If God Can Use Brennan Manning ...

Had the privilege of reading through a pre-release of what may well be Brennan Manning's final book, a memoir of his life entitled All is Grace. My friends at David C. Cook sent me a copy. This book will be released this fall in early October, but is available for pre-order on Amazon now. 

I am a huge fan of Brennan Manning's writings. And an even bigger fan of his message.

Manning is a proprieter of the grace of God. His life's message has been that "God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be." (p. 186).

I was enraptured while reading the first book I've read of Brennan's several years ago, his classic Ragamuffin Gospel. He is a true wordsmith, in fact, he could define the word "wordsmith." His ability to write is prolific and more skilled than nearly any author I've read. His focus on the grace of God being our only hope is brilliant and beatiful.

One of my favorite quotes from All is Grace is from Brennan's main mentor Dominique, from his final journal entry. Dominique was the leader of the "Little Brother's of Jesus" of the Franciscan order in Spain:

"All that is not the love of God has no meaning for me. I can truthfully say that I have no interest in anything but the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my word and witness. If He wants it to, my life will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is His concern, not mine. It would be indecent of me to worry about that."

The biggest thought I walked away with after reading Brennan's memoir is - if God can use Brennan Manning, with all of his "notorious" sinfulness, he can surely use any of us!

So thankful that the forgiveness and calling of Christ are available upon His merit and not upon ours!