Weve had a lot of struggles intense poverty and failed dream after failed dream. We are a nation that is still horribly divided along racial, economic, and criminal lines. You encouraged me to keep the journal and use it as history. As anyone can, I can list tragedy after tragedy and in not a single instance is there evidence some celestial entity intervenes. Strangely enough, your mentioning of the disorder in one of your books (Prayer, if Im not mistaken) was what prompted me to look into mental illness in the first place. I, too, was raised in a rather strict, confusing (Lutheran) church, seemingly focused more on law than on grace, even though the Word was preached by kind pastors. I may have read it somewhere too, but I didnt write it. I do think the Israelite story, which later became the Jewish story, may be an example worth considering; its no accident that so many spirituals and so many civil rights sermons hark back to those days of oppression and liberation. Nossas dvidas, tambm, sero silenciadas por revelao, por encontros marcantes com Deus. With his wise words of faith based on biblical accounts, especially in the book of Job, I awakened to life. You had just spent the morning speaking to a group of ministers of education and, probably, the last thing you desired to do was to provide a free counseling session. After my time there I went to work in the prison system and remained in that becoming the head chaplain over all the 13 prisons in Alberta a first for the Church Army and drawing incredible anger from the Salvation Army who had always held that position. I cant see it. We each grew up in a conservative church. We read the psalms, recited the Lords prayer and sang, Hes got the whole world in his hands! Then, in the silence that followed, Sharon looked up with tears to say, My people have survived more than this. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I was soon to find out that, just like Threshold Ministries, the care facility did not abide by this order either. Thank you again for donating this book as this gift was a blessing to me, my family and the military community. Im so glad youre acquainted with Paul Brand. I came to the website looking for a way to send that question to you, and stopped to read your latest blog post Talking with the Other Side. I really enjoy your writing. How is this logic possible? Felipe. I would also like to encorage you to continue taking on the hard topics and shareing your viewpoint. Stephanie Martin. Your writing has helped me through tough times and I cannot thank you enough! If this is supposed to be the most important relationship of my life, then its not netting out so well in progress Id always heard that as we age we tend to draw closer to God but Im finding it increasingly more difficult to embrace and sustain a passion for something that remains so abstract and unclear. As I sat and listened to the Word I was struck, convicted and in tears. Thank you for the information about Richard no doubt about it, I will keep praying for him. The traditional age for creation is 6000 years ago. My wife and I often use your books as gifts when we talk to people in need of encouragement or a different bigger picture offered than the one we find in tacky church messages or half-hearted encouragement by fellow Christians. I loudly object to Phils line of thinking. 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. If I knew this webpage exists, I would have come earlier. I think you should be careful, though, in declaring morally indefensible a position that the vast majority of scholars, religious and secular, have agreed on until very recentlyand that scholars such as Richard Hays and N. T. Wright maintain to this day. Otherwise, Ive mostly read the novels by Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Ralph Allison and the liketheyve certainly shaped my sensibility, if not my faith. More than anything I wanted to answer with authority, Yes! I, too, grew up in Dekalb county GA though ten or so years later than you. Discerning which ones we can take as promises and which ones were restrictednow thats a tricky question, and I dont have a good answer. His mother was poor and eked out a living by working for churches and living in what today would be called substandard conditions. In the last chapter, you mention Revelation 5 which prompted me to listen again to Chris Tomlins glorious song Is He Worthy?. Thank you for following Gods path. People ask me who my favorite authors are and I always reply C. S. Lewis and Philip Yancey. This was a time in my life where I really had no idea what true disappointment with God might feel like. The diabolical plot to exploit Christ as a prefix was grafted Please visit our website if you can. 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. Your letter reminds me why I dont. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Of course that is true, but also rather clinical. Before the visit, Chaplain Paul tried to scare me about it, urging me once again to resign. Of course. Phil later has to correct himself with, No, Im sorry. Keep writing HONESTLY, because you build bridges to others who are struggling to figure out what the heck the Christian life is all about. 1999, Grace Notes: 366 Daily Inspirations from a Fellow Pilgrim 2016, Meet the Bible: A Panorama of Gods Word in 366 Daily Readings and Reflections 2000, Where Is God When it Hurts/Whats So Amazing About Grace? Philip. I gave the first copy I had to a friend, who also gave it to another friend. It was just thoughts like we all have attraction thoughts towards other people male or female from time to time. Thanks! Philip Yancey. I wake up in the early morning and start my day in a quiet house with prayer and meditation on two books the Bible (currently the Book of James) and your book. I believe that if Im faithful in my Christian walk, others will see love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Dear Philip, Thank you so much for your writing in your books, your blog, your articles. Rather, I expressed my disappointment that so many evangelicals hold up as their flagbearer a man whose life seems to contradict the most basic principles of our faith. I was listening to the April 13th devotional from your Grace Notes. We look down upon those who live off welfare or charity. Let me try that sentence again with a substitution: For us who believe in Germanic gods, the death and resurrection of Odin is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts. Or better, how about from my perspective, For us who are non-believers, my life experience is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death, that light is stronger than darkness, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts. Why use Jesus? I dont know where your friend got that quote about church. I have always admired your books. Thank you so much for writing. I hope you know this history. I recently read Vanishing Grace while on a mission trip to serve the poor in the appalachian mountains of Kentucky. I find your books stimulating, brave, and encouraging. But, I lack arguments, and mainly ideas on how to suggest this. To attain salvation, should we trust the gospeland repent? I told all this because I want to ask you: How to react? S. Presidents and other prominent figures such as Bono, Billy Graham, and the authors Annie Dillard, John Updike, and Henri Nouwen. In a Feb. 20 blog post, prolific Christian author Philip Yancey reveals he was diagnosed last month with Parkinson's disease. or request blog subscription, I now view politics and religion cynically as a tool to maneuver people to an end that benefits their personal goals, not goals of a God whom might think differently. Marc had gone in as a Roman Catholic and had come out as an evangelical Protestant. English is not my native language. Though my life was different than yours, there were elements of your story that sparked memories for me. Lots of miracles. Now I will go back lurking, Very helpful website, thank you. I wish you the best. Read your book Disappointed with GOD. . However, I cannot find an Italian version. Brian Harder, the Bridges of Canada manager called to confront me about this, and got very upset and rude and to me. I also warned my Bishop that the Anglican priest of my own church was molesting young boys. My relationship with Him has shown me how to repent, forgive and pray! in 1998. My ultimate goal is to absorb every context in the bible and the book of Prayer. For some reason when I was deep in my pit, where I had become comfortable living, I picked up that book again. He does not know why evil exists I wrote a sort of sequel, Vanishing Grace, a few years ago, addressing this very topic. I just cant accept this as a Master Plan. Im going to try to put the short version down of all thats in my heart . Perhaps I will continue to struggle with guilt for a very long time. Theyve been turned off by something in the church. A jet was standing by to airlift him to Denver if needed. I want to start off by saying that you have been an invaluable resource for me in my shaky Christian walk. When I questioned Paul about writing to the Commissioner about this, he told me that this was perfectly okay. But their focus has changed. Arrival at the Edmonton Institution So, at the end of the day, blaming GOD (who wants to be loved but does not partake in a two-way conversation) seems plausable. Has it ever been translated? (Jeremiah 29:13) Sounds like you are doing exactly that surely your eagerness and desire to speak with God pleases Him greatly! I would read a chapter every couple days and think about what I had read. And I have the strong sense that there are more chapters to come! Mark Dickson not Capt. A father is lecturing his son when his son interrupts him to say, I know Dad to which the frustrated father yells in reply, No, you dont know because if you knew you wouldnt have done it!. Near the end of the book, Phil quotes a pastor speaking after a school shooting which killed 17 in Scotland. I found the book so helpful, and encouraging in its frank honesty. Consequently I am no longer in church regularly and struggle with my faith in ways I never dreamed possible just a few years ago. As you say, I do my best in discussing in the book on Prayer. We get to churches and Bible studies and find ourselves being judged for having no children. I reclused into this judgemental spiritual superiority bigot who saw heaven for myself and hell for everyone one else. Once again Paul was running the show against my wishes. The prisoners asked me to run other programs, but Paul always said no. Not a religion, it granted men direct access to God, to come as they may, Such divine privilege could have toppled Caesars Empire Its lonely. We searched and searched and prayed and prayed for a solution, until we found In the Likness of God. Your relationship with Dr. Paul Brand and your amazing work together inspired us and acted as our model for Come, Walk with Me. We published Come, Walk with Me in 2020. Our church is talking about doing a book study using one of your books in the fall. Mr. Yancey, I should have written this years ago when I first read The Jesus I Never Knew! I am looking forward to reading more of your books in the future. I enjoyed your comments on Donald Trump. I began to teach Sunday School and lead Wednesday night prayer and study meetings, meanwhile preparing sermons. Thank you for the encouragement. I leaned on the health of others; they widened my world when I realized my world was small and narrow. I expect many of these felt a twinge of guilt not being on the battle front, but they were just as useful at home in the USA building war materials. Thank you for your consideration. If I directed you to some of those authors, then I feel accomplished. Given the events of January 6, 2021, might that editorial have been a bit prophetic? Never occurred to me. Even the great saints complain about Gods non-response, the dark night of the soul. And, of course, the Bible echoes your response in many places: Psalms, Lamentations, Job, Habakkuk Youre an honest seeker, and I applaud that. And, now, after reading Where the Light Fell it makes much more sense. I happen to be a very left-leaning Christian. Yet, grace never came alive in my heart like it did today. The Doctors in Quebec told me there had been too much loss in my life for me to handle ,from being thrown out of the church Army onwards, and it was time to take care of me ,after 20 years as a prison chaplain and 13 as a palliative care chaplain. None for a few years, but I saw them for so long that I do believe in them. I just need something, I need to know youre there. (I was 52 years old at the time) I have been delivered and set free from a 40 year drug and alcohol habit, rehab did not work, nor did counseling. Dr. W.E. And as his life hung in the balance 14 years ago, Yancey made a firm commitment: If he survived, he would write his memoir, and he would hold nothing back. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. Youre right: this world is broken, badly. To find his books, click []. We felt so understood when we read your books on the realities of suffering. Keep your spiritual eyes open and rest assured that God wants to communicate with you also! And we were taught that God answers prayers, miraculously, but my father died of polio just after my first birthday, despite many prayers for his healing., For Yancey, reading offered a window to a different world. Brand, and Hodder & Stoughton will publish them this coming fall under the title (I think) Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing Gods Image. Well this comment is about 10 years overdue, but needing to be said, and Ill explain why Probably my all time favorite book (and Ive read many) is your book Whats so amazing about grace. Are you still in contact with Richard (his book about Job), and if so, can you share if he has resolved his struggle to believe in God? Does forgiveness means God reconciliation with us by forgetting our sin? Thank you for writing the book that gave rise to my own passion to write. Philip. I just wanted to say thank you.Thank you for being honest in your books, such as, Disappointment With God and The Jesus I Never Knew. The honesty in your words have given me much revelation about God and why certain things happen the way they do. I have received much love and respect from prisoners and the elderly [6] [7] [8] [9], and have therefore considered it my duty to keep them from being abused. Excellent question. It would be sweet if youd check it out. Hi, Gordon, You make a good point, though: words change over time (80% of them pejorate rather than ameliorate) and it may be a losing battle. Writing (especially about such a sensitive topic) is hard and I deeply appreciate the time and effort and struggle you put into it. Were here to bring pleasure to God. As he came around an icy curve, his Ford Explorer began to fishtail; the tire slipped off the asphalt and the Explorer tumbled down a hillside. I continue to search for a church that is reflective of where I am spiritually and intellectually. Philip, Hes gotten past his anger, and is open to spirituality, more of the New Age kind. 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