Speaking Volumes

 This past week found me reading two books that have been really hot titles. They seemed to be everywhere I turned, best seller lists, book discussion sites, blogs, and talk shows. I finally decided I had to see first hand what all the hype was about. What follows is more summation than review as both books became personal journeys for me.  I leave you to form your own opinion.

The Shack by William P. Young

Children are supposed to outlive their parents. Children are not supposed to die. When this natural course of life is changed, the effects are devastating. It is awful enough when a child dies from an illness or accident but when a child is murdered, faith is tested to the limits. In The Shack, Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, is kidnapped and murdered while the she is vacationing with her family. Part of the horror and guilt her father feels is that he was saving the life of one child, while the other was taken. Missy's lifeless body is found in a shack, deep in the woods in Colorado. Mack finds himself questioning his faith in God. What kind of merciful God would let something as horrid as this happen? Four years after her death, Mack is still struggling with these questions and is not able to shake his saddened state of mind. In his mail box, he finds an invitational. Someone, who is passing himself off as God is inviting him to come back to the shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment, Mack decides to to accept the invitation to see what is wanted of him.

What transpires at the shack on this weekend is an interesting look at religion and how we perceive faith. I am not suggesting that you must read this book though it did give me much to think about. It is a book you need to choose yourself. Perhaps you'll read it because you're curious about the premise, or maybe you'll read a review that will draw you in, or perhaps your spirit will need a boost and you'll find your way to this title. Some people have found it has changed their lives, others have found it to be a tear-jerker or a page-turner. You be the judge. It'll be here if and when you'd like to read it.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (1960-2008)

The last lecture is known in alumni circles as a talk by professors in which they contemplate their own demise and sum up what was most important about their lives . This is what was expected of Randy Pausch when he was asked to give his last lecture at his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon. What made his last lecture different is that Randy was actually dying. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and just found out that he had 11 metastasized tumors and not long to live. He could back out of the lecture, who'd blame him? In trying to decide whether he should forge on with plans to do the talk, Randy examines his motivation. Is it vanity, a lime-light lover's need to show-off, or a way to prove the lion can still roar. All are true but there is also his dignity and self esteem to consider. And in the back of his mind, he sees it as leaving something of himself, a way for his being to continue and a way for his children to know the man they will grow up without.

The lecture Randy gave was “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”. It