Bye bye, Brennan.

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"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

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"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

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"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

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

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"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.

 

* This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

3 simple joys.

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I found this quote on my dear friend Jenni's blog this morning, and how it resonated with me:

We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.
—Roger Ebert

On the days when I feel the least like I want to contribute joy, those are the ones when I absolutely must.

So here are some joys I want to share today...

A new book to inspire a tired mama who has run out of ideas...

Check out the blog The Artful Parent as well - great stuff!

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Finding my daughter this way in the back yard...

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An Easter egg hunt everyday...

It's one of the joys of keeping chickens, for sure!

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What are some simple joys you've experienced lately?

Let's dance.

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This post originally appeared on the JellyTelly blog...

I have a challenge for you.  Try not to crack a smile while dancing the Running Man in your socks on the living room floor.

See?  It’s impossible.

And that’s why in our family, we’ve started having impromptu in-house dance parties – 45 minutes to an hour of completely free, heart-pumping movement to upbeat music.  I tell you, it’s one of the absolute best remedies for a host of things: a mom who “doesn’t have time to exercise,” a bored child, a rainy afternoon stuck indoors, or just a discouraging day.

Admittedly, on many tough parenting days, especially as we walk through the “twos” with our spirited daughter, I want to retreat.  I want to put on a movie or TV show for her and go do something “grown-up” like catch up on emails or read a book.  Some days I do just that, as I am human.  But on the days when I can choose to combat my frustration by engaging with my daughter in a positive way rather than retreating, we do something fun like have a dance party.  As I dance next to her, or pick her up and spin her round and round, the day turns from sour to wonderful pretty quickly.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Turn on a peppy CD or playlist or your favorite Pandora or Spotify station.
  2. Start dancing.

Yup, it’s that simple.  And by “dancing,” I mean, just start moving.  It doesn’t matter if you jump and twirl in place, do the twist, or try the Moon Walk.  This is your chance to let go, be silly, release some of that bottled emotion and adult sensibility.  This is not the time to care about your hair getting messy or to be shy about the fact that you haven’t danced since seventh grade.

On a chilly evening over Christmastime when my parents were visiting, we decided to have one of these impromptu dance parties in our living room.  Of course our daughter was thrilled and immediately donned her headband, turquoise tutu, and tap shoes. We opened Pandora and listened to everything from country to praise music to the “Kidz Bop Kids” station.

Within mere minutes, the adults were not only wearing huge smiles but sweating profusely.  At one point, I looked over at my 66-year-old mother who was completely oblivious to anyone else around, doing a crazy “dance move” that seemed to be a combination of squatting and rowing a boat.  And I burst out laughing.  I couldn’t help it – I was just so full of joy at that moment, so grateful for my mom.  Yes – dancing can be the best medicine for everyone from babies to senior citizens.

There are also many references to joyful dancing in the Bible.  In 2 Samuel 6, David rejoices over the ark of God, and Scripture says he was “dancing before the Lord will all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14).  I absolutely love that image.  It’s how I feel sometimes in our living room with the music blaring, my eyes closed, allowing my body to jump and sway and twist, pushing my muscles to their limits.  For me, it’s about embracing the moment, enjoying being with my family, and practicing thankfulness to have arms and legs that work and a body full of energy.  Besides, I want my daughter to know I’m never too old to dance with her, just as my mom has clearly shown me.

So try it sometime – dust off your socks and your pride, gather your kids, and turn on the music.  You might be surprised what a little silly dancing can do to raise your spirits and enhance the connection with your children.