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. 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. Of course not. We were discussing the content in class, and one of the students brought up the chapter about temptation and Jesus in the desert, where you speculate perhaps the devil did not know Jesus was the Son of God and was tempting Him to see if He was. + The Question That Never Goes Away One day I hope to do a book on writing, and then Ill try to figure out an answer to your question. My refusal to keep quiet about the sexual abuse among church leaders also caused a deterioration of my relationship with my employer, Threshold Ministries. I have recently read and resonate w/ Tolstoy (Anna Karenina) . Last night I finished Whats so Amazing about Grace. Theyre still voting Republican. You said you understood that our church was going through a rough patch, but that God was not finished, that you were excited to see what God was going to do in the next chapter of Southeast. Thats a great question, and there are entire books written in answer. and that is what I know. I believe you might have alienated and angered so many in a very public way and that takes a lot of courage, something I will never have. A transsexual was hanging on cross, dressed as Jesus and a sign over the cross where we could read: Enough with Homofobia . But I continue to hang on because, being Asian, the concept of debt of gratitude is so indelibly written in my consciousness. I got to hear firsthand many of the stories you talked about. It turned my eyes to Gods goodness. I marvel at the apparent freedom God has given us, to choose for or against Truth. 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. It provides many of the names of people, charitable organizations and corporations that have punished me for exposing the abuses being perpetrated in their midst. Thanks brother Its a beautiful book. 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. Yancey spent much of 2012 in grief-stricken places. I love reading your books- l have most of them-. This is what the Torah says, and I am a Christian and have been helped by many of your books. Just curious because I would love to read about a biblical response to racial injustices that is coming from someone on the receiving end of it. I read your book the question that never goes away. Roman law did not allow the marriage of previous slaves and free-borns, so common-law marriage was rife. I was moved to get to know Jesus better and read the gospels for two years straight, finding the humanity of Jesus as something that helps me relate to him. Brand and I were 61 and 25, respectively, when we met. from now. Dont give up. We all die, some old, some tragically young. Philip Yancey's books have sold more than 5 million copies internationally. A profound inspiration, I keep pressing on to write about the many facets of life. (Jeremiah 29:13) Sounds like you are doing exactly that surely your eagerness and desire to speak with God pleases Him greatly! Your sheer honesty makes you human, therefore makes it feel okay for me to be also. I was living on church property in a mobile home, a house trailer, so I could never get away from it. Dear Phillip, Men also took concubines when they were already married and she may have been forced to agree to this for this to have the protection of a man and family. During the evaluation, Paul also told me that one of the evaluation team members had told him that the team had questions about me as a chaplain. Lets be clear here. I am preparing to retire in 672 days (whos counting) by working on my Masters in Christian Counseling. The situation got so bad that I took it to AWI Brad Sass and to Brian Harder. Ive stood in front of the ovens in Auschwitz. It enriches my walk with the Lord and it is an invaluable resource! But were still living in that kind of fear-based environment. Yes! We only see a small part of story. And Philip Yancey is one of my two favorite Christian writers. God bless you! 3. I am living proof that church is not necessary to the equation, and I want to share it. A Google search shows that this may be more tradition than history, so I accept your correction. When I read these stories I cant help but think they simply reveal the ignorance of a primitive culture. In this way we have ceased being the likeness of God, and our existence is unjustified. Its all about Gods grace reaching us by unsuspected ways sometimes. We hear all the talk center around homosexuals being the most evil. W.S.A.A.G. The book is almost in the tenth hand and everyone has the same testimony My salvation is full of grace than before! My doctor told me to find a good GP and to take a year off work to recover. He coauthored three books with the renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Brand. Im sure a blog comment isnt the best way to contact you, but I saw that youd been recently answering them, so I thought Id give it a go! 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. But had become something more in Janice Greens evil eyes and The Nicholson in Hawaii hated, homophobia , for the first time in my life I was labelled and because of Nicholson, Green and Lindsey and Smith, 4 people, the rest of my life would suffer the results of their hatred .None of them ever took the time to talk to me about it my feelings and views , they simply labelled me and did everything in their power to destroy a good man, my life. 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. Its isolated, and there is no resupply. My husband and I have been trying for years to get pregnant. Philip's photo When an ambulance arrived, he was strapped onto a spinal board, his head was immobilized, and he was put in a neck brace. You have helped me understand how to breathe. Thanks for doing such a great job of exploring your own faith, beliefs and actions and for honestly and openly sharing your explorations. Worth exploring further! Please dont think God is ignoring you. Please do let me know! I havent actually read the book you mention. I have not seen her since. The official Amplified Bible is very trustworthy, giving alternative readings from the original Greek. I shared with him one area that a lot of evangelicals dont hold, that he said they did. She gave birth to a little girl who looked different than the other children. . The discord in the chaplaincy office was wearing me down. Yancey has described his earlier self as resentful, wound tight with anger, a single, hardened link in a long chain of ungrace learned from family and church. The pain of his early life gives his words and his witness an authority and authenticity that he would otherwise not have. I am a mainline evangelical, currently using Vanishing Grace as curriculum in an adult Sunday school class. The quote is thus attributed to you, and it is implied that it comes from the book Rumors of Another World. 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. So, I guess Im an Evangelical?? For no reason. I called out to Jesus to help me, to forgive all the sins in my long life. I think the reason why is that you both are unafraid to ask questions you dont have answers to. A religious way of doing life, is strategically employing falsehood, WHY do human beings so easily surrender their precious freedom? She is currently more open to the Lord. Of course, I eventually realized legalism is not the province of just one group. John Perkins, whom I got to know, holds out realistic optimism for reconciliation, something in short supply. I have been blessed by many of your books, and am presently reading Vanishing Grace. Brother and sister in Christ, Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. It was a simple misunderstanding on my part. I know for a fact that the first 11 chapters of Genesis did not take place 6000 years ago because of radiogenic dating. 1. However, it does not look as though it will address a question I am interested in. Do you remember that story, if you do can you tell me which book it is from? Whats so Amazing About Grace is a book that has changed my life, so thank you for writing it. Life is still almost overwhelmingly hard and I know that none of my dreams are likely to become reality in this life. The Regional Chaplain for CSC kept promising me a contract over and over again, but after one year it still had not materialized. Living in Africa & Japan as well as the US and working with & reading about many different kinds of Christians as a pastor, missionary & bookaholic has helped me so much, and your book will help my younger friend broaden her horizons a bit more quickly. Those three things. What God did not give me was not needed. She had amazing spiritual insight and was keen to evangelise her community. Church, my home church. 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. You express thoughts so well as if your words are directly from Christ loving, forgiving, non-judgmental, compassionate and caring for the hopeless and marginalized of this world. I was overwhelmed with tears and moved to prayer. And Im learning to play the scales (regular prayer times, Bible readings in the morning), and really PLAY them, for the first time in my life. With kind regards Alison Veness, I do indeed get to U.K. now and then, so watch my Facebook site. that we should live with death always before our eyes [so that] we will not expect to live on earth forever, but will have one foot in the air. I had never experienced this quote/teaching by Brother Martin and cannot find it in his writings. One suggestion: Read The Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge. Smith told me to sell my condo and move 5,000 KM to Prince Edward Island. Philip stands at a height of 5 feet 3 inches. Dear Mr. Yancey: As for C.S. It took me a while to finish the book as am I not only a slow reader; I also like to read books like this and then reflect on parts of them before continuing ; so as not to trivialize any one point. Ive searched for so long and so hard for a job, with absolutely no success, and am now down to my last couple of hundred dollars. Are Christians truly called to do that, or are there circumstances where this doesnt apply? Oh God I dont know if I can keep this up. Theyre compassionate and truthful and not glib. Now I will go back lurking, Very helpful website, thank you. Of course God will protect you. Unfortunately the real problem is that I live in Mississippi, where, as of July 1st 2016, if one assumes that someone has had sex outside the confines of a heterosexual marriage, it will be completely fine to fire that person, deny him or her housing, and even refuse to provide such a person with a WEDDING CAKE. If you dont agree with liberals, then we experience unceasing attacks meant for Trump, but received by those who voted him in. This past week I told a friend about the terrible living conditions and wishing we could do more. Im a trainer and so I work with the four different learning styles: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, read-write. There is this deep sense, a calling maybe, to make others aware of it anew. Your writing has helped me through tough times and I cannot thank you enough! 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