“The Wastefulness of Grace” (Paul Young & Ernie Johnson)
“The Wastefulness of Grace.” A simple phrase…yet anything but simple. Paul Young (William Young), author of The Shack, used this phrase while we were hanging out with him two nights ago, and it’s impact has not waned; in fact, it has only intensified. “The Wastefulness of Grace.” It’s true. God could very well be accused of wasting the most precious of gifts - grace - because of how foolishly He offers it to people that continue to turn away, people like me. But He does it anyway, because He loves, and therein lies all the explanation we have. It is not easily understood nor will it ever be…as Paul shared, we are just invited to partake. He said, “it’s taken me 50 years to learn about God’s love.” And his journey continues.
Videos With Paul Young (The Shack) & Ernie Johnson (NBA on TNT) Below…
We heard that Paul was in Atlanta traveling around speaking to different audiences and making himself available to meet people at multiple bookstores and sign their books. We called him after lunch this past Tuesday and left a message basically saying, “hey, can we get a picture with you and the Vanagon?” Within an hour Paul called us back and was excited to get together…and he gave us so much more than just a photo opportunity. The funny part came when he told me that a friend of his was going to be with him and wondered if he could bring him along. “Absolutely, who is your friend?” Paul replied, “Ernie Johnson. Do you know him?” Are you kidding? Yes, the NBA on TNT is a staple for many of the Catalyst Team members. Ernie was playing host to Paul and driving him around Atlanta…so Tuesday night we were invited to meet Paul Young and his driver, Ernie Johnson. 
Here is where it gets even funnier. The Vanagon is in the shop getting new speakers (thanks to JRD Tuning in Braselton, GA, our sponsor for ALL custom upgrades in the Vanagon) which meant that the only way we could have a true “Road Trip Rendezvous” would be to meet in the shop with the van, but we were not going to be able to get together till after 11PM. Niclas Jancic from JRD is the unsung hero as he gracioulsy stayed late and kept the shop open for us so we could meet.
Ernie Johnson and Paul Young obliged our request to ask a couple of question on camera, and because Paul will be speaking at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, October 8-11, we wanted to provide you with a brief introduction. Two videos follow - 1) An Introduction of Paul Young, and 2) A chance to hear from Ernie Johnson about how his friendship with Paul Young began as a result of the The Shack.
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Catalyst, it’s a pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Paul Young, author of The Shack…
“He doesn’t heal us so he can use us.
He heals us because He loves us, and then He invites us to play.”
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How The Shack Brought Ernie Johnson & Paul Young Together…
Filed under: ROADTRIP
A thought. What do you think of giving DR a copy of The Shack? Do you think he’s ready for it?
He uses us because He has healed us, and we love Him. We “play” because we are healed.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Eph. 2:10
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