One final thought about bold-thinking Christianity.
There are many, trained and schooled in certain theological traditions of Christianity, who find it difficult to think beyond the doctrinal boundaries of those traditions. Fear and timidity continue to rule much of the Christian world. There are just as many, however, who are quietly and often invisibly learning to break free from such fears, so that they might come to know God as the Abba Father of whom Jesus spoke. It is to those few daring and courageous men and women who are venturing to think expansively about God and his work that my writings have been addressed since my first books were published almost forty years ago.
If you are such a one—if you have questions, frustrations, excitements, fears, doubts, hopes, even dreams about how truly BIG God might be and how truly wonderful might be his eternal purposes for the universe—then I hope you will visit the website noted above.
I would also invite you to join my blog where many of like mind are sharing similar questions, frustrations, excitements, fears, doubts, hopes, and dreams… and learning to gain courage for the spiritual quest together.
We are learning to think big things about God.
We are probing between the lines of Scripture to discover God’s deeper intent.
We are attempting to use the brains God gave us rather than relying on cliché and formulas to define the parameters of faith.
We are encouraging and upholding one another in that thrilling, mind-stretching, and heart-committed pilgrimage.
We are attuning ourselves daily to Thomas Kelly’s “revolutionarily explosive proposal”: This astonishing life which is willing to follow him the other half… which intends complete obedience, without any reservations.
We are praying to live in the reality of Frank Laubauch’s words—seeing life, the world, people, and God’s purposes using God as our glasses.
We are seeking to live our beliefs by heeding the Commands of Jesus.
We are endeavoring to be bold-thinking obedient Christians.
When Jesus was asked which was the greatest of all the commandments, he replied in the familiar words, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30, RSV) The Greek here translated “mind” actually means understanding. We are not merely to love God mentally… we are to seek to understand him. That’s how we deepen our love for him—by understanding who he is and how he works. Greek scholar E.V. Rieu, in his translation entitled The Four Gospels, renders this phrase, “Thou shalt love the Lord your God… with all thy thinking.”
What a fantastic insight. He has pinpointed exactly what we are trying to do in our blog, and why we hope you will be part of the journey with us. We are learning to think boldly about God and his purposes.
The blog is DareToThinkBigAboutGod.com. Your comments and insights about Hell and Beyond will be welcome on the page entitled: “Hell and Beyond—An Ongoing Discussion.”
Also visit me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/michaelphillipschristianauthor) or write to Judy and me the old fashioned way at P.O. Box 7003, Eureka, CA 95502.
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips Titles Available at Bondfire Books
The Eleventh Hour
A Rose Remembered
Escape to Freedom
Dawn of Liberty
Dream of Freedom
Dream of Life
Dream of Love
The Works of Michael Phillips
Fiction
Fantasy
Hell and Beyond
The Garden at the Edge of Beyond
Doublets
Contemporary Scotland:
Angel Harp
Heather Song
19th Century Wales:
From Across the Ancient Waters
Treasure of the Celtic Triangle
Contemporary U.S.A.:
Destiny Junction
King’s Crossroads
Scottish History:
Legend of the Celtic Stone
An Ancient Strife
Contemporary Africa and Mid-East:
Rift in Time
Hidden in Time
Contemporary U.S.A.:
Pinnacles of Power
Depths of Destiny
19th Century Scotland (with Judith Pella)
Jamie McLeod, Highland Lass
Robbie Taggart, Highland Sailor
Series
“The Secret of the Rose”—WWII & Cold War Germany
The Eleventh Hour
A Rose Remembered
Escape To Freedom
Dawn of Liberty
“The Starbucks Club”
Sword of Fire
“American Dreams”—U.S. Civil War
Dream of Freedom
Dream of Life
Dream of Love
“Shenandoah Sisters and Carolina Cousins”—U.S. Civil War
Angels Watching Over Me
A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton
The Color of Your Skin Ain’t the Color of Your Heart
Together Is All We Need
A Perilous Proposal
The Soldier’s Lady
Never Too Late
Miss Katie’s Rosewood
“The Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall”—WWI England & Europe
Wild Grows the Heather in Devon
Wayward Winds
Heathersleigh Homecoming
A New Dawn Over Devon
“The Journals of Corrie Belle Hollister”—California Gold Rush
My Father’s World (with Judith Pella)
Daughter of Grace (with Judith Pella)
On the Trail of the Truth
A Place in the Sun
Sea To Shining Sea
Into the Long Dark Night
Land of the Brave and the Free
Grayfox
A Home For the Heart
The Braxtons of Miracle Springs
A New Beginning
“The Russians” (with Judith Pella)—19th Century Russia
The Crown and the Crucible
A House Divided
Travail and Triumph
“The Stonewycke Trilogy and Legacy” (with Judith Pella)—19th Century Scotland
The Heather Hills of Stonewycke
Flight From Stonewycke
Lady of Stonewycke
Stranger at Stonewycke
Shadows Over Stonewycke
Treasure of Stonewycke
Devotional and Non-Fiction
The Commands
Is Jesus Coming Back As Soon As We Think?
Make Me Like Jesus
Jesus An Obedient Son
God A Good Father
Universal Reconciliation
Best Friends For Life (with Judy Phillips)
A God To Call Father
Good Things to Remember
Good Things to Know
George MacDonald, Scotland’s Beloved Storyteller
In Quest of Gold, the Jim Ryun Story
Getting More Done in Less Time
A Vision For the Church
A Survival Guide For Tough Times
Does Christianity Make Sense?
Growth of a Vision
A Christian Family in Action
The Works of George MacDonald Edited and Redacted by Michael Phillips
Adult Fiction
The Fisherman’s Lady
The Marquis’ Secret
The Baronet’s Song
The Shepherd’s Castle
The Tutor’s First Love
The Musician’s Quest
The Maiden’s Bequest
The Curate’s Awakening
The Lady’s Confession
The Baron’s Apprenticeship
The Highlander’s Last Song
The Gentlewoman’s Choice
The Laird’s Inheritance
A Daughter’s Devotion
The Minister’s Restoration
The Peasant Girl’s
Dream
The Landlady’s Master
The Poet’s Homecoming
Youth Fiction
Wee Sir Gibbie of the Highlands
Alec Forbes and His Friend Annie
At the Back of the North Wind
Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood
Devotional Non-Fiction
Discovering the Character of God
Knowing the Heart of God
A Time to Grow
A Time to Harvest
Your Life in Christ
The Truth in Jesus
Compilation of Quotes
Wisdom to Live By from George MacDonald
About the Author
Michael Phillips is a novelist, biblical scholar, historian, and devotional writer whose books been embraced by readers around the world. His nonfiction books include biographies of Victorian author George MacDonald and Olympic athlete-turned-Congressman Jim Ryun.
In the 1980s, Phillips’ edited and facsimile editions of MacDonald’s near-forgotten works inspired a worldwide resurgence of interest in the Scotsman whose writing helped inspire C.S. Lewis’ conversion from atheism to Christianity.
Phillips is best known for his fiction, a body of work that includes sixty titles, including beloved historical novels set throughout the world.
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