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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
brennan breaks you with his honest truths and love. in a good way. makes you feel, makes you love, makes you think
This may be one of the most painful books I have ever read. I was expecting it to be difficult, as I knew some of the history, but I had no idea . . .
Let me start off by saying that I love Brennan Manning and his writings. After reading All Is Grace, his autobiography (along with John Blase), I have an even deeper respect for him.
Born Richard Manning, in Brooklyn, NY (and yes, he was a Yankees fan, for which I forgive him), he had a difficult childhood. His mother pulled no punches in letting him know that she wanted a girl. "You don't always get what you ask for," she would say. She had prayed for a girl. Richard Manning was born on April 27, 1934, during the Great Depression. His grandfather was an alcoholic. His father was an alcoholic. So it's no surprise that, when he turned sixteen, Richard started drinking, too. He had his first "alcohol-induced blackout" when he was eighteen.
During his school years, he discovered that he loved writing. So he went to college to study writing. But in the middle of his college years, some buddies convinced him to join the Marines, along with them. He had dreams of becoming a hero in the Marines, but one month after he arrived in Korea, the treaty was signed. Over the next three years, as he served in the Marines, he became a writer for his division's weekly newspaper.
Since being a part of the armed services could get you free college, after he was discharged from the Marines, he began the fall semester at the University of Missouri. But after only one semester, he left college to enter a Franciscan seminary. He almost left seminary after a week, but had a rather intimate experience at the 12th station of the cross, which drove him closer to God. A verse in Colossians became very important to him from that point on. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything. (3:11) He actually finished seminary and became a priest. When he was ordained as a priest was when he changed his name to Brennan, which is the name we know him by.
Later in life, he would leave the priesthood to get married. But he didn't know how to be married, so he failed at that after a number of years. One of the key elements that ran through all of this was his alcoholism. During his years as a priest, during his years as a husband, and beyond, alcohol plagued Brennan Manning. Along with alcoholism, of course, there is lying. It goes with the territory. And his brutal honesty about all of this is what makes this memoir so painful. Brennan has no pretense of moral holiness; he lays it on the line.
I have read blogs and other writings that would have us dismiss all of Brennan's great writings because he was an alcoholic and because he lied, all during the times that he was giving inspirational speeches and writing great books. I would say that the writers of those blogs don't understand grace at all. I believe Brennan chose to share these things, close to the end of his life (we lost him in 2013), that we might see what grace truly is. None of us is perfect; none of us has it all together. I have seen more of myself in this memoir than in any other book I have ever read. No, I'm not an alcoholic, but I have my own "demons," just as everyone. I have been in some very dark places, many of which occurred during my own time at seminary and during ministry years. Brennan Manning's story speaks to my heart. While it hurts badly (I was at the point of tears many times during this short book), it is also refreshing. It is refreshing to read the story of a man who was badly broken, knew it, and was not afraid to let you know he knew it.
All is grace. I think Brennan Manning understood this more than anyone I've ever read. I wish I had known him. But there's a problem with that. There were times in my life that, had I known him, I would not have liked him at all. In fact, I would probably have dismissed him, just like the writers of the blogs I mentioned earlier. But I understand grace a little bit more, these days.
Praise God for that, and praise God for people like Brennan Manning.
Let me start off by saying that I love Brennan Manning and his writings. After reading All Is Grace, his autobiography (along with John Blase), I have an even deeper respect for him.
Born Richard Manning, in Brooklyn, NY (and yes, he was a Yankees fan, for which I forgive him), he had a difficult childhood. His mother pulled no punches in letting him know that she wanted a girl. "You don't always get what you ask for," she would say. She had prayed for a girl. Richard Manning was born on April 27, 1934, during the Great Depression. His grandfather was an alcoholic. His father was an alcoholic. So it's no surprise that, when he turned sixteen, Richard started drinking, too. He had his first "alcohol-induced blackout" when he was eighteen.
During his school years, he discovered that he loved writing. So he went to college to study writing. But in the middle of his college years, some buddies convinced him to join the Marines, along with them. He had dreams of becoming a hero in the Marines, but one month after he arrived in Korea, the treaty was signed. Over the next three years, as he served in the Marines, he became a writer for his division's weekly newspaper.
Since being a part of the armed services could get you free college, after he was discharged from the Marines, he began the fall semester at the University of Missouri. But after only one semester, he left college to enter a Franciscan seminary. He almost left seminary after a week, but had a rather intimate experience at the 12th station of the cross, which drove him closer to God. A verse in Colossians became very important to him from that point on. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything. (3:11) He actually finished seminary and became a priest. When he was ordained as a priest was when he changed his name to Brennan, which is the name we know him by.
Later in life, he would leave the priesthood to get married. But he didn't know how to be married, so he failed at that after a number of years. One of the key elements that ran through all of this was his alcoholism. During his years as a priest, during his years as a husband, and beyond, alcohol plagued Brennan Manning. Along with alcoholism, of course, there is lying. It goes with the territory. And his brutal honesty about all of this is what makes this memoir so painful. Brennan has no pretense of moral holiness; he lays it on the line.
I have read blogs and other writings that would have us dismiss all of Brennan's great writings because he was an alcoholic and because he lied, all during the times that he was giving inspirational speeches and writing great books. I would say that the writers of those blogs don't understand grace at all. I believe Brennan chose to share these things, close to the end of his life (we lost him in 2013), that we might see what grace truly is. None of us is perfect; none of us has it all together. I have seen more of myself in this memoir than in any other book I have ever read. No, I'm not an alcoholic, but I have my own "demons," just as everyone. I have been in some very dark places, many of which occurred during my own time at seminary and during ministry years. Brennan Manning's story speaks to my heart. While it hurts badly (I was at the point of tears many times during this short book), it is also refreshing. It is refreshing to read the story of a man who was badly broken, knew it, and was not afraid to let you know he knew it.
All is grace. I think Brennan Manning understood this more than anyone I've ever read. I wish I had known him. But there's a problem with that. There were times in my life that, had I known him, I would not have liked him at all. In fact, I would probably have dismissed him, just like the writers of the blogs I mentioned earlier. But I understand grace a little bit more, these days.
Praise God for that, and praise God for people like Brennan Manning.
Brennan Manning's story is a tale of applied grace. After surviving a childhood of abuse, Manning's memoirs reveal no trace of bitterness or hurt. Truly this man has not allowed shame or unworthiness to get in the way of his relationship with God. Would that everybody understood that God's love comes without preconditions!
While Manning was a living example of understanding God's grace, his personal religion was not grace-based and he offers little evidence that his private life involved a spontaneous love for the Savior. Instead, his spiritual journey pauses after he understands that God loves sinners just as they are. The imperative for spiritual growth seems to have missed him, and his story does not end in victory.
In the end it tells of a loving God, not a powerful one. Manning's prose is beautiful, and anyone who struggles with acceptance or understanding the unconditional love of God ought to pick up this book and read it.
While Manning was a living example of understanding God's grace, his personal religion was not grace-based and he offers little evidence that his private life involved a spontaneous love for the Savior. Instead, his spiritual journey pauses after he understands that God loves sinners just as they are. The imperative for spiritual growth seems to have missed him, and his story does not end in victory.
In the end it tells of a loving God, not a powerful one. Manning's prose is beautiful, and anyone who struggles with acceptance or understanding the unconditional love of God ought to pick up this book and read it.
I read Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel some years ago and really appreciated it. I didn't know much about his life other than the hints he revealed in that book. After reading this memoir, it is easy to see why grace is so important to Manning - and why every human is a ragamuffin in need of grace. So I appreciated Manning's honesty and the confessional tone of the book. But, for me, there was something missing - there didn't seem to be the depth that I'd expect from someone reflecting on such an incredible life of grace. Maybe I was expecting too much. Manning is now obviously very dependent on assistance from a carer and I was saddened to hear of his Wernickes disease as a result of his alcoholism. Whatever the deficiencies, this is a moving book from a man who truly lived and breathed grace.
I've heard of Brennan, never read a book by him, although I own two or three - picked up at thrift stores. I know Rich Mullins read him and named their Ragamuffin Band after his book.
I enjoyed this vulnerable memoir and it was a quick read. I think I was expecting a bit more depth of his life story - but it's a memoir, not an autobiography.
I enjoyed this vulnerable memoir and it was a quick read. I think I was expecting a bit more depth of his life story - but it's a memoir, not an autobiography.
Appreciated being able to read about Brennan's life and his journey of grace - http://youtu.be/j73mYgpxhTY
Lo fascinante de Brennan Manning es que fue un monumental pecador, un fracasado, un alcohólico reincidente, un sacerdote que renunció para casarse, y que luego se divorció, y aún así haya sido uno de los hombres de Dios más inspiradores del último siglo con su sencillo mensaje "Dios nos ama tal cual somos, no como deberíamos ser". A Brennan le gusta identificarse como andrajoso y se hace amigos con otros andrajosos espirituales, que en realidad lo somos todos, argumenta él, aunque no todos lo quisieran reconocer. Al llegar al final de sus días, no deja de enfatizar el mensaje del escandaloso amor de Dios, y que todo es gracia, todo es por gracia, y no una gracia barata, sino una gracia gratuita y vulgar, en sus palabras. Al final del libro se incluyen algunas cartas de algunos autodenominados Notables Pecadores, un grupo de amigos de Brennan que se apoyan entre sí, y en esas cartas cuentan los testimonios de como Dios obró a través de Brennan en sus vidas, los cuales fueron casi tan impactantes como las palabras de Brennan. Este libro lo recomiendo a cualquiera que quiera familiarizarse con el trasfondo de este conocido autor y orador, y también a cualquiera que se siente como un andrajoso espiritual, para que se dé cuenta que no está solo.
It's been awhile since I've read anything by this author who has had such a deep influence on my understanding of Gospel grace. Over the past several months, I thought several times of pulling one or more of his titles off my shelf and re-reading. A couple of weeks before my birthday, Brian and I were strolling through a bookstore about ten minutes before it closed. I saw this on an endcap display and snatched it up without thinking twice, deciding it'd be a perfect early-birthday gift for me!
I read it one sitting -- until 2am. Manning's story did not surprise me as much as help me connect all the dots between the bits and pieces of self-disclosure I'd read in his other books. I was sad to hear so much suffering in his life, so much heartache, so many failures. And I was a bit nervous to turn each page, afraid to discover the story that would ultimately discredit all that I'd learned from this alcoholic, de-frocked priest. Instead, each sad story, each disappointing relationship, each new discovery of weakness served only to increase the man's credibility as a ragamuffin -- and now an aging, ailing man -- in need of grace. His stark, naked transparency about his own history as a liar and a drunk made only one thing glaringly true: all is grace, indeed.
I read it one sitting -- until 2am. Manning's story did not surprise me as much as help me connect all the dots between the bits and pieces of self-disclosure I'd read in his other books. I was sad to hear so much suffering in his life, so much heartache, so many failures. And I was a bit nervous to turn each page, afraid to discover the story that would ultimately discredit all that I'd learned from this alcoholic, de-frocked priest. Instead, each sad story, each disappointing relationship, each new discovery of weakness served only to increase the man's credibility as a ragamuffin -- and now an aging, ailing man -- in need of grace. His stark, naked transparency about his own history as a liar and a drunk made only one thing glaringly true: all is grace, indeed.
All is grace. The title is simple, the words in a way feel inadequate, yet it is the essence of this book. I’ve often said it is a dangerous thing to meet or learn about people one admires. We tend to create an idea of a person that is unrealistic and are disappointed when we discover they are human like the rest of us after all. Manning has long been open about some of his weaknesses, most notably his battle with alcoholism. I suspect there are more shortcomings he does not share. These shortcomings actually make the point more poignant, more real, more true. God loves us the way we are, not the way we should be, because none of us are as we should be.