Beginning the Second Journey

 

Friday, February 12, 2021

BEGINNING THE SECOND JOURNEY

On September 17, 2010, I began my Second Journey. God is moving me in new directions that I don't completely understand. Brennan Manning in his classic book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, refers to this time as the Second Chapter, Second Call, or Second Journey. So I welcome you to "The Ragamuffin Journey." If you have not done so, I encourage you to read The Ragamuffin Gospel. It will aid in our discussion. I hope we can gain some insights from one another as we take this journey. I look forward to your comments.

Here we can share some of life's "Ahas." I get a lot of ahas from reading Brennan Manning's writings, especially THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL.  So please join the conversation and share something from Brennan and how you relate to it or simply reply to what others post.

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I'll start us off with this quote from Ragamuffin:

"The gospel of grace calls out, Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. You must be convinced of this, trust it, and never forget to remember. Everything else will pass away, but the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Faith will become vision, hope will become possession, but the love of Jesus Christ that is stronger than death endures forever. In the end, it is the one thing you can hang onto."

I have lived long enough to know that life and relationships can be very fragile.  I have been abandoned, betrayed, lied about, just to name a few.  Some of that dysfunction came from my church experiences.  I have faced alcoholism in my family and took on the responsibility of caring for everyone (except me) because parenting was limited. That pressure led me to addiction, depression, anxiety. I'm still not fully recovered, I'm a ragamuffin. I need God's love and grace extended to me via Jesus Christ. Without His love, I would be completely lost. He truly is the One I can hang on to.

What about you? How has God's love and grace affected your life?

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Read more about the life of Brennan Manning by going to the bottom of the posts and click "Older Posts."  Then go to the April 13, 2013 post.

Rhetorical Questions

It seems the important questions in life are rhetorical.  You alway hear, "That's a rhetorical question."  You never hear anyone say, "That is a rhetorical answer!"  The Urban Dictionary tells us there is such a thing as a rhetorical answer:

An answer spoken to produce an effect and not necessarily to answer the actual question. A rhetorical answer may possibly be given in response to a rhetorical question, as a sort of counter-attack in a rhetorical battle.  (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=rhetorical%20answer).  

Basically, a rhetorical answer is not an answer at all.  Rhetorical questions don't really have answers and quite often people aren't really expecting an answer.  There is power in simply asking.  As a chaplain I have said, "I don't have all of the answers but  I'm willing to explore the questions with you."

Here are some comments by Brennan:

The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ...deserves to be accepted or rejected for what it is: an answer to the most fundamental questions a person may ask: Is life absurd or does it have a purpose? Jesus replies that not only do our lives have purpose but God has directly intervened in human affairs to make abundantly clear what that purpose is. What is the nature of Ultimate Reality? Jesus responds that the Really Real is generous, forgiving, saving love. In the end, will life triumph over death? With unshaken confidence Jesus answers, The kingdom of My Father cannot be overcome, even by death. In the end everything will be all right. Nothing can harm you permanently; no loss is lasting, no defeat more than transitory, no disappointment is conclusive. Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever. If you reject the ragamuffin gospel and turn your back on Christianity, do so because you find the answers of Jesus incredible, blasphemous, or hopelessly hopeful.

Manning, Brennan (2008-08-19). The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out (pp. 199-200). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

I have lots of questions.  To me they are not rhetorical.  I want answers but they are the big questions that God doesn't answer, at least to my satisfaction.  He probably doesn't answer because, as a limited human, I don't have the capacity to understand.  Now I am intelligent and have an advanced degree.  So what!  What is that to God?  I think in asking the questions I am saying to God, "I know you have an answer."  Can I simply accept that and trust that things will work out okay?  I wish I could say that but I am not there right now.  "God will you help me with that?"  Now that is not a rhetorical question :)