Brennan Manning died on April 12, 2013. I am so glad he left us with his writings that will continue to encourage all Ragamuffins to experience the fullness of the God of Grace. His work, "The Ragamuffin Gospel" came to me at a transition point in my life. It was and is the message I needed to hear. I was becoming aware of another call, a second call, in my life. God was sending me in a different direction and Brennan was helping to show the way.
Listen to what he wrote on page 157:
Second journeys usually end quietly with a new wisdom and a coming to a true sense of self that releases great power. The wisdom is that of an adult who has regained equilibrium, stabilized, and found fresh purpose and new dreams. It is a wisdom that gives some things up, lets some things die, and accepts human limitations. It is a wisdom that realizes: I cannot expect anyone to understand me fully. It is wisdom that admits the inevitability of old age and death. It is a wisdom that has faced the pain caused by parents, spouse, family, friends, colleagues, business associates, and has truly forgiven them and acknowledged with unexpected compassion that these people are neither angels nor devils, but only human.
Manning, Brennan (2008-08-19). The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out (pp. 164-165). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Thank you Brennan, for your transparency in sharing your life, with all of its struggles and blessings, that lead you to the wonderful grace of our Heavenly Father.
(Read more about Brennan's passing at: http://brennanmanning.com/. You can also go to his Facebook page and leave a comment: https://www.facebook.com/brennanmanningfans?fref=ts).
I love this man's writing. The Ragamuffin Gospel, in concert with several other things God has sent my way in the last couple of months, has totally revamped my life and my relationship with God.
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