Can't wait for the movie...

[AnaFigueira]

I am AnaFigueira and live in Switzerland. I have read The Shack a few times (in different languages) and listened to it a lot (in English) and am glad that I only have to wait about 10 more days for the movie to finally be released in Switzerland where I live for the time being.

What strikes me most is the tenderness of Papa, Jesus and Sarayu towards Mack - the way they never make him feel "less" for needing food, sleep... the way they enjoy sharing meals with him, listening to him, spending time with him, enjoying him... Gandalf is one of my favourite figures in the Lord of the Rings (Aragorn being THE favourite one) and yet I am glad that Papa "mixes metaphors" and shows herself to Mack as a woman... I have heard people say (and they live it) that God is male hence males are more like God than women and have the right and probably even duty to boss around women so it's healing to me... Most pepole would agree that God is neither male nor female but so often exclusively male images and words and pronouns are used... a nice change!

So that's my introduction - if you want to know more, just ask - and provide coffee as Papa does in The Shack - cookies are optional, coffee is not

[Doggie]

Pours three cups of coffee, for God, AnaFigueira, and me. Places a plate of chocolate chip cookies out. My husband made them last night.

Isn't it interesting how some people take different parts of the bible and use it to control others, totally ignoring other parts.
I'm really glad you are going to be able to see the movie soon. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Welcome to our community. I have found a lot of love here and been able to continue my healing in a safe friendly, non judgemental, group people.

[Arus]

Hello AnnaFigueira, welcome to the forum! Switzerland hmmm? You lucky girl! What a beautiful country!

You only have days left for the movie, while I have months! No fair, LOL! I have no doubt that you are going to love it!

[AnaFigueira]

Dear Doggie,
thank you for the coffee and the cookies - nothing beats chocolate chips (well, maybe triple chocolate or something along these lines). Yeah, a safe, friendly and NON_judgemental group is to be treasured...
Dear Arus,
your avatar cat looks kind of fierce... yeah, Switzerland is beautiful but when I was in South Africa (twice) in fell in love with its beauty... living there probably is different from just visiting, but then the same thing can be said about Switzerland.
Figueira is the Portuguese word for a fig tree and I chose it because of a song based on Habakuk - Even when the fig tree does not blossom... yet I will find joy in God... the lyrics include bits about one's friends betraying and one's parents deserting and finding refuge and salvation in God's arms - rather Shackesque (I like that word a friend of Brad's used on Facebook)
Ana means grace... that's derived from the name my human parents gave me (most likely without knowing what it means) - it's also the international form, not only Brazilian but also Eastern European... in daily live I mostly go by Ann, but here in Switzerland many find the English pronunciation vexing - but English happens to be the language of my heart and I am seizing every opportunity to use it...

[Courageous]

Greetings Ana! Your english is beautifully written (though you might want to edit the second line of your previous post lol ! )

I really enjoyed reading about your experience reading The Shack. One of my greatest memories of my experience reading The Shack is, for the first time in my life, FEELING His Love for me and that He not only has time for me but that He WANTS to spend time with me, BE with me...always. I remember feeling so intensely Loved and that He wasn't going to leave.

Regarding the gender of God. I have my own very simplistic take on this. First, I must agree with Colleen (doggie) on the frustration of taking some parts of His Love Letter and ignoring other parts. I think God did best with what He had to work with on our behalf ... i.e., OUR written word and our small, limited minds. He had use language that WE could "work with" if that makes sense. And of course, leave it to "man" to twist and abuse just about anything to accomplish their own incendiary agendas.

Nice meeting you Ana!

[Courageous]

Greetings Ana! Your english is beautifully written (though you might want to edit the second line of your previous post lol ! )

I really enjoyed reading about your experience reading The Shack. One of my greatest memories of my experience reading The Shack is, for the first time in my life, FEELING His Love for me and that He not only has time for me but that He WANTS to spend time with me, BE with me...always. I remember feeling so intensely Loved and that He wasn't going to leave.

Regarding the gender of God. I have my own very simplistic take on this. First, I must agree with Colleen (doggie) on the frustration of taking some parts of His Love Letter and ignoring other parts. I think God did best with what He had to work with on our behalf ... i.e., OUR written word and our small, limited minds. He had to use written language that WE could "work with" if that makes sense. And of course, leave it to "man" to twist and abuse just about anything to accomplish their own incendiary agendas.

Nice meeting you Ana!

[AnaFigueira]

Thank you very much Courageous - have amended my second line... I guess judgemental communities are much more common than NON_judgemental ones but the latter are to be treasured when found...

I always felt/was made to feel like a burden to my parents - kids cost money, kids use a lot of energy and create a lot of work... once I pointed out to my mother that I did not ask to be born and was beaten for that comment... So to read about the great lengths Papa goes to make Mack feel at home, providing not just "the bare necessities" but a feast of food and drink and beauty... Jesus taking time to do things Mack enjoys (Star gazing) and allowing Mack to share in something I always wanted to do but so far never got to (walk on water...) and Sarayu including Mack in her gardening, doing the hard and difficult bits but still valuing sharing the experience with him... such a different way of parenting, of caring, of not exploiting the weakness of the other... the "walk on water" scene seems to be different in the movie but what I saw so far in trailers and documentaries comes close to what I imagine spending time with Jesus to be like... an elder brother who protects and invites and challenges and SMILES a lot... nice!

It's evening here and I had a rather intense day, teaching a new student for the first time... but it's nice to "talk" to someone while eating my microwaved pasta

Greetings to the land of flamingoes,
Ana

[Arus]

when I was in South Africa (twice) in fell in love with its beauty... living there probably is different from just visiting, but then the same thing can be said about Switzerland.

Where did you go when you visited here? By the way, my name is Peni

I'm sorry you were made to feel that way as a child, that's not nice. What is your relationship like with them now?

We also had pasta tonight

[AnaFigueira]

Once I flew to CapeTown and then we drove to Lesotho (where my friends lived at the time) via the Garden Route) - at the end of my stay we drove to Johannesburg (where my friend's aunt lives) and I flew back from there. The other time I spent less time in South Africa, flying on to Maseru and back from Maseru but taking some shorter trips to (if I remember correctly) Bloemfountain and PieterMariztburg (hope the spelling is not too far off, it's been some time... I fondly remember the different protea flowers, the colour of the red earth and the fact that the moon is "mirror-inverted" on the sky...

Well, my mother no longer lives - in the end it was I who cared for and nurtured her... by then other people (and Papa) had filled part of the void in my life... my "father" still lives and I take care of him to a certain degree but he's got a symbiotic relationship with my younger sister (had for a long time) and I am getting at protecting myself while still "honoring" him... I guess once he's gone things will change, no more "obligation" to stay in Switzerland and co-operate to a certain degree with my "siblings" (there is a brother, too) - but for the time being I am here and trying to take day at a time, thankful that I have another family that is closer to the way family was meant to be, people who love me and not just see me as useful...

Have a nice evening, Peni - time for me to go to bed, spent a long time yesterday making my avatar and now I am very tired (normally I go to bed around ten but it was midnight once I had managed so shrink my dandelion picture to the required size)

[Arus]

You got to see the most beautiful part of South Africa, the Garden Route! And Cape Town, of course, lol. I am in a little town 70km from Cape Town. Our Protea's are gorgeous, aren't they! Oh, and your spelling was not far off, well done!

Family can be a nightmare, I know! It's great that you have another family who treat you better.

Have a good sleep, and a lovely day tomorrow!