Im basically alone 24/7. at a time I too was having many struggles with prayer; still am, but hopefully getting better. My movements were monitored and restriced to a few feet. What a thoughtful, honest expression. So, until we meet, thank-you for your work and may the Lord keep blessing you. As the Bible said, Therefore, I tell you her many sins have been forgivenfor she loved much. I thought, At last something will change for the better. On Friday, February 10th, 2017, Brian Harder called me at my home and told me not to go to work that day, for security reasons. Having himself undergone crises of faith, Yancey understands the varying degrees of belief amongst his readers, and he challenges Christians to become less judgmental and more childlike in their faith. Gratefully, Philip, For the first time in my 40 uears as a Christian, I am able to give Christian books to non-Christians. This little girl spent the day helping the little boys get ready by cleaning them up, combing their hair, and wondering which one would be adopted by this American couple. Actually, I kept going with the question you mention and wrote a book titled What Good Is God? I laugh, because I used to not believe in the glory signs like gold dust and things that happen, but one night, I was sitting, praying, telling God that I hated Him and I had gold dust show up all over my hands and I know that I cant explain it to my friends that God knows the difference between when one of His kids really hates Him and when they are in such pain that they need Him. But it was mostly your writings that got me through this period of several years. I wrote of this briefly at the end of Disappointment with God. My prayer is that the Lord fashion a way for us to meet during our ministry tour. In the 4th chapter of Genesis it says:Tubalcain was an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron. From archaeologists in the Levant, the Bronze age ended 1500 B.C. I liked that. Standing My Ground and Attempts at Reconciliation But when it came time for me to return,they ignored my plea and left me stranded in the USA with no money and no place to go,the British and German Embassy would not help me. When I wrote the book, Bill Clinton was in office, and now its Donald Trump. 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? Thank you for expressing things which have always made me feel awkwardand never a real Christians. Philip. He was in a panic to know what it was about, not wanting an issue to suddenly blow up in his face. As for the extravagant promises on prayer, along with C. S. Lewis I do see some of these as given to Jesus disciples, who became the apostles, and who had certain powers specific to their calling and time. How hypocritical it seemed that these Christian leaders would support him. Hello Philip, Would you consider coming to Oklahoma City? This evaluation confirmed that I was of sound mental health and that I had a keen sense of morality and a right versus wrong. The problem is finding the right fire! In short, Im a true fan of your work and I hope you continue to write. Two of his books have won the ECPA's Christian Book of the Year Award: The Jesus I Never Knew in 1996, and What's So Amazing About Grace? Never occurred to me. Even so I accepted Jesus as my Saviour at about 7 yrs old. If you can make room for one more book on your shelf, that one may answer your question about church. Very rich (and her daughter was murdered). I dont want to miss this opportunity to write to you to tell you how awesome it has been to read your writings. And CSC head Chaplain Chris Carr said nothing. I considered not commenting, but I just gotta be me. I see no sign of a moral failure and feel this feisty woman has been given very unfair bad press by the church. I havent read much of Spong, but Borg was helpful in researching The Jesus I Never Knew, and Brian McLaren is a friend and a favorite of mine. When he received the card letting him know a tree had been planted in his mothers memory in the Holy Land, Paul became enraged and blew up at me, shouting very loudly, Israel belongs to the Palestinians, not the Jews!. Pray for people of good will to reach out to their neighbors and friends. I saw that you are on the schedule to speak this semester during our chapel. Ive found that small groups at church canor, to be honest, cannotbe a good place to look for compatible friends. Nunnally, a professor of Hebrew and early Judaism made this statement. Naturally, I defended Rabbi Ari. However, Yancey was fortunate and did not. Im a Jesus lover and freak with a faith that doesnt make sense of why i have such an unbreakable faith. Though that book was written in the 90s, not much about it is dated, and what you write about the relationship between humans and God is as fresh as it gets. At the time I was worshiping at a conservative Baptist church, convinced that drinking and swearing were terrible sins, and watching fearfully for the signs of the coming rapture and the real-world Nicolae Carpathia. And I can certainly appreciate that as well. I would like to know what name of the book you recommend me to read? It helped me see where God is coming from, in a way I was unable to see plodding along at just a couple chapters a day like I had done previously when reading through the Bible. I find the couple of books written by PY challenging, stimulating, interesting etc. I have been job searching in my profession and interviewing for months with no success. First, the very people that were put into places of public trust and responsibility over me, people in the church, in government and the police, told me to keep quiet. When are you coming to England. I was not a pretty sight. She said this man came over to her and he began saying something in English she couldnt understand and she looked up at him. Please dont think God is ignoring you. [38] I also sent two letters by registered mail, one to Misty and one to Clovis LaPointe at the Edmonton Institution [39] [40]. In some of your books youve written perceptively about the lingering impact of Christianity on our post-Christian culture through organizations like Amnesty International and Alcoholics Anonymous. Diabolically crafted as a mere language construct to fool humanity Your books have been my refuge! The biggest confusions came from the congregation, and my resultant feelings that we (my family) would and never could be good enough to fit the white-picket-fence image of perfection. As much as I appreciate your dedication to the Lord, I have to say that your comments in CT recently are off base. There you agree, that Christians have been killing a lot of other humans. The rope on the high priest legend is just that: a legend. When God remains silent, impassable, as life crumbles and gets smaller and smaller by the day. 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. Because of the denomination I used to belong to, I am now a social worker in Southern California and all my four children graduated from college. The Jesus I Never Knew endeared me to Jesus like no other book. Bruce Smith became the National Director of Church Army and Capt. Can you recommend a book concerning the errors in the Catholic Church rituals, beliefs, concept of praying to saints, etc.? Gods blessings to you! The assaults I experienced in the Institution were not only verbal. I came out of the abuse in my childhood and became so angry with God that I did briefly become an atheist in words, in college, but could never convince myself that I actually didnt believe in God. He asked me to send him an updated resume. It seems too good to be true. To examine and live in the presence of God, in countless ways that I never would have considered. I know thousands of Southern Baptists and none fits the Elmer Gantry or Mitchners preacher in Hawaii in the slightest. You show such a spirit of humble openness and authenticity. Being able to verbalize a description of my experience is a bit of a relief, frankly. I dont want to disappoint you, but I dont throw away 10 pages for every 1 page I keep. You may be thinking to visit in Austria. If so, where? Im glad to make this connection, and thank you for the encouragement Philip. I have always been academically inclined, and more likely to resonate with intellectual discussions about faith than stories of emotional experiences. The Mennonite Central Committee is a part of the BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) movement. You lift my faith today. God asks us to be obedient, and disobedience is our human trademark. It grieves me that people like Paul Vanderham and other bullies are allowed to continue spreading their poison there, while I am dismissed from my position there without cause. Undergraduate and Graduate programs available today! Ive so appreciated your writing over the years and finally decided to say so. Through all the changes in my faith and life I am still moved by it. I could see Bob was really talking about patience, faith and forgiveness by suspending his judgement. Attached to this letter you will find a copy of the complaint that I recently submitted to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Capt Smith contacted all the Bishops and lamblasted me with who knows what all because of my SSA and the deed was done. I would love to hear you thoughts on word written by the ancient Greek pagan poet Aeschylus. Philip. There is so much more I could share but I will wait until another time. Things were not going well and I was finally sent out to work in the Community working at DE Klok Soap Factory 12 hours a day and the money I made went to pay for my food and to pay the morgage on the property that was owing and they did not have . Philip. Youve more than made up for that tongue-tied meeting, Heidi. Here are my thoughts to my 74 year old Christian father, the most wonderful man I know. Thank-you very much. I am trying new churches, but I often feel a bit of a loner. Although I did not find that the book helped me at all, I have to applaud you on your writing style. When Life Hurts: Understanding God's Place in Your Pain, Multnomah (Sisters, OR), 1999. My husband is a pastor and has been wonderfully supportive, but as a pastors wife it is difficult to find a safe space to express these questions and doubts. Im afraid the only hard copy audibles are cassette tapesthe book has been around for a while! YWAM shamed me for being SSA, abused me and gave me an image of God as someone who hated me for not making me into a Hetosexual and an image of myself of shame. I dont get to paint them with a wide brush of ugly words. The Langauge of God ~ Francis Collins. It will be always a pleasure to lean with your wise words and share everything I can with others. I am a judge in our court system and a product of loving Christian parents who valued all people people of all races and backgrounds. The tiny globe would continue to turn, serenely ignoring its subdivisions, presenting a unified facade that would cry out for unified understanding, for homogeneous treatment. I have read others books by you, but this one strikes a special chord with me. I suggest you to translate your material into Urdu language too. Years later, when I first started to really struggled with the church I attended and with a season of doubt in the pursuit of my Ph.D., I found it again and God used it to keep me hanging on. I believe the gospel has hands and feet and a pulse and your books always, always show me that. Help those who suffer I have always admired your books. At the meeting, the Warden asked Paul to speak first, even though I had been the victim. + Reaching For The Invisible God I dont have a sense of a grace-less God and it occurs to me that you and God Himself are probably why. During one of those calls he said, You told me you blew up at an inmate, and that sometimes you need to blow up at inmates. I read the book by the way! Does forgiveness means God reconciliation with us by forgetting our sin? Surely thats the only time Ive been linked with David Robinson. Thank you again. My family and I plan to visit the USA in June 2023. I dont know enough to attempt an answer to your excellent question. However, most of the election discussions have instead fostered hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, dissension, factions and envy (Galatians 5: 20-21). By the way, where did you go to college? And thank you for your message. I reclused into this judgemental spiritual superiority bigot who saw heaven for myself and hell for everyone one else. Im no better than any other sinner because Im a sinner as well. I have had a desire to write for some time, and have been doing so for over a year, and would like to publish a book. Let humanity directly seek the Maker, shun all pious blackguards I told the V and C guard I would come back later and talk when there was not all this shouting going on, but the dog handler kept shouting and would not let it or me go. Lewis Anti-Semitism in the Institution Later, when puzzling over the dog handlers aggressive behavior towards me, I remembered an encounter with another guard earlier that same month. the way Jesus demonstrated a different way if being human. Is it possible it is taken from Where is God when it Hurts? Im sorry it has taken so long to replysomehow I overlooked this comment. What happened to my seed and Malachi 3 opening the floodgates of Heaven? Christian Century, March 1, 1989, Mark E. DeVries, review of Disappointment with God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud, p. 236; April 17, 1991, review of Reality and Vision, p. 441; May 18, 1994, Frank Ramirez, review of Pain, p. 545; September 13, 1995, review of Finding God in Unexpected Places, p. 862; August 1, 2001, Peter W. Marty, review of Reaching for the Invisible God, p. 32; December 12, 2001, Wayne A. Holst, review of Soul Survivor, p. 25. This young girl was constantly ridiculed. Sometimes we learn most by staying with a group that may not be our first preference. I dealt with some emotional pain in Disappointment with God, but nothing like the kind of pain you experience. (With the poor and oppressed, and those fighting on their behalf.) Ive been mainly working on a memoir, but sometime in 2019 (probably Fall), will release a newly redone version of my writings with Dr. We felt so understood when we read your books on the realities of suffering. I dont seem to feel much sympathy from other Christians and John Stotts comments have not helped in this respect I just feel more alienated. Philip, Mr. Yancey, Your books are thus offering great comfort to friends in need, family and as part of ministries we are involved in, in part outreach to prostitutes (offering prayer and an open ear, rather than guilt and condemnation). Over time, I have seen how the Lord has used my own dark night of the soul to cut away at the fluff, shaping my joy to be found in Him alone. Upon arrival at the Edmonton Institution I was met by a Mrs. Cunningham, but not the Assistant Warden of Intervention (AWI). Thank you for your most straightforward response, Dmitri. Hopefully I will be able to attend one of your book signing events one of these days. It is a powerful book with a needed message, as are your other books. Where Is God When It Hurts?, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 1977, revised edition, Walker and Co. (New York, NY), 1996. You express yourself so articulately, and I appreciate the care you put into this note. He became a social media sensation after Gordon Ramsey reacted to one of his TikTok videos. Paul tried to control and manipulate every aspect of my working life. PS as a fellow Coloradan enjoyed your post on elk mating season this morning. Youve shown me both pain and Gods goodness. I havent gone back to the book yet, but am hoping that I dont pass out again while reading it. On May 12th, 2016, he called the CSC Regional Chaplain to complain that some inmates were not Jews, even though Rabbi Ari had said that they were. Philip. Waiting on God? Thank you. Woodlands Indians were making arrow heads on our farm 1000 years before Eden. See the dismantling of Americas leadership!) the Christian in me must pray for the welfare of the city, our country and the world. Along the way, Ive tried to identify the very positive things I took away: biblical knowledge, a community that embraces the needy within the community at least, a deep sense that our life choices matter ultimately, a resistance against the surrounding celebrity culture. Nobody was saying a word and looked hopeless. On Monday May 13th, 2017, I met with Snowy Nobel, the chaplain from the Prison for Women, and Pastor Oliver Johnson, a former police officer and former chaplain at the Edmonton Institution. Im grateful for how your memoir allowed me to reflect on my own journey and recognize His embrace and mercy weaved throughout. She even complained to Threshold Ministries that I was trying to destroy her job. Judaism is so cut and dry. Your books have been so valuable to our family; especially my husband who has read some over again. Im 23, a recent college grad, and Ive been telling my friends that youre my favorite author since high school, when I first read Whats So Amazing About Grace. Thats how the light gets in. There are two particular ways in which I owe you a debt of gratitude. I told him to let the doctors do the surgery and to trust God for the outcome. Unlike me, Paul was under contract to CSC. I dont think I realized how profoundly those years shaped me in both positive and negative ways until I finished Where the Light Fell. When you quote Schaeffer as saying that few here questioned the assumption that persons are created in the image of God.. it is difficult to get others to see that people like Schaeffer really mean white people are created in the image of God. Its the most unvarnished autobiography on prayer Ive ever read. Instead of talking it through with me and praying ,they reacted by removing me from the mens dorm, . "The more we comprehend the Old Testament," Yancey writes, "the more we comprehend Jesus." Thank u for listening to Godnand writing those books. I have had 3 pregnancy prophesies by 3 different people who did not know my secret hurt. Im 39 weeks pregnant and we decided to name our boy Ephraim Yancey in your honour. I asked him to return it to my office, and also told Paul about it when he returned. On the way, I attempted to take my own life with an overdose of pills in my car. I have a problem that I was hoping you could help me with. You and I enjoy similar authors. After doing this for one year, they offered to build a small apartment for me in their basement. If you are interested in reading it, you can download a free electronic copy here: https://thefaithjourneyprocess.org/. Mdecins Sans Frontires helps those who suffer I thank you for your work and would cherish the opportunity to meet you in person. Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find?, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2000. Yet his Spiritual Smear wont stop real Believers from being Gods Word to a very sick nation! Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), April 27, 1994, Bashir Qureshi, review of Pain, p. 1294. email Joannie: pyasst@aol.com. I love the way Philip Yancey explains this in his book Whats So Amazing About Grace. I was reading your books more relevant in my preaching. I am a 38 year old video game developer. It is difficult to describe or put my finger on exactly why this book holds a special place in my heart. I have chosen to not be bitter, but to endeavour to be a reflection of his grace wherever I might be. Later I learned that she adopted me as kind of a social work project, which became her profession, by the way. Suddenly, I remembered word for word the Twenty-Third Psalm. 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. In our church we sing a song called Our sin cleans out with the precious blood of Jesus. My only problem is taking more than 5 years to finish because when I open it to move forward, ready for some new insight, I go backwards to reflect. Moreover, at no point did he say he was going to write an SOR. Thank you for all you do. I lived the first 26 years of my life barely acknowledging God and praying sporadically whenever I wanted to, nothing I did back then ever went right. When I first started attending my friends church, I bought a Bible and would randomly open it and read scripture (I was not raised reading the Bible). I admit I began it rather cynically (in fact, without the first few paragraphs on Watching, I dont know if I would have made it through the pain is actually good part). The body usually wins. It seems that God has blessed you much and used you for His glory. Few months after my daughter was identified autoimmune, my Mother-in-law at the same time was diagnosed cancer. Philip Yancey, The Question That Never Goes Away, [] series of conversations about Christianity. In 1994, I was introduced to Reverend Frank Costantino, an Episcopal priest in the USA and founder of Bridges of America. This is so gripping and personally touching. I am from the Philippines, and as you might have known, our president is somehow similar to your Donald Trump. "When you grow up in a very tight, almost cultic environment, you have a corner on truth," Yancey explained to interviewers Gordon Preece and Paul Mitchell in Zadok Online. Both of these milestones have just occurred. Imam Ramazan Tekin did not have an office at the time, so I personally made shelf room and space for him in my office. Why was that genicide, that killing of men, women, and children, that enslavement of survivors. Might you consider writing your next book as a Christian and for Christians? I have not yet received a reply. Yes! Its titled The Suffering God and has been out of print for quite some time. It appears to me that nothing, from Elizabeth Fritzl to Stalin to the 2004 Tsunami, will force a real discussion. In his most personal and provocative book ever, Yancey offers compelling, true portraits of grace's life-changing power. Are the contents the same? An old friend reached out to me and invited me to her church to be loved on. For example, someone could have a deep depression or fear of associating with people, or even leaving their house. Keep quiet. Nevertheless, Monty, Frank and I had an ongoing close relationship, both personally and professionally. Anything that helps overcome the loneliness and what I call psychosis of writing. Delving into church history that led to the reformation has made me feel desperately sad at how christians through the ages have allowed politics, power play, and fear, divide what Christ united. Ive read the book and sat on my thoughts for a few days. You asked at the end Why doesnt God do what we want Him to? and Why dont we act the way God wants us to? It would mean a lot if you would take time to read it. And as the Chairman of Youth With A mission International living comfortably in the UK still, he refuses to apologize for what was done to me. I am fast reader. All the editions of the book itself, regardless of cover, are the same. Yes. Heres my interview, edited for space, with Philip Yancey, an evangelical Christian writer who has more than 15 million books in print in more than 50 [], Hi Mr Yancy! I began to study seriously. "One method," he said, "was to inform God of something he didn't already know, or else to talk God into doing something that God was probably reluctant to do. I certainly cannot. I hear from Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Catholics, and others who had experiences quite unlike mine yet can identify with some of the excesses I experienced. We attended various churches of that background for nearly twenty years of that and eventually left in 2002. Sorry! Watch as TV preachers, Kathie Lee Gifford, reality show stars, theology professors, student ministry leaders, and even emergent pastors claim to be grace filled people that show no regard for whats truth, living life as if it makes no difference whether one is a Christian. She said to go ahead, so I told her about how my life had changed after reporting illicit activities at work. All her shouting brought in Acting AWI Matt James and a Unit Manager, as well as others. I also said nothing when I saw Paul and Ramazan later breaching security on numerous other occasions. I recently picked up a copy of one of your books entitled, Grace Notes. Moreover, the team reported that the prisoners valued me very much, saying that I was always present and available to them on the ranges.

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