John Mark Hicks

[My book Meeting God at the Shack, from which some of the following is derived, is now available on Kindle.] May 21-22 are significant anniversaries for me; I’ve learned to forgive God.  They are the death of my son Joshua and the anniversary of my first marriage to Sheila. “To forgive God” is a difficult expression and it […]

Since the publication of William Young’s book The Shack in the light of my own personal journey into the world of spiritual recovery (which I experienced in 2008).  I found much in Young’s novel that paralleled my own experience. It is now available on Amazon entitled:  Meeting God at the Shack: A Journey into Spiritual Recovery. For […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] One of the most striking features of Young’s parable is his depiction of the Father. This has occasioned criticism at several levels. Is it idolatry to portray the Father in such a manner? Does the female metaphor undermine the biblical image of the Father? Admittedly, […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] If you are interested in a pastoral review of The Shack, that five part series begins here. While some have perhaps read The Shack as an actual account, the title page clearly identifies the piece as a “novel.” This is a fictional story. Young himself […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] I now come to the third theme in The Shack that I find both emotionally and theologically compelling. The first theme is God’s total delight in and fondness for his children no matter what their shacks look like.  The second theme is that trusting in God’s goodness and loving purposes […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] The first time I encountered the phrase “The Great Sadness” in The Shack it immediately resonated with me.  I knew exactly what my own “Great Sadness” was though I did not as yet know what Mack’s was or what Young’s own personal sadness was. Grief Renders […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] “Triune Shine”….what is that?  Ok, I admit it is my own invention.  But hear me out, ok? Many who have attended a 12-Step group for any length of time have heard about the “shine.”  It might be an “AA shine,” or an SA, NA, OA, […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] “Mackenzie, It’s been a while. I’ve missed you. I’ll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together there. –Papa” God invited Mack to the shack (p. 16). His first gut feeling was nausea but it quickly turned to anger. He had […]

[My book on the Shack is now available on Kindle.] William P. Young’s The Shack became a national bestseller in 2008. It touched the hearts of many and generated hostile theological disagreement from others. I read the book last January.  Moved to tears several times, I was emotionally and intellectually engaged by Young’s storytelling.  This modern parable […]