p. 248)? Have you 
thought about giving them a copy of "The Shack" and discussing their 
reactions? What do you think is meant by "a place to call home?" 
Have you found such a place? What place of belonging is Paul 
talking about in Ephesians 2:19-22? Have you found a church? What 
are you looking for in a church to which you can confidently belong 
and invite others home? What does "belonging" include for you?