I knew immediately that my relative chronological newness did not matter to God, only the call. For the most part I have learned to live with this black dog. And as you read with a fresh eye the prayers, poems, songs, and bedtime stories that Jesus so revered, you will gain a profound new understanding of Christ. Brand and I were 61 and 25, respectively, when we met. It was a good effort, though! Thank you for taking the time to write, and remember that brokenness seems almost a prerequisite for God to use us. Im sure he knew something major was happening in the universe, but exactly what? We have so much in common, mainly the entire Protestant Bible (of course, Catholics accept a few extra books in addition). Learn more about Philip Yancey. When I would kill the flies in my office, Paul would shout at me in anger not to do that because they were our brothers and sisters. I saw him one day in 1998 in the Segregation Control Room (a room I was not allowed to go into), watching a mentally disabled female Aboriginal prisoner stretched out on the floor with her gown pulled way up around her upper body, her legs spread apart and her private parts exposed. Education: Christ's College, Cambridge U, Winter, Jeanette 1939- She even complained to Threshold Ministries that I was trying to destroy her job. Realizing that overcoming this anger is part of the process and is a mixture of philosophical and practical elements, I wanted to pick your brain and get your recommendations for someone who wants to move forward in faith but at times just cant seem to move beyond the anger/bitterness from past sleightsjust curious what the game changers were in your life to move beyond the pain in your religious upbringing. These people could also be very strong believers, but are hampered my these various mental problems. It was a lonely time as I did not speak Dutch . To keep from going to the Canadian Human Rights Commission after my dismissal from the Fort Saskatchewan Institution, Threshold Ministries offered me 5-year contract as Community Chaplain with CSC in Charlottetown, PEI. Salutations. Have you written anything on this view you could direct me to? I have always been a regular reader of scripture but my goal was to improve my prayer life. It is also well edited and has a professional literary aura about it. Its small. 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. I then went to the managers office, and found acting manager Graham Spilsby there. And Lynn Green justified her actions by saying it was what she was taught. May God bless you and your efforts to help others! It offers a glimpse of what millions of people may be going through right now, in the midst of this pandemic. I was perpetually stuck at the starting line of Christianity, paranoid about my inability to experience what my friends, pastors, etc. Thinking of being depressed, beyond hope I had lost faith. The Bible Jesus Read: Why the Old Testament Matters 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. This is an ultimate proof of evolution. Why was that genicide, that killing of men, women, and children, that enslavement of survivors. Im curious if you might know what chapter or page it is included in so that I can cite the page number. And Philip Yancey is one of my two favorite Christian writers. Such an encouragement. I liked that. He is asking the questions Im asking inside and- hallelujah! I also go to church but many Christians including me , seem like they have misunderstood the words in the Bible. You are quoted as having said, I tend to go back to the Bible as a model, because I dont know a more honest book, I believe there is one more honest book in the world than the Bible, and that is The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Beforehand I apologize for any grammar error. Your book, I thoroughly enjoyed, but was nonetheless disturbed by it. + The Question That Never Goes Away 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 had watched the very funny film, What About Bob? 2 or 3 times before settling on the one kernel I should take away on my spiritual journey: When Bob (Bill Murray) is interviewed by a reporter, he says, I treat people as if they were telephones. This must be a burden to you, and yet you write so clearly and insightfully. You are, besides the Spurs part, the same. You may remember me from our contact in the early 2000s. p.s. I cant begin to thank you enough for writing Where The Light Fell. A penny for your thoughts: In thinking about prayer, it seems out of balance. I thank you for your work and would cherish the opportunity to meet you in person. Threshold Ministries was found guilty of wrongful dismissal and was required to let me resign, pay me for two years of wages and benefits, and to not talk about my dismissal. I did this for Paul in memory of his mother. Jesus talks about not being able to serve God and Money, yet our culture has glorified the comforts we enjoy thru money- to the point where when everything doesnt go our way we decide to fix it. Evan McMullin is a sane alternative and the only conservative in the race. or The good of God by Yancey?? Richard, The quote is from Shane Claiborne: How could I worship a homeless person on Sunday and ignore one on Monday? I saw it on a poster, so not sure of the original source. Philip Yancey's two dozen books exploring pain, doubt, grace and hope have sold 17 million copies, bringing comfort to readers wrestling with various crises of faith. After years of study on O. T. worship especially the tabernacle and temple worship, I have not been able to verify this fact. And Christians need you. Broke my heart. We both are graduates of the counseling graduate program that CCU hosted under Dr. Larry Crabb and Dr. Dan Allender in the early 1990s. Its an important question, and Im glad you mention it. I was born and raised Catholic before joining the Protestant church after a spiritual awakening. If you read, say, Job, Psalms, Habakkuk, the complaints against God and criticism of how creation works are stark and obvious. I also enjoy reading your books. Thank you for asking and bringing up the questions that are rarely spoken about, and helping me understand that my occasional doubt is necessary for deeper reaches and experiences with God. Hi Philip, Thanks for the reply. . Today I find out that you have endorsed the democratic platform and candidate, and am wondering what I had missed when reading your writings formerly. We both knew then, and still know, that God brought us together, and it was not a coincidence., The pastor led me to Heartland Baptist Bible College, where I enrolled in the Practical Bible Training extension program. It is truly life changing. When I complained about the lack of a contract to the director of Threshold Ministries, he fired me. There are some things about Catholic culture and doctrine that seem strange to me (celibacy of priests, Assumption and Perpetual Virginity of Mary, papal infallibility, etc. Down the ages that one suffix has misled all humanity Disappointment with God was an understatement and my world was changed. It is a little snapshot of my Me too! and my journey to a deeper understanding of grace. The Langauge of God ~ Francis Collins. It would mean a lot if you would take time to read it. I did not I could not imagine anyone holding a grudge and hatred for 18 years, I had very high respect for the Bishops, and leaders of the Church ,too high it seems and it did not enter my head that some could be as ugly as non Christians or worse. and would like to buy it for my Italian-speaking husband. You lift my faith today. I just found your book Christians and Politics: Uneasy Partners. Im responding to your encouragement that we should follow the example of our Lord in forgiving when he prayed for his crucifiers, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Although this prayer reveals that the heart of Jesus was full of forgiveness at that moment (a wondrous thing! Youve helped me in some of my darkest hours and I thank you for that. Thanks. I know that acedia well. Many of the victims families comment, I have forgiven him in an expression of closure, or some other Christian-like behavior. Some examples. Its had a large imprint on my life. Look again. Hmm, well, I beg to differ. In fact, in my thinking, I am giving the wrong message to the transgressor and those like him almost as if I am condoning his sin if he is not asking for my forgiveness, and I bless him with forgiveness when he may not even want it. He makes me think. Thanks for introducing me to Shusaku Endo. One is to say, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your writing that has been such a gift to the church and to me. She abandoned her little girl to the streets. Ive seen interviews in which he broke down in tears speaking of Jesus, and another in which he paused quite some time before answering that, No, he did not believe in Jesus bodily resurrection. But Whats So Amazing About Grace is the book that changed my life. He would tell Chaplain Paul that some of the inmates Rabbi Ari had said were Jewish were actually not Jewish. Sadly, the guards frequently would not let the inmates out to light the candles. Every Blessing upon you and you family! pleased that you honor him in this way. This is illogical. It is so alarming! Back in the day, I loved What is so Amazing About Grace. She had amazing spiritual insight and was keen to evangelise her community. I drink and I swear, and read the Bible differently. 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. Im a pilgrim, recovering from a bad church upbringing, searching for a faith that makes its followers larger and not smaller. The beautiful thing about books is that they contain ideas unadorned with ritual and other trappings, and can be received on their merits. Philip. Im just repeating what the Polish nanny said who looked at my book and said it translates Disappointment with Mold. Philip. Ive read almost all your books, and let me start by thanking you for helping me see grace for what or should I say who he really is. Indeed I will pray, and may show up again sometime! My daughter gradually showed progress. If I directed you to some of those authors, then I feel accomplished. LTRP Note: Today, we received the following e-mail from a Lighthouse Trails reader who is in ministry. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. At the age of 31 I had completely lost hope and was disappointed with God. The Couch When I went back to V and C for advice, the guard there called the control officer and told him to let me in. Simply dumbfounded. There you agree, that Christians have been killing a lot of other humans. Yes Im still broken hearted. It was new to me. Can you expand some more on your thoughts concerning election/predestination and how you look at it at this point? The dream of Nelson Mandela is still only halfway fulfilled. Thank you so much for writing wonderful books for Biblical literature readers. From the time of my Confirmation at 15 until age 64, I kept only a vague and unlearned concept of God. And Perhaps until that fine day, He sees most of us as being just temporarily out of order. [pyasst], You are caring for exactly the kind of people Jesus cared for. This year, our Medical Doctor told us that we have an almost nil chance because of my past chronically health problems that never seem to end. Philip. And yet he was willing to undergo suffering in service of a higher goal. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Stephanie C. Your gracious letter in this life is more than enough. I was raised in a hellfire and brimstone church, and grew closer to God in a bible-teaching, grace-based church. All that to say, Philip, that your style of communicating really speaks to me. I walked into a public library about 15 years ago, with about 45 minutes to burn until it was time to pick my daughter up from school. I insisted and started a generic treatment that I would not have to pay, but I was disappointed as the doctor himself had already alerted me. What can happen, though, is that they may be constantly be told that they need to evangelize others, to love people, etc. Although Im praying this continuously, I felt somewhat anxiety. It is a sad story and one that can be repeated, in many ways, by other families. (The devil is in the details, after all. Looking for answers. She treated me so badly like a a piece of rubbish totally disgusted with me, and all I had had was SSA thoughts . Carpenters book is a good correction on some of the distortion about fundamentalism, and Mouw acknowledges that correction. As we struggle with keeping our children safe we also want to help them grow this sentence really reinforced my purpose. At any rate your writings never fail to inspire me! 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. After having applied for welfare in Quebec and Ontario, and being refused every time, I finally ended up in PEI. Dear Philip, Anyway, just wanted to write to thank you for a breath of fresh air. To find his books, click []. I wish I could help, Mariana, but its impossible for me to send an e-book to another country. I have indeed read N. T. Wright, and have the highest respect for his scholarship as well as his gentle spirit. 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? what bible college did philip yancey attend. Not knowing what to write I just listened to him and wrote. More faithful. Where the Light Fell: A Conversation with Philip Yancey As a result, I was forced into debt, was unable to keep up with my mortgage payments, and lost my home. I am a Christian, a believer in God who will not give up. As I read your recent memoir (thank you for your honesty in writing), I grieved over your journey, but I also appreciated SO MUCH when you wrote that none of it was wasted. Following is the few questions. I prefer the term Jesus followers, keeping the focus on the one we follow. In 1981 YWAM Canada sent me to the USA to DayStar Ministries for further healing because I was still same sex attracted, i needed more conversion therapy , Uli and Carol Kortsch had told me to go for the 12 week therepy and then I could come back to YWAM Canada. I have a million and one questions, but I will just start from this one. Its just illogical, but somehow this notion survives. I would encourage you to explore that avenue. I had lice in my hair and boils all over me and scars all over my body. The neat formula and juridical language I had been taught didnt seem to do justice to all of the events that occurred during the Passion narrative. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. How to get the integrated and tempered balance once again seems to be the question of the hour, and your book again has been most helpful for us in nutting this out. Thanks a lot John, thanks again, hope to meet you someday. You encouraged me to keep the journal and use it as history. Do not write about the history of the area where you are not close. God bless you. It seems that your pilgrimage somehow inspired me to embark on mine, somewhat. Mackenzie Mully, You can reach me through this email: pyasst@aol.com. Thank you! I want to share with you about my discouraged experience. Enjoy! Otherwise, Ive mostly read the novels by Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Ralph Allison and the liketheyve certainly shaped my sensibility, if not my faith. Rather, keep searching, and try to look at church not just as a place to nourish you, but one where you can nourish others. I will try to learn from your comments, and thank you for doing the biblical and honorable thing by writing me directly. 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? The issue of suffering and where is God in it. Firstly, we are all committed to the church. They directed us to work with four senior Lawyers to defend his case, flew regularly to the city where Dad was being charged. Strangely, I can find most of them articulated in the Bible itselfJob, Lamentations, Habakkukso were in good company. Similarly, when I told Frank about the sexual abuses by church leaders, he replied, and I quote, Richard, you are too honest for your own good. . I read your book on prayer (Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?) Yesterday morning we gathered as a staff to have time of lament. I told him Chaplain Paul had brought in a bag of at least 30.

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