What's So Amazing?, with Philip Yancey

Nov 8, 2023

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Join me for another incredible conversation with New York Times Bestselling author, Philip Yancey!
We had a great talk about his book What's So Amazing About Grace?, which is now available in a revised and updated 25th anniversary edition.
From Amazon:
OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD!

It's the most powerful force in the universe, our only hope for love and forgiveness, and a foretaste of eternal life: amazing, radical, life-changing grace.

Millions of lives have been changed by award-winning author Philip Yancey's startling exploration of grace at street level. Grace is the one thing the world can't duplicate, the healing force we need, and the key to transforming a broken world.

In his personal and provocative book, Yancey offers true portraits of grace's life-changing power. These stories, set in the midst of life's stark realities, evoke such questions as:

If grace is God's love for the undeserving, how do I get it?
How well are we dispensing grace to a world that knows far more of strife and unforgiveness than it does of mercy?
Can grace make a difference in the midst of such atrocities as the Nazi holocaust, and how can it withstand the brutality of hate?

With powerful stories, rich theology, and practical suggestions, Yancey challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately needs to know, What's So Amazing About Grace?
From Philip:

What’s So Amazing About Grace? has been in print for over 25 years.

In that time I have received several thousand letters of response. Mostly, they tell stories. The man who shot John Lennon, now studying the Bible in a New York prison. An Emmy-winning actress working to heal wounds from childhood. The rock band U2, who studied the book together.

U2’s lead singer, Bono, had the most concise summary: “When you boil it down, the universe runs by either Karma or Grace. I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’m holding out for Grace.”

I have made changes throughout the original text, mainly by updating old examples and references. This edition also includes a reflection guide consisting of questions that make the application more personal. I hope that a new generation of readers discover for themselves what’s so amazing about grace. I am more convinced than ever that the United States and the world need a massive infusion of it. Like Bono, I’m holding out for grace.

—Philip Yancey

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(00:02) - Introduction and Setting the Stage
(02:04) - Questioning the Limitations of Faith in Healing
(04:00) - Receiving Unexpected Email Response from Yancey
(06:20) - Learning to Write and Considering Publishing Options
(08:03) - Philip Yancey: A Voice of Faith and Hope
(10:21) - Self-Brain Surgery School: Changing Lives through Mind Transformation
(11:23) - A Prayer for Calmness and Reaching People Worldwide
(13:25) - Lee's Gratitude for "What's So Amazing About Grace"
(16:03) - The Changing Perception of Christians in Society
(18:10) - The Transformative Power of Grace
(24:51) - Jesus' message of serving the marginalized
(29:37) - Stories of grace: John Newton and Babette's Feast
(31:26) - Babette's Feast: A Night of Celebration and Grace
(35:30) - Philip Yancey's Next Project: Book on Russia-Ukraine Situation
(37:38) - Changing Lives with Philip Yancey's Wisdom and Grace
(37:51) - Introducing "Hope is the First Dose"