However! Yes, I know God is valid but I dont understand what is going on. Hello Mr.Yancey! But, a significant part of me has been lost and I feel guilty about leaving the church that gave so much to me and my family. In late 2015, around the same time as my interview with the Summerside RCMP regarding Gord Dominey, Dr. Beckner from Bridges of Canada called me to ask if I was interested in a prison chaplains job at the Stony Mountain Institution in Winnipeg. It was answered 53 days later, but only after Prosecutor Peter delivered a blistering indictment upon the Jewish crowd, confronting them with their heinous crime and causing them to be cut to the heart. We are a nation that is still horribly divided along racial, economic, and criminal lines. I would then take the completed cards from the prisoners, put stamps on the envelopes and hand them back to the prisoners to be mailed. I had been sexually abused by older men when I was a teenager, so I began to feel targeted. Heather. I appealed to AWI Brad Sass and Paul for peace. It warms my heart to hear that something I wrote years ago has such an impact on you. I want to SEE God. Why? Lastly knowing that my good deeds doesnt matter, neither in writing or not writing. Its just that I, and probably million others like me, seem to need the perspective of someone like you on this much stigmatized predicament (especially in a culture where I live in). Barth, Karl Philip. As a journalist, he has interviewed two U. S. presidents and other notable people such as Bono, Billy Graham, and the authors Annie Dillard, John Updike, and Henri Nouwen. 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. I also grew up just a generation or so from Primitive Baptist much like your fundamentalist upbringing. Philip. How can Christians apply what I suggested some years ago in a new cultural and political context? Could you please tell me if this quote is from you and what is the source of the quote? Carl Sagan popularized the phrase, Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Yes Carl, yes. "Yancey considers honestly the predicaments of human existence," declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer. I found affinity regarding your assessment of the fundamental beliefs and churches. I am 74 and realize I should have to talked to them and listened to them. My brain is 25 and is constantly at odds with my 65 year old body. This book has renewed my affection for Jesus the Man. Philip. Even though I was not interested, she showed me the photo. Now back to the sunset. I feel called to speak to those living in the borderlands of faith., To contact Philip, A farmer found me in a coma, slumped over the steering wheel. The Bible assures us that we will find Him when we seek Him with our hearts. But just getting through a day, through a morning takes so much strength. What is the greatest commandment? I have just started reading your book on Prayer. 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. I grew a garden and ate acorns, dandelions and wild apples (after first removing the worms). I also plan on emailing you further with a few highlights. Wheaton College A growing interest in science was among the reasons Yancey left a fundamentalist college in South Carolina to attend Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he would later join the staff of evangelical magazines "Campus Life" and "Christianity Today." . Their prayer is no less sincere than ours and no less welcome in Gods ears. Something completely random and yet connected happened to me in the same week that Spilsby took my couch. They can only read Urdu language. I understand what youre saying, Tom, and Ive had a similar frustration at times. And yet, I turned to Him still. This is our home, and this is all weve got. Scott Carpenter, Mecury 7, When youre finally up at the moon looking back on earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and youre going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell cant we learn to live together like decent people. Frank Borman, Apollo 8, You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. I just wanted to thank you for your book, to let you know I listed it in the resources section of my website, and to explain that although what you wrote is at times exactly what I wrote I didnt know that until after! Discerning which ones we can take as promises and which ones were restrictednow thats a tricky question, and I dont have a good answer. All I can say is Wow! God chooses not to intervene, but has a plan you can trust, He says that the only thing we can count on is faith in Immanuel, or you are with me. In light of tragedy, this is difficult to accept. As a teen I was beaten and abused by my mentally ill mother and sister and ignored by my father. Bless you as you continue to navigate these stormy waters. It whetted my appetite for moving to Colorado and hiking the mountains here. Ive often thought that the worst part of a recurring sinsay, an addiction to pornography, very common these daysis not so much the sin itself as the feeling that follows, that one is cast aside, disqualified for use by God. Im so glad you filled me in. Let me tell you, I was nine years old but I weighed less than 30 pounds. Down the ages that one suffix has misled all humanity March 24th April 28th May 26th June 30th July 28th August 25th September 29th . This is illogical. Smith was out to get me. But the reasoning of some of the evangelicals became a little bit more clear and understandable once I did some reading. I feel like both the father and the son with myself. Among us we have chronic and invisible illnesses (such as terminal cancer, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue to name a few), broken families, unemployed spouses, wayward children, difficult marriages, alcoholism, financial struggles, etc. But the damage had been done for a life time . Philip. I detected what might be arrogance or at least superciliousness. One of the recent ones, Role Reversal on October 27th, is much in my mind at the moment. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I wrote a book circling around this topic: Reaching for the Invisible God. The loud noise smashes God out of my mind. BTW: Your book Whats So Amazing About Grace? changed my life. Books are a good alternative. He attended some unnamed Bible college in South Carolina that forbid interracial dating and marriage. I did visit the website. And then, as I waited with the crowd for lunch, I turned around and there you were, right behind me. I understand! This is one of the most moving accounts of redeemed pain that I have ever heard. Such a gift. Above all, I dont feel so alone. God has never seemed more distant and this passivity doesnt seem to be doing it for me any more. I drove out into the Countryside and in a farmers field took 200 pills , a passing farmer found me unconscious in a coma and called for help, I remained in a coma in hospital , I did not want to die . God is always there when the eyes of faith are open. For a while I have been wanting to send you a message and yesterday, I stumbled across a video featuring a talk of yours in Hong Kong (True Happiness?), prompting me to send you a note! You may remember me from our contact in the early 2000s. It would make an intriguing subject. Of course, there were good qualities too. The chapter Why God Doesnt Explain is to me the most profound. Along with ten Anglican prayer books marked Property of the Chapel, the box contained the 30 Torah study books, Jewish DVDs and Hanukkah candles that Rabbi Ari had donated to the Edmonton Institution [46] [47] [48]. Dear Philip, thank you for your insight and inspiration in articulating truth that is palatable to us who have be conditioned by our traditional way of thinking! I am fast reader. Nothing to cushion to the blow. Is he both able and willing? Two of my volunteers were present in my office at the time of this conversation, and one of them overheard my comments [34]. And a person is currently working on a study guide for this new book. Women had it tough in those days! This week is special. So many of our more progressive evangelical friends (i.e. Philip. However, the date of retrieval is often important. I grew up as an adoptee in a Mennonite Brethren Church. I just need some reassurance. If you are interested in a chorus of thank yous, this is your spot. The last weeks has been kind a nightmare full of choices, challenges and doubts. Im sorry you waited so long to mail that letter! He told me yes, and to go to a certain door, press the button and they will let you in. To sum up, the natural world is what we live in and we are a part of it. Phil says a Newtown parent asked him, Will God protect my child? To which he replied, Yes! It was not until about 26 years later that I heard about Gord Domineys sexual abuses again. As we struggle with keeping our children safe we also want to help them grow this sentence really reinforced my purpose. I am now trying to read Reaching for the Invisible God. You have read my mind, answered questions, said things many Christians I know wouldnt have the courage to say, ministered to me, soothed me, moved my soul and in doing so have changed my life and enriched my walk in faith. He was then resurrected. Thank you for writing it has helped me immensely!! I have made four tours of Korea, and no country has treated me better. I am distressed that someone as dangerous as Spilsby can continue to keep his position of authority in a Government of Canada institution. Please let me know if you would allow us to provide our brothers with this wonderful resource. It has been life-enriching. Philip, Dear Mr. Yancey: And your daughter! 121:7) No harm will overtake you; no illness will come near your home. (Psa. And, inspired by some of your words, I began to see faith as not unlike personalities that we have different types, that some people may experience and hear God often (and it is not my place to doubt those experiences), while I may long and doubt and wait far more than I hearand that that is okay that these different kinds of relationships with Him might be something He delights in, something He finds beautiful. I have read Where was God when it Hurts ? I have always been a regular reader of scripture but my goal was to improve my prayer life. Philip Yancey, The Question That Never Goes Away, [] series of conversations about Christianity. I just finished your book Disappointment with God. He then stormed out of the chapel, leaving me shocked and yes, deeply hurt. I just wanted to thank you for your honest look at a lot of questions that most Christians seem afraid to ask. It doesnt end. Thank you for all you do. - Church Growth Magazine, https://biologos.org/podcast-episodes/thomas-jay-oord-uncontrolling-love, Was the Virgin Mary a Virgin? God is faithful. A lawyer with the Edmonton Legal Centre told me that the envelope incident was not sufficient reason to dismiss me. Besides that, I love the honesty about your own struggles. Theyre compassionate and truthful and not glib. [pyasst], You are caring for exactly the kind of people Jesus cared for. How then did Christian doctrine evolve into such complexity? described as a personal relationship with God. Such beautiful encouragement, Heidi. Ive written a bit about it in 2 books: A Skeptics Guide to Faith and Disappointment with Godas well as in the memoir just published, Where the Light Fell. We heard about love and grace, but I didnt experience much. I remember that conversation, one of many in which I felt completely inadequate. More than 30 years of committed faith coupled with countless hours invested in scripture, bible group study, supporting books and prayer have still led to a frustrating distance from a God who professes unconditional love and acceptance. Thank you! Blessings to you always. At the same time, it seems all I am accomplishing is to become more aware of my ungrace. "Yancey, Philip D. 1949- (Philip David Yancey) I would also just like to thank you. Ive not yet seen it, though Ive heard good things about it. You ask very good questions, and some experts in both science and the Bible may be able to help. He has family values and has a record of integrity. My wife and I after 2 years of marriage are still in a discernment process about where to worship. Im a mixture of all of these as a lot of people are. We met again in a few days, and talked for hours. She told me in front of the class, You have remarkable resilience to be where you are today. I am not an overly emotional person, but the journey of research and reading this has taken me on in order to better understand the Christian faith, why people deconstruct and what I truly believe, has been heart-rending. But suddenly I arrived to Chapter 7 in yours Vanishing Grace and God struck me lovingly with your words. Thanks for the idea. Hearing that made me remember that that was exactly what my wife and I did to you. It appears to me that nothing, from Elizabeth Fritzl to Stalin to the 2004 Tsunami, will force a real discussion. Everyone I know is still alive and so Im trying to honor my mother and protect christs bride. Having read psychological views with my very limited understanding capabilities, sometimes I still wonder whether its an illness to be cured/managed or a diabolical influence to be resisted. Personal I found Whats so Amazing about Grace? to be very approachable, clear and interesting. Thank you again for the willingness to have the discussion. Im going to try to put the short version down of all thats in my heart . Why does your book not acknowledge that kind of pain? I picked up your Prayer: Does it make any difference? book and found solace in these timely words: As adults, we like to pay our own way, live in our own houses, make our own decisions, relay on no outside help. I believe that is the biblical definition for a non-believer. I could not speak to any male as they arranged a plane ticked back to YWAM LA I was treated shamfully and illegally . I would love to be a Christian again. Thank you so much Philip for sharing your story. I do love reading but it is hard to open a book and forget about checking my social media, even though I am not active user. Usually I pick up a book and try to finish it in about a week or two. Epicurus famous paradox reads, Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? I do not want excusesIf he loves me why wont he just answer in a way that will change me? I first read it about 8 years ago when something in me began to search for grace after years and years of growing up in a fundamentalist church and attending a very legalistic christian college. I arrived in Canada and was told by the Immigration Officer in Quebec that I was not welcome in Quebec, I left my documents in the taxi from the airport and went to the Montreal Police to report them lost and was told if I could not write the report in French they would not help me, goodbye. And I know Christians dont do a lot of thinking, but they do have the Holy Spirit. Id like to quote the correct source in another book Im developing. Free shipping for many products! In general I agree with his approach, though it does raise some major questions, such as: What about when the sun burns out in a few billion years and planet Earth becomes unlivablehow does that square with eternity. I am so disappointed. Dear Mr Yancey, Thanks for writing it. We can all inhale and exhale. God can and will transform our suffering. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Philip Yancey. How much grace and reason went into a law like this? Philip. (By the way, I am speaking metaphorically. In my first comment I shared briefly about a crisis of faith I was in the middle of concerning evolution. I went to a priest I knew In PEI , it was there I met some american christians who came up to me in a coffee shop where I was using the free internet. Korea was able to become independent because Japan lost the war. He told me I was on my own. Then he is malevolent. Thats been scary for several reasons. Few months after my daughter was identified autoimmune, my Mother-in-law at the same time was diagnosed cancer. I have read one of your books. On this cursed planet, even God suffered the loss of a Son. A few days after Pauls verbal attack on me, the Warden asked me to meet with him. (Jeremiah 29:13) Sounds like you are doing exactly that surely your eagerness and desire to speak with God pleases Him greatly! On January 24th, 2017, I was sitting in my office doing paperwork when I heard someone calling, Father Richard, are you in here?. Standing before a close-knit, grieving community, the New Atheists assumptions rang all the more hollow. Are you suggesting that whatever is less hollow is true? In that culture at that time, that was unacceptable. Im grateful for how your memoir allowed me to reflect on my own journey and recognize His embrace and mercy weaved throughout. I dont know why I left a comment at all, but its therapeutic to me somehow. Tragedy and death were so often on her mind that she couldnt stop talking about what had happened to neighbors or in nearby towns, telling us in detail even when her two young and obviously unnerved grandchildren were visiting. Jenny, a strict Roman Catholic, complied with whatever Chaplain Paul requested, even when it violated Canadian and international religious rights and freedoms. Darwin says it is adaptation to lifes conditions. 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 . I enjoy reading someone who is not publishing a book a month, and who is a thinker. Thank you for taking the time to write these books, share your own journey and bring hope to people who need to noodle over these things. "Though he comes from a conservative upbringing, he is not stuck there but has moved past any labels we might try to put on him," wrote Zander Dunn in the Presbyterian Record. I am also a social worker. I was raised among people who looked for demons and spirits around every corner, and I suppose Ive gone the other direction. Thanks for the important reminder, Tom. N. T. Wright, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Vaclav Havel, Richard Rohr, Will Campbell, Jimmy Carter, Wendell Berry, George Herbert, Ernest Gordon (amazing POW survivor of the River Kwai Japanese camp who became chaplain at Princeton)the list goes on. Hi Philip- keep digging? The reaction you must also imagine. Do not ever touch me. These comments hurt deeply and, combined with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome, produced major panic/anxiety attacks that required me to wear adult diapers for some time to prevent me from soiling myself. I was especially moved by your chapter that touched on homosexuality. By far it has given me the best understanding into the body of Christ. No doubt youve heard me say that no one now worships Poseidon, Zeus, Ra, Odin or Quetzalcoatl. I, too, grew up in Dekalb county GA though ten or so years later than you. FYIO, Ill give here one good source for checking the numbers. Philip, I am going through Whats So Amazing About Grace for the second or third time, and just finished the chapter about your friend, Mel. Hi Philip, Philip. I quote a passage near the end from Whats so Amazing About Grace where you quote C.S. Philip. They had noticed my Franciscan Habit . Anyway, I have wanted to contact you for a long time and just tell you the impact your writings have had on my life. This is the last story I need to reference and my book will then go to formatting. Philip. Dear Philip Yancey , In this world where Darwinian reciprocity seems to command and dictate almost every square inch of our lives and relationships, the hope of a relationship with the creator of all, not based on what I have to give or give back is the one beautiful pearl that never loses its beauty and I thank you for being a continual reminder of that beauty through your writing. On page 119 the words discussion of parenthood helped to define my purpose more clearly and keep me focused. The second to go, that I have at least three of my friends that stopped attending any churchs! And secondly the officer who I was replacing had never met with him in a year, and attended a Pentecostal church not an Anglican Church which had not gone down well. The spiritual insights I learned are amazing. Thats also the way Ive treated my friends and family for as long as I can remember. In honor of this Halloween near miss, Ill close with an astronomer and a couple astronauts: There is perhaps no better a demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. Carl Sagan, regarding the view of Earth from space in Time. You absorbed exactly what I hoped to accomplish, and thanks for letting me know. Every one of these leaders told me to keep quiet about it or I would lose my job. Although he was raised in the south with the racial prejudices of his sub-culture, he had a wide variety of friends and experiences that allowed him to evaluate what was right and good. And, as you know, it continues to evolve. Through a series of incredible circumstances, Bob asked if I would write a book with him. Later renamed Threshold Ministries, the Church Army in Canada was an arm of the Anglican Church of Canada. In January of 2017, an inmate gave me a very large envelope to take to V and C for mailing. I am now going to be 66 yrs old next month. Its a sad state that the church is in today. At one point I was literally on my face before the Lord in tears, thanking Him for His amazing love (chapter 13 for one) and there were chapters where my feeble brain struggled to keep up (chapter 27). Thank you again for donating this book as this gift was a blessing to me, my family and the military community. I am involved in the integration of Faith & Video Games. She has many Christ like qualities, humble, modest, caring, forgiving, and has a heart for the disadvantaged. There is so much available to describe the dysfunctional but very little aimed at how to do it right. You intrigue me with your questions that I myself am too afraid to ask out loud. He actually could win, but it would take a lot of publicity to get the word out. Your books have been so valuable to our family; especially my husband who has read some over again. Darren G. Had been in the position for one year and had set things up, Capt. When our Lord actually extended forgiveness to another person, he did it with these words: Your sins are forgiven as in the case of the cripple let down through a roof. Today is the day. Shortly after his return, Pauls mother died and Paul had to go back to BC once more. He said that one of the couples running Malachi Dads was too old, that they had mental issues due to their ages. The prisoners were overjoyed, but Paul was not happy about it. Of course, this is not to diminish my appreciation for your openness in finding your way to the real Jesus. I have called, cried and prayed over and over again and still nothing has happened. Thanks for taking me to a deeper understanding of my faith, who God is and who I am. God be with You, I know we are to forgive others and the reason we should forgive. This story does not recall the literally hundreds of God-incidents that fill the last very few years, but the sense of the Lords miraculous and powerful actions is clear. Including every single member of my wifes extended family. At this point, we seek to see Gods love and reflect that love in our daily actions. In my first week at the Institution Paul Vanderham told me that he hated Rev. Philip says, History staggers under the weight of suffering brought about by human hatred and ambition. Yes, this appears true. Say what you will, but there is no concrete example against the fact that he is allowing his children to suffer. Thank you for your ministry. I went straight to the Wardens office and complained, and Warden Clovis came out with me and we went around to the door where I had been instructed to go through by V and C. There, the Warden was confronted by an angry Mr. French, who told him they were searching an inmate. I know he appreciates your interest, and Ill let him know next time we communicate. You have no idea how many people you helped with our words, but in heaven you gonna see them all and your prize will be there. I have been graced with grace in my life but in a way your book made the picture much clearer and the thankfulness much more thankful. In May of 2016 I returned to my office one afternoon to discover that my seven-foot grey couch was missing. I was tempted to stop writing and look for another job to provide to my family, because, you know, sometimes is not just enough that you feel your job as writer is useless, its also the Spains political and economical crisis; its look threatening poverty into the eyes. A couple of weeks ago while Christmas shopping I had the urge to order Whats so Amazing About Grace. I didnt have a particular person in mind, but I couldnt shake off the desire to buy the book. In recent years . I was praying recently that God would put some generative, mature, joyful Jesus people in my life. A small tact team, form Legal Ministry mostly lawyers, voluntarily supported Dad for legal advice. Served with many para-church ministries in Africa and now run a Foundation to empower rural communities in South Africa through our Foundation. Regardless of your preferred candidate, the polling data had predicted a very different outcome than what we all saw happening before our eyes. The rest of us? 3. My aunt and uncle introduced me to your books almost 15 years ago. My biggest one is visual. Stalekracker. I could not keep thinking about yesterday shooting at Texas Church, a family of 8 killed, a pregnant Woman with 3 children killed. It is much needed in our Christian world today. Near the end of the book, Phil quotes a pastor speaking after a school shooting which killed 17 in Scotland. Mourning and dancing touch each otherthis is a beautiful concept, straight out of the Bible, of course. Everything has been thrown at me Ive fallen through every crack in some of americas pillar Christians . Also in the last 1000 yrs of the Bronze Age people knew about iron but could not make much of it and made jewelry of it. The only thing hollow is Phils disappointing attempt at suggesting the Christian God with His folded arms of indifference is something worth worshiping. Dear Phillip, You wrote 2 books I have a question about-The Jesus I Never Knew & The Bible Jesus Read.

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