Christian Book Award Winner, ECPA, US, 1992. The fishermen Jesus picked were not chosen for their proud theology, Christ ignored the learned Pharisees spiritually esteemed in His day or to Spring Harvest?? PS as a fellow Coloradan enjoyed your post on elk mating season this morning. What Ive learned, though, is that the more specific and detailed I write, it summons up responses in others who had parallel experiences, though not the same. I think part of his issue was gimme prayers rather than be with me prayers. Anyway, the new city on earth wont need the sun (Rev 21:23) since God will provide the light. I grew up during the 60s and 70s, and was very much influenced by the civil rights movement, the peace movement (during Viet Nam), and environmental causes. Phil told me that he considered Don Westman to be a cruel person, that Don would make inmates stand outside in the freezing cold in winter for long periods of time while wearing just t-shirts and jeans. Always has, always will. For weeks, social media were all over it. Many of the victims families comment, I have forgiven him in an expression of closure, or some other Christian-like behavior. We have had this discussion about Christianity when you came to Dubai a few years back! Philip. In the midst of whats going on in America right now, what encouragement can the Gospel offer to a black person thats wondering how long God is going to sit back and watch injustice unfold? I wonder if God is still really there. Your father would have been so proud." Im a Jesus lover and freak with a faith that doesnt make sense of why i have such an unbreakable faith. Im afraid its not mine, David. Man, were those prophets angry! God bless you! Dear Philip. I could certainly resonate with a lot of the things you experienced, but not the pain that you shared so poignantly. Around this time I warned the Edmonton Alberta Diocese and the priest at St. Stephens Church in Edmonton not to let Christopher Lance Neal work with youth in the poor part of the city, as he had a history of sexually abusing them. We both are graduates of the counseling graduate program that CCU hosted under Dr. Larry Crabb and Dr. Dan Allender in the early 1990s. Here in Pakistan there are millions of Christians who needs to read biblical material but most of them were not able to go to English medium schools because Christians in Pakistan are poor. Here it is: Over the past several months, I have read four books dealing with similar topics: yours (Soul Survivor), Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible, Mouw (The Smell of Sawdust), and Carpenter, History of Fundamentalism in the 30s and 40s. Beyond that writers psychosis you were dead-on in describing, the truth is a huge part of me loves it. Youve have a profound influence on countless numbers of readers. Great to touch base with you. She treated me so badly that after 3 months of hell I finally ran away and headed back to Canada, she called every christian organization along the greyhound route to Canada and warned them about me a gay . He was there for me when I was that child, teen, young adult and now. U taught me that. My self-confidence or esteem has bottomed out. You have made my journey of faith much less lonely. Ive had some discussion about youth and childrens books. He's become a skeptic, constantly on the faculty's prayer list. There are a couple of clarifications, though. Your writing has helped me through tough times and I cannot thank you enough! It was just thoughts like we all have attraction thoughts towards other people male or female from time to time. Everything was in chaos. Brand, and Hodder & Stoughton will publish them this coming fall under the title (I think) Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing Gods Image. I have believed in evolution since childhood, grudgingly, but it made no difference, I was always a believer in God. I was deeply moved and encouraged by these books and grateful thanking God for the profound and challenging thoughts I have read. So I start to read Where is God when it Hurts? This year is the tenth anniversary of my accident, and your prayers have been answeredin reverse! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may be rich in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). How blessed I am to live in this era that it was possible for me to at least express how much I appreciate your works and how much I love you as an author. Thanks! Nothing came of it. I especially appreciate your concern for Richard. Philip. Something completely random and yet connected happened to me in the same week that Spilsby took my couch. Hi Philip, Thanks for the reply. i understand your argument against that vote but what is the alternative? Hi, Mr. Yancey . Heather. No lasting effects, other than a sore neck now and then after sleeping. My lovely wife does not attend church with me, or share in regular bible reading, but she does believe in God. Im sure you thought the true church would react by going back to works. Her mussle was tickened-stiff and blocked the joint, so she could not move the way normal people move. He makes me think. After talking with Brian, I called the Institution and spoke to Acting AWI Matt James, asking him if my life was in danger at the Institution. Have a great day. Your books have helped me so much. We live on an invaded planet, and trust that God plans restoration someday. But I wanted to read Prayer as slow as I could, basically decompose every context in the book. Religion blends easily with the Truth and Christ is eclipsed, Youve been prophetic on this issue for years, Frank. Natural Health, May 1, 1994, Ben Brooks, review of Pain, p. 145. 2. My credit record is horrendous. Finally, I decided theres no way to reconcile the linear, time-bound perspective of a human being with the eternal, timeless perspective of God, for whom our causation questions make little sense. I really think youre a great writer. Hello Mr. Yancey, Can you tell me if A Skeptics Guide to Faith is identical to Rumors of Another Worldor have you edited and updated it in some way? Let me read you some promises from the Bible. Again, Im dumbfounded. Your Forward is so thoughtful and well done. God Bless! I love the way Philip Yancey explains this in his book Whats So Amazing About Grace. Your definition There is nothing we can do to make God love us more,.less Really resonated with me. I also plan on emailing you further with a few highlights. Gah. If I recall correctly, I wrote a paper on the kingdom of God which received positive feedback. I am a 42 year old mother who was raised in the church. Thank you so much for your time. If we receive all good things from God, it is hard to see what God receives from us. Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2001. . . Philip. what truth is? I remembered how human you were in your books and how your writing established a template that allowed room for my brain, for my soul, for my poetic thrashings. I read most of your books and watched youtube videos as well. Instead of worshipper I became a critic. One day Paul told me, You were involved in homosexual acts. I am sitting enjoying the sunset over Purgatory Lake with 2 of my favorite things: Rumors of Another World and Punch Neapolitan Pizza. So my final and dangerous calling has been to publish a book that allows Christians of all denominations to gain a close and personal look at the dreadful and unmerited suffering that continues to be imposed upon believers supporting same-sex marriages. I think it was something like: Oh my God, are you there? Thank you so much for writing wonderful books for Biblical literature readers. This woman was theologically and politically astute, challenging Jesus as to where the centre of worship was, aware of the conflict between Samaritans and Jews. I am so glad I was able to represent my Saviour, my God, on Wall St that day. You were endeavoring to point to Gods love and care for his children. A class in writing here and there can help, yes, though I wouldnt necessarily plunge into an English degree; these days what you learn in university doesnt always translate easily into popular communication. Would you please expand on this or tell me where I can find the direct or indirect Biblical answers to this? But so many of us prayed and then (I believe) God gave us a new candidate McMullin was asked to run at last minute, he is not a power-grabber. And Im writing a memoir which tells my very similar story. This came at a good time to encourage me. Thank you for your life and all the struggles you went through. Upon arrival in Grand Junction Colorado on the grey hound bus,I called Janice Green (YWAM UK -Lynn Greens mother)the Base leaders mother in law as instructed , she said I could sleep on the street for the night and go without food ,she had no intention of picking me up. A number of Yancey's books have been bestsellers in the Christian market, and a fewincluding The Jesus I Never Knew and What's So Amazing about Grace?have sold well enough to find places on the mainstream bestseller lists. It would make such an awesome gift for children and friends whose interactions with the church have left a bad taste in their mouth. Anyhow, it would be interesting if you were to write a blog on this topic. Rather, keep searching, and try to look at church not just as a place to nourish you, but one where you can nourish others. Youve shown me both pain and Gods goodness. Since becoming a Canadian citizen 38 years ago pledged to stand up for what is right, to uphold the law of this country. Then you feel betrayed." I found out from AWI Brad Sass that things had gotten so bad between Paul and Barry that a mediator had to be brought in. I know that hurts deeply: grief is where love and pain converge. Im still trying to work this out and would love to have your thoughts on this complicated topic. Thank you for writing books that have more than not challenged my perspectives, and if not, have spoken assuring words to bolster my faith. I am considering borrowing material from your book for one of the sessions. The Old Testaments virtual silence on lesbianism and the fact that Jesuss statements against divorce were about men divorcing women, not the other way around, are just a few of the examples that reinforce this fact. I am still speechless in the face of evil. How Chinese traditional ways contrast distinctly with the Western is how it recognises empathy driven parenting absent discipline and obedience to Sacred Authority, whatever the intention, ends up creating miserable narcissists that refuse to recognise inherited duties. They tried to cast out homosexual demons, and I was told I was rebellious and so on. My first permanent duty station was in Frankfurt, Germany and at that time I joined an Anglican Church. That same day, on Wall St, so many people said to me that I was the first Christian they had ever met a Christian who wasnt right-wing and intolerant, etc. If I understand the poem and my experience correctly, it seems the lesson for me is to relax, to trust God, to stay in the moment and to focus on what I can do to help and make things better, especially for someone else. + Reaching For The Invisible God Thank you and enjoy your Bible and mountains! You are putting into actual practice what I write about. Your comments very well worth reading. I was well aware of my sins from a very young age. You made me think more deeper about the world and the humanity. You will see me more because there are questions I really want to ask you and Signed Stuck, Dear Stuck, I am hesitant to answer because the Internet has changed the rules and the game. Yancey suffered a broken neck in a motor vehicle accident in February 2007 but recovered. Yes, I think a lot of it has to do with us humans relating to an invisible God. I found a copy of your The Jesus I Never Knew at a local book giveaway recently, I felt the need to find a way to thank you for writing it. I was baptized into that church two weeks later. So, how can I be expected to forgive, as a Christian, anyone who causes me harm and is not seeking forgiveness? It was widely known that Don Westman, a Corrections Officer at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre (FSCC), made a habit of watching women prisoners through the camera in segregation as they sat on the toilet. I admire some things about John Calvin, strongly object to others (e.g., his treatment of dissenters), and have real questions about some of his doctrines, such as Limited Atonement. I think He is amused. Philip. I am constantly baffled by opinions I hear Christians say and by the state of the church vis--vis a suffering world. Thats my story, or at least a bit of it. The Methodist Church is discussing Gay marriage, and I know that there is a notion to say yes to it as other denominations have here. + Disappointment With God For the past 6 years, I have prayed for them every day and still come home to a completely non-Christian family (with the exclusion of my now-spouse, which is a tremendous blessing). This morning time, he says, helps him align himself with God for the day. I continued to serve those under my care and enhanced the chaplaincy services there [4]. I admit I dont know how to pray but want to learn as the disciples wanted Jesus to teach them to pray. Brennan Manning says that 183 times someone asked Jesus a direct question and only 3 times did he give a direct answer. Back in 2007, I decided to put myself out there and finally answer what I believed to be Gods call on my life to be a worship pastor. Yancey is somehow able to keep both sides together and talking." I would like to know if the brother would have any more books to recommend me, or any tips on passages that would be a good starting point to study more about the subject. One of the places I start off is to see what youve been up to lately, and expand my search from there. I now understand that when I am weak, I am strong (in Him, not in myself, my possessions, what people think of or admire about me, etc.) Loved it. . PLEASE?! Speaking English is so much more easy than writing! Really amazing! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I have just finished reading Where the Light Fell. We forgive others because He forgave us. Vanishing grace imacted me in a way it is hard to explain all histories inside the book, all thoughts on it every word of it impacted me a lot. Why would God allow it? Jesus never left my side and you helped me see and understand that. What Makes a Church Toxic? Upon their arrival, the team met with us in the chapel. I grew up in an ultra-conservative (cult) christian church. One time Paul also deliberately scheduled his own services to interfere with my own, after a mutually agreeable schedule had already been agreed upon in writing [25] [26]. I told him all was okay, but he did not seem satisfied; he was fishing for something. What it has done however is to help me understand my host culture and community much better, the specific inheritances of what it means to be White that is never openly discussed, and those Westernised like myself absorb without awareness. Brad expressed his sorrow over what had happened to me. As an Anglican priest and a Canadian citizen with German and British roots, I have a deep respect and admiration for Queen Elizabeth II. I know thousands of Southern Baptists and none fits the Elmer Gantry or Mitchners preacher in Hawaii in the slightest. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. We all have them and only in Jesus can we find real hope and life. I will not mention what religion I was raised, nor the denomination of my friends church because it is not about the religion it truly is about our relationship with Him! Snowy and Oliver were both shocked to hear about my dismissal, and Oliver said that it would be totally out of character for me for me to blow up at an inmate. Last night I finished Whats so Amazing about Grace. On his throbbing face I could see his smile of hope as he said goodbye to the attendant. He lives in Evergreen, Colorado. Anyway, I know I am preaching to the choir, but it feels good to get some of these things off my chest. The dream of Nelson Mandela is still only halfway fulfilled. I used to struggle with it too. Another book of yours thats a favorite is Soul Survivor its made me hungry to keep learning and reading. I have been encouraged to practice my faith like I would practice an instrument, and in all things to trust a God who revealed himself as Jesus Christ. I prayer thanks for you and your gift and am glad that you hear His whisper. Keep up the good work.. Religion: Protestant. Rabbi Ari was shocked that Paul had refused to pass on his Hanukkah items to the Jewish prisoners. I never heard any more about the envelope incident from Matt, nor did I see any report written up about it. I first read, Whats So Amazing About Grace? in 2017 and it has become my annual must-read. I am trying new churches, but I often feel a bit of a loner. The updated version of Fearfully and Wonderfully was great. Chiara Lubich gave me huge insight into how to live my life and she has and is still a huge inspiration to me however, God is great, because your book somehow showed me what we all need and that we are surrounded by grace and are surprised by grace. One thing that occurred to me (probably way too simplistic, but . How can Christians apply what I suggested some years ago in a new cultural and political context? I was conflicted by the contradiction between what I was hearing and what I was experiencing, so I put up my hand and asked Deputy Warden Belinda if I could make a comment. Smith was not happy at this decision.he did not want me in church Army , he hated YWAM. I am happy to have found your website and have signed up to receive your mailings. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Philip Yancey. Westman was never charged. I have hope that this process for me will result in a strengthened and more vibrant faith. I also warned my Bishop that the Anglican priest of my own church was molesting young boys. Some others, both living and dead: Jurgen Moltmann, a contemporary German theologian; Millard Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity; John Perkins, who pioneers racial reconciliation; Ron Nikkel, who took Prison Fellowship to more than 100 countries; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia. Ring the bells that still can ring. I would encourage you to explore that avenue. No misunderstanding Brand so is that the next book we will be able to read? When I complained about the lack of a contract to the director of Threshold Ministries, he fired me. That they respond to you is proof that you are following in his steps. But the rest of the Bible sometimes leaves me wondering what the truth really is; or perhaps what certain doctrinal beliefs have to say. It was you and your book that reminded me that mourning and dancing could touch each other; and they actually embraced each other in my life. She went to check the mail and told me a book I ordered had come in. Any suggestions? I have a copy that is always in my carry-on and I read it and re-read it over and over, always moved to tears as I zoom my way through. My Dad was a devoted Christian and he never committed the crime he was accused. He lived for almost 15 years. Dear Brother Philip, He immediately calmed down. A few weeks ago I saw the guide for sale on Amazon in Spanish, but have not been able to find it again. But the reasoning of some of the evangelicals became a little bit more clear and understandable once I did some reading. Would you be willing to provide a Top Ten List of films you recommend faith based or others. We trusted God for everything, was faithful and active in Church, praying and tithing. West bow Press. Re: When Mourning and Dancing touch each other. I have a business in Minneapolis that affords me the time and funds to spend a good deal of my time in recent years in homeless ministry. I am sorry I didnt see that before I commented. Therefore, there was no Creation , Eden, Adam and Eve, Fall of Man, Noahs Ark, or Tower of Babel. I would cry out but my pain has robbed me of the energy. Reaching is one of my most personal books, and I feel that weve connected on a deep level. Please dont feel that you must do anything special or just right to capture Gods attention. At the meeting, the Warden asked Paul to speak first, even though I had been the victim. I have changed quite a bit since then. I am an attorney and father of 6- just wondering.In Christ,Peter. Whosoever has not sinned, people! Thank you for sharing your wisdom with all of us. Your books with Dr. Paul Brand have changed my life. Hi Mr. Yancey, Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Hi Philip, Im a missionary in Latin America, Biology teacher/school administrator, and have greatly grown through your books. Im going to send the devotional I wrote, but I do not know what the translation will be because Ill use google translator.
