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Christianity Today, September, 2007 |

God's Writing Life

Our Creator has chosen a medium that is the most challenging of all.

Philip Yancey | posted 9/13/2007 08:29AM

"Does writing get easier the more you do it?" someone asked me recently. After three decades of making a living by putting words on paper, I have to answer no. The more I write, the more aware I am of ...

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Jane	Posted: September 24, 2007 7:39 AM

This is God´s grace shaped into words to bless all kinds of hearts and minds. It is more than a good message...it is more than a clever, wonderfully written text. It is something beautiful and deep, intentionally prepared by God´s mind using another of His uncommon media...normal people´s skills. I do not glorify the writer, but the Lord who takes his mind and hands and transforms his work into His work. It makes me desire He would do the same through my day by day tasks!

lori	Posted: September 20, 2007 5:27 PM


Always enjoy and appreciate Yancey. This article was no disappointment. Anymore on this topic?? Most interested!

Max D.

Posted: September 18, 2007 4:01 PM


Please read the bible better. Not God but Mozes wrote the second edition of the tablets. The firts tablets were witten by God, but Mozes destroyed them. In the second edition God only says that he will write it down, but in the end iit was Mozes who wrote the text on the tablets. Hope my English was'nt too bad.

Sunny Joseph, India

Posted: September 18, 2007 1:52 PM

Profound profound and profound. As always Philip Yancey has not disappointed his readers in this article. He is a gift to Christianity. Every genuine reader finds in him an unbeatable combination of a prophet and an apostle. His writings drip gently but strongly stimulating thoughts which otherwise would not get aroused. Well, if God wrote in yonder times with His own finger and through his saints He still does through His chosen scribes and you are one. Writers like Philip Yancey are a rarity and a world of pseudo writers. Sunny Joseph, India. Chief Editor, Fountain of Life. Posted September 18, 2007

Minster M Stephens Hurd

Posted: September 14, 2007 1:36 PM

This article is great. I was wondering how many people ever thought about what God used to write the Word " before the foundations of the world. This is not neccessarily a 'heaven or hell' issue, so to speak; those of us who believe in the inerrancy of the 'original text' could care less what God used to capture His Eternal Word, other than in His Sovereign Being. Perhaps Jesus made markings in the sand that the Jews looking over His shoulders could not recognize. Perhaps He wrote the names of the men who had also been with this adultress...maybe that's why they left rather quickly - my imagination...each man did leave though. Greek is not the heavenly language, neither is English. There are quite of few dialects that Wycliffe and other Bible translators are working on, so that the Gospel of Eternal Life in Christ Jesus can be made known (preached) to every nation, people group, family and LANGUAGE on this planet...and then end will come. (Mt 24; Rev 7:9-17 NIV) Thanks, msh

Deana O'Hara

Posted: September 14, 2007 12:42 PM


As and aspiring writer myself, I'm always humbled by Philip Yancey's depth and insight. I've been reading his books for years. Philip, if you read this, I think you bleed when you write and I mean that in a good way. I mean it as in that bleeding your writing heals lives and spirits that have been bruised. You breathe life back into people. I like that. I agree with Vijay, excellent piece.

Lynn	Posted: September 14, 2007 9:51 AM

I feel Mr. Yancey has hit the nail on the head, meaning the corruptness in our liberal politics and humanity. We are supposed to be a nation under God; however, not many of our government officials understand or follow this path. Prayer before a polictical session has been discontinued, prayer in schools has been discontinued, the pledge to the flag discontined or the words Under God taken out, and all of this because it offends someone. It offends God also and that is more important than offending the someones. Of course, the government cannot dictate how people will live according to scripture, but they should set an example. The writing is on the wall for many who do not accept Christ and His teachings.

Vijay Kumar

Posted: September 14, 2007 2:57 AM


Excellent piece. Very insightful. I never thought about God's writing. An interesting read. Being an occasional writer myself the piece came to me as a fresh wind. Thank you Mr. Yancey.

Ian Spence

Posted: September 13, 2007 6:38 PM

As always, Philip Yancy is fixated on a truncated Gospel. The title of his one book, "Just Grace", says it all. Let's not talk about Jesus' behaviour in the temple courts, or his scathing attack on the Pharisees... let's just talk about grace, as Philip wants to project it. And so in this article we are once again subjected to Philip's myopic perspective. In each one of the examples above he draws attention to the warm and endearing aspects of the stories but completely ignores the terrifying compnents. The finger writing on the wall speaks of God's judgement against the pride and arrogance of Belchazzar, and he is dead within a matter of hours. To the woman at the well Jesus doesn't merely speak words of forgiveness... he also issues her with a command to change her ways: "Go and sin no more." To truncate God's grace is to cheapen it!

Writing is on the wall again!

Posted: September 13, 2007 2:43 PM

God makes godly people: His Spirit writes directly onto hearts. But humans come with their rote teachings filled with human ill-will and hateful legalisms and sinful liberal golden-calfs and erotic images and, so, they break down what God writes sincerely into his faithful people's minds. Bad company can mislead good people. Just like the wind eventually blew away what Jesus wrote in the sand, so human folly rubs away at all the scriptures and God's righteousness. These days in some liberal quarters even Paul's work, who brought the gospel to the nations outside of Judaism, is considered to be just another opinion. Paul, whose heart was so powerfully molded by Jesus is considered to be yet another voice in a world leading itself backwards to Sodom. When the scripture canon is arrogantly denied in favour of rigid legalism or lustful permissiveness and Jesus is not welcomed in his righteousness and holiness, then we are as a world close to His anger when He engraves again onto the wall!

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