About book All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir (2011)
Shame is an emotion that I would rather not discuss in public. Brennan Manning shares his shame openly with the world in his last book and memoir, describing his experience with it as "the sense of being completely insufficient as a person, the nagging feeling that for some reason you're defective and unworthy. That's how I felt all the time."Brennan had a harsh and rejecting childhood that no doubt under-girded his chronic battles with shame. He consequently became mired in a life long battle with an alcohol addiction that persisted throughout his ministry. Brennan is probably best known for his book "The Ragamuffin Gospel" in which he unveiled his dark and secret life of addiction. The world needs more people like Brennan to promote this ragamuffin gospel. But if he were a pastor in many of our churches, he would have had his ministry undoubtedly cut short (for reasons that can be appreciated) and likely have been subjected to further shame (since when does shame added on top of shame help anyone?). Yet God mysteriously, and in his unfathomable grace, continued to use Brennan throughout these years as a writer and speaker to share this message of grace with the world. Who better suited to be this ambassador?!! I was led to pause to consider some of the ragamuffins (thieves, prostitutes, adulterers, murderers . . . ) of the Bible: Jacob, Samson, Moses, Rahab, David, Solomon, Paul . . . and the list goes on. God seems to stick with his agenda to use the most unworthy ambassadors to share his grace with the world.I was somehow spared from the rejecting childhood that Brennan experienced. Nevertheless, the regular experience of shame, or as I have heard it referred to as "worth pangs", is unfortunately all too common for me.Brennan's book was a soothing balm and a reminder of the depths of Jesus' unconditional love for me - a reminder that I seem to need to hear over and over and over again. Brennan sums it up as follows: "My message, unchanged for more than fifty years, is this: God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be. I want to highly recommend this soul-bearing memoir of a favorite author of mine. Whatever your life has been, marked by hardship, disappointment, addictions or abuse....your life will be rekindled with joy and hope. If your life has been unusually blessed, and in its rewards, you sometimes judge, criticize, and turn your back with some level of disgust, you will be given new eyes and a realization that all of US on this planet are desperately longing for the same thing....this unconditional love and acceptance from our Father God! And you too will be rekindled with joy and hope and compassion for the long journey home! Please read this book,
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Manning turned what started out as a depressing story into a grace manifesto. Good job!
—diana
"It's okay not to be okay."I'll be chewing on this one for a while.
—Ourcorda
