If they lied about this, then maybe they're lying to me about the Bible and Jesus and God and everything else as well. You should be flatteredvery few writers get contacted by a publisher! I told all this because I want to ask you: How to react? Is he a noble pagan like the Church Fathers viewed Plato and Aristotle? The pastor said he gathered around youths paying tribute by lighting candles. Thank you for your writings. For Yancey, prayer involves listening as well as speakingand often the listening is the more important of the two. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. The next time I saw him he cried. The summer after my junior year of college, I led a small group in the fellowship I was a part of. The reviews and samples of your books I have read are very encouraging! Im grateful you took the time to write and I am thankful for the open discussion youre willing to have with all your readers. Stalekracker. I have just finished reading Where the Light Fell. Saul, well (I am expecting the religious here to go and spew scripture in my face by saying this and the reasons el al). If I received only this response after writing that book, it would have been worthwhile. 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. Bestselling author Philip Yancey, author of Where the Light Fell, recounts his unexpected path from strict fundamentalism to a life of compassion and grace. As for the rest. I felt I had been lied to. It has been recommended that I have the book professionally edited and I was wondering if I could ask you for a good editorial recommendation. as of now I am doing a book review of your The Jesus I never Knew as a requirement in one of my subject. This is the second time I have commented here. All this gets theoretical though, and doesnt help much when youre in the midst of the oppression. I must admit, it took several health issues to break me, and in my brokenness, I found meaning, and I found Jesus. Not to mention the disappointments I suffered in the Church in which I gathered. I think the reason why is that you both are unafraid to ask questions you dont have answers to. Yes, I know God is valid but I dont understand what is going on. As I now brave the writing world myself, you have been an influence and will continue to be. I didnt want anyone to think, I might think such a thing. dave, Phillip Yancey shows how DECEPTION takes place beginning with his New Age views that pushes a very non-Biblical view he offers to separation of Christian involvement in Kingdom of God Government! My husband and I have been fans of your writing even before we met each other. Or as you say later Are you envious because Im generous. Benny, I strongly recommend that you peruse the BioLogos website, an organization founded by Dr. Francis Collins, one of the premier scientists of our time (he directed the Human Genome Project and now heads the National Institutes of Health). Both are from the same web site, just different pages: http://necrometrics.com/gunsorxp.htm#XP At the time, I thought he was right. So many storms have hit since then, and I have learned how simple and how fragile my first faith really was. He told me not to seek volunteers from church groups. Philip. Anyway, I have wanted to contact you for a long time and just tell you the impact your writings have had on my life. A few weeks ago I saw the guide for sale on Amazon in Spanish, but have not been able to find it again. He is already on enough ballots to win or to take votes away from T and C so that the House can choose another. Thanks for introducing me to Shusaku Endo. It is truly life changing. He once said to me, There is something I do not understand, Richard. Religion blends easily with the Truth and Christ is eclipsed, Youve been prophetic on this issue for years, Frank. We must connect because weve traveled such similar paths. You are a great inspiration to me as I see marginalized people every day in court. Then he took his hands and laid them on her face. And when God did not answer our pray the way we wanted, it did not mean He leave us alone in our struggle. Meanwhile, Im simply grateful for the privilege of making a living by exploring what I would do anyway. Medearis is too busy now in Jordan (told him I understandtotally). Mackenzie Mully, You can reach me through this email:
[email protected]. So, what is the answer to communicate with God and Him with me I have even told God that I will be quiet and wait to hear from Him but to no avail. She didnt do that. Merely, I have ambiguous obedience which you have mentioned. Philip. Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. I am a middle-aged South African with a severe brain disability, but also a science degree (physics and computer programming). At first, let me introduce my self, Im Mariana from Indonesia, I have heard about you from my friend. The natural world is controlled by the Word through mathematics to the natural laws. Marilyn Phillips, Marilyn, I know the atonement is a befuddling, and sometimes contentious, issue these days. I knew this was truly the aim of all the rapid and miraculous growth, led by the Holy Spirit. Or shone a light towards the back exit. May the Lord bless and encourage you and keep teaching you amazing things! Phil tries to reassure me over and over that just faith that God is in control offers great comfort and peace. At first, I didnt want to grab the book because the book was thicker than I thought Shortly afterwards, my wifes grandmother had emergency surgery and began having difficulty recovering. Obviously youve given the subject a lot of thought, and Im glad you passed along some of your conclusions. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Through the years I have read and number of your books, and I appreciate your perspective in many areas of life and theology. Hi Dr. Yancey. What does one do when mercy seems to not exists? And we are mistreating it. I ran into Youth With a Mission again in 1979 while working for Barry Mc Guire and Rev Jean Darnell and a Team touring the UK. I explained that the depression had resulted from bullying by my own licensor, Threshold Ministries, as well as my own Anglican bishops, Alberta government officials and the Edmonton police. He is the only One who defines christianity. God bless you and keep on writing and reaching out to people like me. In 2009, I reported physical abuse at The Bethany Group, a long-term care facility in Camrose where I was the chaplain. But I dismissed it as an oddity. Brian wanted to know what I had done wrong to make Mr. Rasmus want to talk to me in private. My upcoming book is titled Caesar and the Sacraments.. If God had been seen in the last 500 years helping anyone, this statement has great power. Smith was not happy at this decision.he did not want me in church Army , he hated YWAM. You are one of those essential spiritual fathers for me like Lewis, and Chesterton, and Tim Keller. And actually, Im not very expressive facially myself, so Im glad that when I speak, not everyone in the audience responds like me. I dont remember the details, but I do remember that it was while reading that section of the book that I realized I wanted to be a writer. Wisely, you dont reveal what side youre on, because your question applies to both sides in this regrettable campaign. I went to a fundamental Church and sent my children there. After my conversation with Brian, Paul proceeded to tell me that the wardens had no confidence in me, that the prison management had no confidence in me, that the chaplaincy staff had no confidence in me and that the evaluation team had no confidence in me. Death swallowed up in victory is something only Jesus can do, and you point us to Him through it all. Havent I seen your name on my Facebook page a few times? When I complained about the lack of a contract to the director of Threshold Ministries, he fired me. Gods blessings to you! It has been too painful to read through the Old Testament myself (Ive been through the Bible a couple of times) anymore, so it helped that you did kind of a fast forward through the Old Testament. I myself am having trouble looking at my own condition and relating it to Gods love. An evaluation team from Ottawa, made up of federal regional chaplains and a member of the interfaith committee from CSC, came to visit the Edmonton Institution from November 23 25th, 2016. It starts with the story of Babots Feast that jolted me and years later I still think about it. Love and forgiveness and grace and mercy are so much more important to me than any miracle. Gah. Thank you for the encouragement. . I read your book where is God when it hurts, that was not too long after I lost my mother and faced severe persecution from my father. at a time I too was having many struggles with prayer; still am, but hopefully getting better. 1. It is safe to be that open and honest. 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. Its the abject smallness of the earth that gets you. Stuart Roosa, Apollo 14, We learned a lot about the Moon, but what we really learned was about the Earth. I am a student who is currently studying at a bible college in Australia. To the Newtown parents: More than anything I wanted to answer with authority, Yes! I am a great admirer and follower of your writing and teaching and your Grace Notes daily readings are an essential part of my day, as they have been for the last three years since I was first given the book. I know we are to forgive others and the reason we should forgive. Paul told me that his hatred for Barry was so strong that he had to take sick days because of it. How perfect that you are using Gods comfort for you to extend comfort to others (See 2 Corinthians 1). We really love your books. The man in charge is a police sergeant who for no apparent reason began to recount his story of miraculous recovery from terminal cancer. An English degree maybe? I prefer the term Jesus followers, keeping the focus on the one we follow. You were the first Christian writer who made room for a thinker like me. I kept hoping that by the last chapter you would say that Richard finally made peace with God and is walking with him (I didnt make the connection with your dedication at the front of the book). I deliberately do not take a position on many of the issues, although you can read some of my thoughts on the topic by clicking on the Q&A/Homosexuality button on this website. From that time until today, I was exposed to some many coincidences that I had to marvel and wonder at what was happening. I called Brian that afternoon to clear up the situation, telling him what my meeting with Mr. Rasmus had been about. Thank you very much. Shortly afterwards, a couch appeared in my office. Brenda Charrier. I co-pastor of a small rural congregation alongside my husband, and preparing for a sermon recently I picked up The Jesus I Never Knew just to see what you had to say about the Wedding at Cana and I realized that now that I am coming up on my 36th birthday, it is almost 20 years since I first read it. Brian Harder, the Bridges of Canada manager called to confront me about this, and got very upset and rude and to me. Anyway, just wanted to write to thank you for a breath of fresh air. His books have garnered 13 Gold Medallion Awards from Christian publishers and booksellers. Mr. Yancy, You may be thinking to visit in Austria. Im so glad you filled me in. I remember thinking, yeah, like that will help. Keep writing, I read each of them. Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2006. Then I thought it would be awesome if I ever get one chance to talk to Goethe, the man who died in 1832. Im 39 weeks pregnant and we decided to name our boy Ephraim Yancey in your honour. On April 1, 2022, the Wheaton College Alumni Association honored Philip Yancey M.A. Barry Rose struggle with Paul before me. So we find ourselves alone, a lot. You say that Jesus came full of grace and truth, and that, Weve done pretty well with the truth part. I know just the restaurant! I asked Brian Harder if all was well with me and Bridges of Canada, and he said Yes, no problems. Hi Philip, Thanks for the reply. While the customer support person was helping me he asked several questions about the book. Ive never understood the difference between Evangelical Christians and just plain Christians. I struggle with my faith in the exact same way that Richard did and I am very interested to know if he ever came back to faith. But the damage had been done for a life time . Its so yummy and life giving. I followed this direction, with help from friends. It humbles me to hear that my writings have been companions with you through this process, and I rejoice in the positive turn of events. I ve had a few challenges came to know Christ, personally as an adult, husband in prison, later he died of alcoholism, mental illness in my family, yet steadfast in my own life to earn a doctorate and am now associate professor emeritus at a large regional university. I was thrilled to be accepted, and proceeded with preparations to sell my home and to move to Winnipeg. Background I am studying communications and hoping to either fight for justice with the written word or through community engagement (at least partly inspired by the heroes I met while reading Soul Survivor as well as your other books and your blog). TWO: There are several editions on Amazon with the pink cover , pasture and fence. I met some of the characters you describe in my inner-city Chicago church, and some more in Deep South churches. And what if He doesnt judge us until we stand before him, and he asks us, Who do you say I am? Perhaps from the day we are born, He lovingly and patiently waits for us to see the light (or answer the phone). This is an ultimate proof of evolution. I think the burden we carry from being harmed by someone else (who is not repentant or wanting forgiveness) is between me and God to heal, to take away the bitterness and angerbecause I dont believe offering blanket forgiveness for the vilest of men is even sincere. They are passionate authors! Of course, I was present and took notes! My question is: what tradition or expression of the church do you worship in? The other day I watched a video where you talked to young students about one of your books Rumors from another world (I do not know if the translation will be correct), and I want to read more of your books as soon as I can buy more. In Gethsemane, he did not pray, "Thank you for this opportunity to suffer," but rather pled desperately for an escape. Its lonely. This is why I hope you find time to address this question. One will be desired to read more from your knowledge of write ups. Gift. I love your spirit. Ive stood at Ground Zero in Hiroshima. I have always been a regular reader of scripture but my goal was to improve my prayer life. Does that mean the disappearance of sins? P.S. You clearly reflect the grace and kindness of our Savior. My ladies small group have voted to read Disappointment With God this fall a unanimous vote, which may tell you that we are all struggling with this issue! Rob Barrett, Stay with the sunset. Your book In His Image (you wrote with Dr. Paul Brand) sits here on my desk as I try to wrap my mind around the Imago Dei and what it means to being the likeness of God. Philip. The problem today is the lack of truth in the church. English is not my native language. Pray for people of good will to reach out to their neighbors and friends. First the title in english means much more it is like when you have found something great and want all your neighbors to know I felt like the woman that lost that coin and then found it was the feeling I got with the english title that I couldnt get with the spanish one Spanish is my mother tongue now that I am reading it in the original language, I cant stop reading the book is making me realize that even though I was taught a lot about grace I wasnt really living under that grace and showing others that grace thanks for writing and reminding me about it I like that part that you far rather convey grace thank explain grace I pray I can convey grace too, Ive always wondered about that title in Spanish (my wife grew up in Colombia and Peru). Many more conservative believers have long maintained that such things were not possible.