Bye bye, Brennan.

"Whenever the gospel is invoked to diminish the dignity of any of God's children, then it is time to get rid of the so-called gospel in order that we may experience the gospel."
~ Brennan Manning, Abba's Child

Brennan Manning, a hero of the faith and one of my favorite authors of all time, just passed away at age 78.  When I think of Brennan Manning, I absolutely think of the word "grace."  His written and spoken words have communicated the blood-and-guts meaning of grace to me in a unique, impactful way.

I love these words from Brennan's obituary...

"Brennan Manning, for whom grace was irresistible, completed his earthly journey on Friday, April 12 at 12:10AM. He is now resting safely in the arms of his Abba."

Image source: etsy.com/shop/thelovelywords

My freshman year of college at Belmont, I read Brennan's most well-known book, The Ragamuffin Gospel.  Admittedly, I only picked it up because DC Talk endorsed it, and Brennan Manning was in their Jesus Freak video.  But it was the first "Christian living" book I'd ever read, and it changed me. 

You see, at the ripe age of 17, I was a "good Baptist girl" who had never really experienced much hardship.   I honestly saw myself as a pretty good person...which was all well and good, except that it had nothing to do with grace.  When I read about the fact that I, too, was a ragamuffin in need of grace, I was deeply affected.  I wish it had shattered me then, but it would be years later before I fell on my face in honest need of God's grace with broken pride, truly for the first time. 

When I first met my now-husband, Steven, he shared about how grace had changed his life.  He emailed me a scanned copy of the "The Imposter" chapter from Brennan's book, Abba's Child.  I read it curled up in my bed in Nashville one night, and it was like nothing I'd ever heard - there is a poser, an "imposter" inside each of us?   It began to reposition my skewed view of reality - yes, there are even believers wrestling everyday with the tension of sin and grace and forgiveness.  Looking back, I'm ashamed of how I treated people, seeing myself as "better" than those who openly struggled.  I was the worst of the imposters.

Almost four years ago, I finally read all of Abba's Child for myself and wrote this in reflection, "People have been telling me to read that book for a decade.   I am just now discovering its beauty and relevance in my life as I realize that of my almost 30 years as a believer in Christ, I still do not really know what it feels like to know I am God's beloved."

I could fill an entire journal with one-liners by Brennan that have cut to my very soul.

"When the craving for reassurances is stifled, trust happens."
~ The Ragamuffin Gospel

~ ~ ~

"When a man or woman is truly honest (not just working at it), it is virtually impossible to insult them personally.  There is nothing there to insult."
~ The Ragamuffin Gospel

~ ~ ~

"There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are."
~ The Ragamuffin Gospel

~ ~ ~

"The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners."

~ The Ragamuffin Gospel

~ ~ ~

"Without fear, I can acknowlege that the authentic Christian tension is not between life and death, but between life and life."
~ Abba's Child

~ ~ ~

"The number of people who have fled the church because it is too patient or compassionate is negligible; the number who have fled because they find it too unforgiving is tragic."
~ Abba's Child

The one book of Brennan's that I haven't read is his last one, a memoir called All Is Grace.  This must go to the top of the reading list. 

Bye bye for now, Brennan.  I have no doubt you are now safe in the arms of your Abba.  I am so thankful for the way God has moved through your life, and for the way He's used your life to change mine.

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