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When the annual year-end lists of best selling books came out, I was thrilled to see that The Shack was still on there. I have written about the transforming power of this book in the past. I have given this book to many of my family members and urged them to read it. Most of them agreed that Willie Young's writing is powerful and each of them had a story to tell. I think that is what marks good fiction or writing of any kind. Once you have finished reading the book, it makes you continue to think. It makes you react. Hopefully The Shack is bringing more people to the Holy Trinity. With over 10 million books in print, it is apparent that Willie is bringing the Lord to a lot of people. I was also excited to see that the beatification of Pope John Paul II will take place on May 1. As you probably know, this is the last step before possibly having John Paul II declared a saint. What was really interesting was how excited Pope Benedict XVI was when he made the announcement. As someone who lived through the entire period of John Paul's leadership, I can say that his ascension cannot come fast enough. He was the face of God throughout his time on earth. His personal example left little doubt that he was definitely listening to God each and every day. I pray that God sends us more saintly examples like John Paul II and that more people accept the mantle of being Christ-centered in a world that is hurting and searching.

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