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All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 499 ratings · 95 reviews

It has been over twenty years since the publication of The Ragamuffin Gospel, a book many claim as the shattering of God’s grace into their lives. Since that time, Brennan Manning has been dazzingly faithful in preaching and writing variations on that singular theme – “Yes, Abba is very fond of you!”But today the crowds are gone and the lights are dim, the patches on his k...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by David C. Cook (first published January 1st 2011)

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May 03, 2013 Todd Wilhelm rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an autobiography of Brennan Manning. While reading it I was moved to tears, not something I am prone to do. I can give no better recommendation.

"My life is a witness to vulgar grace - a grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands, or...more This is an autobiography of Brennan Manning. While reading it I was moved to tears, not something I am prone to do. I can give no better recommendation.

"My life is a witness to vulgar grace - a grace that amazes as it offends. A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five. A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands, or buts. A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying thief's request - "Please, remember me" - and assures him, "You bet!" A grace that is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who left His Father's side not for heaven's sake but for our sakes, yours and mine. This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything of us. It's not cheap. It's free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility. Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover. Grace is enough. He is enough. Jesus is enough.

John, the disciple Jesus loved, ended his first letter with this line: "Children, be on your guard against false gods." In other words, steer clear of any god you can comprehend. Abba's love cannot be comprehended. I'll say it again: Abba's love cannot be comprehended."
-pages 122-123

"One Christmas- I must have been ten years old - I spent some time walking the creaky wooden floors of Woolworth's five-and-dime searching for a gift for my mother. I happened upon a little notepad, the kind people used to keep beside telephones. It was multicolored, pastels of pink and green and blue. I'd never seen anything like it. I thought it was gorgeous, surely something that would thrill my mother. Christmas morning came, and we were all there-my parents and grandparents, my brother and sister and me. As my mother began opening my gift, I held my breath in anticipation. She tore the wrapping paper away and just stared at the notepad. "What in God's name am I gonna do with this? What a waste of money!" After what felt like an eternity where all eyes in the room were on me, my mother tossed me the pad, and the Mannings moved on to other gifts. I felt like I'd purchased the Hope Diamond for her, but it wasn't enough. I just didn't understand. I was crushed."
-page 39

""What is the telltale sign of a trusting heart?"

I cannot remember when I wrote it or what might have prompted the question. Yet it is there, evidence of a ragamuffin's lifelong wondering. Here is my answer, the answer that is, as Thomas Merton wrote, "the 'Yes' which brings Christ into the world."

A trusting heart is forgiven and, in turn, forgives.

I know that's true because of an experience I had on a November day in 2003. My mother had been dead and gone for close to ten years. As I was praying about other things, her face flashed across the window of my mind. It was not a worn face like that of an old mother or grandmother, but a child's face. I saw my mother as a little six-year-old girl kneeling on the windowsill of the orphanage in Montreal. Her nose was pressed against the glass; she was begging God to send her a mommy and daddy who would whisk her away and love her without condition. As I looked, I believe I finally saw my mother; she was a ragamuffin too. And all my resentment and anger fell away.

The little girl turned and walked toward me. As she drew closer, the years flew by and she stood before me and aged woman. She said, "You know, I messed up a lot when you were a kid, But you turned out okay." Then my mother did something she'd never done before in her life, never once. She kissed me on the lips and on both cheeks. At that moment I knew that the hurt between my mother and me was real and did matter, but that it was okay. The trusting heart gives a second chance; it is forgiven and, in turn, forgives. I looked at my mother and said, "I forgive you." She smiled and said, "I guess sometimes you do get what you ask for.""
pages 123-124(less)

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May 02, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-life-and-spirituality, biography-memoir

This "review" is simply a pasting of my blog post on this book - http://davehershey.wordpress.com/2012...

Sometimes I get tired of being a Christian, let alone a pastor.

I struggle with doubt: Is God really there or when I pray am I just talking to myself?

I struggle with cynicism: American Christianity is really arguing about ______? Really!?

I struggle with feelings of inadequacy: If only I was as talented/gifted/intelligent/personable/etc. as ________, then I’d be a better campus minister.

Then I...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Thomas Holbrook rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was reminded in this book of one of the best first lines in any novel I have read; “I am a Christian because of Owen Meany” (A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Random House Publishing Group, 1990). Reading this present book spoke of a similar reality for me - the way I seek to follow Christ is due, to a large degree, because of Brennan Manning. I have never personally met Fr. Manning, nor have I had opportunity to “share my heart” with him; I have only had the privilege of him sharing hi...more I was reminded in this book of one of the best first lines in any novel I have read; “I am a Christian because of Owen Meany” (A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Random House Publishing Group, 1990). Reading this present book spoke of a similar reality for me - the way I seek to follow Christ is due, to a large degree, because of Brennan Manning. I have never personally met Fr. Manning, nor have I had opportunity to “share my heart” with him; I have only had the privilege of him sharing his heart with me. Such vulnerability, honesty and sound theology as he sets forth in his writings have caused me to examine my life and how I understand Christ in ways that have resulted in my being deeply changed.
After reading most (all?) of his books, I felt that Fr. Manning was being modest when he stated he “understood ragamuffins (liars, thieves, scoundrels, all around booger-heads) because I am one.” He states, repeatedly in all of his works, that God “loves us as we are, not as we should be,” that God delights in us because God’s loves us (not loves us AFTER we delight Him) and Grace in beyond understanding so all one can do is accept it. A message that is much needed in a culture that is filled with a desire to “find” fulfillment, acceptance and completion (not a bad “to do list” at that). What sets Fr. Manning apart from most of the writers who try to relate a similar message is that he is being honest when he states that he “understands” ragamuffins because he truly is one.
If anyone has any doubt of the reality of his being “despicable,” reading this memoir will erase any hint that Fr. Manning was using poetic license when he speaks of his relationship to his need for Grace. He details, in his usual clear, precise prose, just how much of a betrayer to Christ he been all while seeking with no little effort to become more like that Nazarene Rabbi.
Beginning at his birth (a good place to begin an autobiography), he gives the particulars of being born to a mother who, “prayed for a girl” (p. 37) and got Richard Manning (he changed his name to Brennan upon his solemn vows as a Franciscan Priest). He felt unwanted, literally, from his birth and that sense of not being “enough,” of lacking an undefined “something” has informed the remainder of his life. He showed promise as a writer while he was in high school and entered college toward becoming a sports writer only to drop out that the beginning of his sophomore year to join the Marine Corps. By that time (age 20) he was a seasoned drinker, having started following the footsteps of his father and grandfather into heavy drinking when he was 16. By the time he was 20, he had the nick name of Funnel, which was fitting given he was drinking “a dozen or so beers every night, five nights a week, a pint of rye whiskey every other day and often a liter of sake once a week.” (p. 76). This was but the beginning of his a life-long relationship with alcohol but the most profound relationship began when, after leaving college again (after leaving the Marine Corps) to enter a Franciscan monastery.
He was unsure why he entered the Monastery beyond he wanted something “more” than awards and fame out of life. A week after entering he was ready to leave, “I decided that I had given God a sporting chance” (p. 90). Before leaving, he stopped by the chapel on the way to tell the head friar “so long.” While there, he began praying the 14 Stations of the Cross; the first 11 took him but a few moments, he was at the Twelfth for 3 hours and that “moment” was to set the course for the rest of his life.
He has spoken to thousands of people of the possibility of a relationship with God that exceeds all expectations, of a God who wants to be known as “Daddy” (Abba), of Grace that surpasses all real or perceived short comings, lacking, sin or judgment and accepts ALL ragamuffins, of whom Brennan Manning could be considered chief.
Because of his drinking, he lost his marriage, was in an alcoholic blackout during his mother’s funeral and is now incapacitated due to Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, a brain disorder caused by thymine deficiency common to alcoholics. The man who speaks so eloquently of God’s acceptance and love has a front row seat in understanding what that truly means, as he, in his own estimation, is in greatest need for it. Thanks be to God that mercy and grace in boundless.
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Dec 26, 2011 Ben Zajdel rated it 5 of 5 stars

All is Grace is Brennan Manning's long awaited autobiography, which he agreed to publish five years ago. It isn't the most complete account of his life, but it's written with the heart and soul that Manning brings to all of his works. His life truly reflects what he has told others countless times throughout his life: "God loves you just as you are, not as you should be."

Manning recounts his life from his childhood, giving special attention to his mother and father, and how their influence affec...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Josh Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review first appeared on my blog, Jacob's Café (http://jacobscafe.blogspot.com/2011/1...).

Brennan Manning has long emphasized the importance of grace and God's unconditional love. His speaking and books have touched thousands, if not millions. While I have heard wonderful things about him, I realized I have never actually read any of his works. So my first direct encounter with Manning was through his memoir, All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir.

This book is an exemplar of the power of grace t...more This review first appeared on my blog, Jacob's Café (http://jacobscafe.blogspot.com/2011/1...).

Brennan Manning has long emphasized the importance of grace and God's unconditional love. His speaking and books have touched thousands, if not millions. While I have heard wonderful things about him, I realized I have never actually read any of his works. So my first direct encounter with Manning was through his memoir, All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir.

This book is an exemplar of the power of grace through all circumstances and actions. I was not aware of Manning's history and controversy, although the fact that he has kept and grown in his faith through it all makes me respect him even more so. I think his mantra that God loves us as we are, not as we should be is profound, simple, complex, and deeply meaningful. This reminder can remove shame, which inhibits change, and moves us toward openness and freedom to love God and accept love from God.

An element that particularly stood out over the course of this book was the clear way human relationships affect our relationship with God. The psychological community interested in spirituality have described this in terms of God image. However, Manning's experience with his mother, father, grandparents, siblings, church, and wife vividly demonstrate the power of how we may trust God more or less based on our ability to trust other. And even more so, how much we are willing to believe God loves us because others have or have not loved us.

While only God can love perfectly, this is an important reminder to consistently engage in loving acts and love people as they are. This helps them see the face of God, which is the ultimate evangelism. Manning has done just that for innumerable people.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”(less)

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May 30, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

As Yancey says in the forward: "I heard the details of Brennan's life: his loveless childhood, his marathon search for God, his marriage and divorce, his lies and cover-ups, his continuing struggles with alcohol addiction. As you read this memoir, you may be tempted, as I was, to think, 'Oh, what might have been...if Brennan hadn't given in to drink.' I urge you to reframe the thought to, 'Oh, what might have been...if Brennan hadn't discovered grace.'"

At times this book was painful when I'd let...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Rachel N rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-memoir

I was impacted by Manning's vulnerability and willingness to share such raw emotions and heart-wrenching incidents from his life (particularly from his childhood). The description of his vivid, life-altering encounter with Jesus back in 1958 was deeply moving. "All is grace" could not be more true - reminds me of Martin Luther's revelation that we are all "saved by grace" (a revelation that led him to action, ushering in a cultural reformation). There is no doubt that I certainly need an ever-de...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Relstuart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, faith

"As a writer I live in daily awareness of how much easier it is to edit a book than edit a life. When I write about what I believe and how I should live, it sounds neat and orderly. When I try to live it out, all hell breaks loose. Reading Brennan's memoir, I see something of a reverse pattern. By focusing on the flaws, he leaves out many of the triumphs. I keep wanting him to tell the stories tha...t would put him in a good light, and there are many. Choosing full disclosure in a narrative that...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Robb Ryerse rated it 5 of 5 stars

If your life were to be summed up in a single sentence, what would it be? If you could encapsulate all that you have experienced, all that you have tried to pass on to your children and others, all that your life has been about in a few words, which would you choose?

How about these:

God loves me unconditionally, as I am and not as I should be.

Could that impossibility be true? It seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? It sounds so unfair, so unrestrained, so unqualified. It sounds so much like we...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Peter D'Souza rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 sponta...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Rudolph P. Boshoff rated it 4 of 5 stars

It just doesn't matter how many times Brennan repeats the epitaph of his same old mantra he always makes it seem new. On page 193-194 he relates that Grace...:

"is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus Christ, who left His Father's side not for heaven's sake but for our sakes. yours and mine. This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion. It works without asking anything from us. It's not cheap. It's free, and such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Nicki M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abuse, alltimefavourites, american, audiobook, biography, brennan-manning, for-review, memoir, read-in-2011, relationships

I really don’t know where to start as this is a tremendous memoir by an amazing man. I have thoroughly enjoyed this audio and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys memoirs/biographies. As Brennan himself says he is a survivor and is very honest about his life. It is upsetting at times but very inspirational throughout.
I identified with his Irish Catholic roots and the baggage accompanying it, something I haven’t really thought about much before, but which makes a lot of sense.
Maurice England...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Rocki S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read Brennan's books in the past, my favorite being The Furious Longing of God. This book being a memoir, I was really interested to know more of Brennan Manning, the man behind these amazing books.

What I found was a man who himself struggles with everyday life and himself. There were times I grew to dislike him as he exposed his vices and troubles. The dumb things he's said and done that sabotaged his family and himself. The moments of self imposed piety that put him above all others...th...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Mark Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first book of Brennan Manning's that I read was perhaps also his most popular and powerful, The Ragamuffin Gospel. I read it at just the right time, as a young Christian teen who was living in an abusive home. Never before had I heard the message of the love of God so clearly. If you haven't read it, run to the bookstore or surf over to Amazon - NOW.

In All Is Grace, 77-year-old Manning offers his memoirs in his final book. We have heard bits and pieces about Brennan's alcoholism before, in o...more

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May 03, 2013 Rich Johnston rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Have just finished reading "All is grace" Brutally honest autobiography by Brennan Manning. A mingling of sadness and astonishment. Sadness because he struggled with alcoholism all his life. Eventually he died of an alcohol related illness. Astonishment because the message of grace that was in Him was punchy, powerful and life-giving. God loves us as we are and not as we should be. Because not one of us is as we should be. Relief is one of the most amazing gifts of the gospel. The relief of bein...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Christopher rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Brennan Manning's farewell book really got to me. Through most of the book, I thought it was interesting to read his life story and that the book was "okay." Then as it all came together into a final challenge from the author, made more poignant by the insight into his life that the chapters before gave me, his message hit hard and I thought, "This book is really good!." Then the poem at the end made me cry and closed the deal...THIS BOOK WILL BOTH ENCOURAGE AND HAUNT ME FOR A LONG TIME TO...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Suzzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

A brutally honest and somewhat disturbing account of the life of Brennan Manning. There is not exalting in accomplishments here. In this book, the author communicates the regrets he is experiencing--now at the end of his life--due to poor choices, alcoholism, and the human condition. He balances that with his constant knowledge of His Abba Father's constant presence and love, regardless of his failings.

This book was a little disturbing to me because it made me look at my own life and take stock...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book reminded me that only people who wrestle constantly with their flesh can TRULY know what Grace is and delight in it. It is ALSO a reminder to me of how we can encourage one another, but no man or woman should EVER be lifted up as Jesus.
Brennan Manning was a very human human. It makes me love him all the more that he revealed these things about himself. Most preachers keep them hidden. As if portraying yourself as something you're not is the way to show others Christ.
I see the grace o...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Bob Eckel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This memoir is a reminder to all of us that Grace is universal, it is available to all, regardless of the situation or circumstances. The forward by Philip Yancy ends with a Leonard Cohen poem,

Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.

Brennan Manning shares many of his cracks and the light of Christ shines in. He shares his failures and pitfalls with openness and honesty, all the while acknowledging the grace of Go...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Rick Kalbach rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Richard Manning and later as a Catholic Priest changed his first name to Brennan.
Story of his account from childhood to adult of turbulent upbringing of an alcoholic father, a mother who was abusive and his struggle with the deep lies that he came to believe about himself. These lies robbing him of a life of true worth as God sees him.
The power of our words and actions and how they can wound deeply and for a long time, even for a lifetime.
It is about lies we all believe about ourselves, some mo...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you have ever felt 'too bad to be loved', 'too much of a sinner to deserve forgiveness', 'too lost to be worthwhile' - or any other number of excuses, take heart.

Brennan Manning is a defrocked priest, divorced, an alcoholic. Yet God loves him with a depth, ferocity and tenderness that is beyond explanation. Fr. Manning reminds us, in what will likely be his last book, that NONE of us are deserving of God's great love.

Yet God loves us anyway.

In a world filled with bitterness, anger, rage, murd...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Rebecca Spooner rated it 5 of 5 stars

What struck me most about this memoir was realizing that Brennan was in and out of his addiction to alcohol all of his life. I heard him speak in Conway in the late 90s. It was nice to physically see him but his talks were simply parts of his books cut and pasted together. I learned from his memoir that he was drinking to black out stage during this time.
I am going blank on the mind disorder that he currently has, but it is a result of years of alcohol abuse and dependence. For me, this made his...more

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Jul 04, 2012 J.E. Jr. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir

I really liked Manning’s memoir, and found it to be a great encouragement to me, both as a writer and as a minister.

When I was in college, Manning’s books (especially Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging) were in vogue with my fellow Young Life leaders, but I never quite got around to reading as much of him as my peers. Still, I was deeply aware of the sense of personal brokenness and need that was present in this man’s rich writings, and I valued that...more

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Dec 09, 2012 David Holdsworth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is nothing short of moving. It is in fact more of a confession than a memoir. Brennan is brutally honest about the troubles in his life, the brokenness and sin. It is this kind of honesty the church and the world needs. Although from time to time it seemed as if he was promoting some kind of Universalislm that I'm not sure I would go along with (attractive as it may be), he none the less does constantly point to God's infinite Grace. Like the book title says: ALL IS GRACE.

Benson in his...more

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May 03, 2013 Jaimee rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think it's in our human nature to go into an autobiographical book with a sense that we're going to see pain, and then triumph; disappointment, and then success; death, and then life. If that's what I had been expecting by reading All Is Grace, I was sorely mistaken. And gratefully so.

Brennan Manning's life has been anything but pretty. He's battled a failed family upbringing, a failed priesthood, a failed marriage, a failed attempt at sobriety. But in the pages of this book, Brennan Manning t...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Jeremy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Bought this on a whim last week; I had read a couple of Manning's books probably 10 years ago (Abba's Child and The Ragamuffin Gospel) and I appreciate his ability to capture an aspect of the Christian idea of grace in brutally simple terms. But if you have, like me, always been a bit concerned by the hint of 'license' in Manning's work on grace, this book will confirm your fears. It's not that he ceases to proclaim the part of the good news that involves God's radical acceptance of us "just the...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Adam Shields rated it 4 of 5 stars

Short review: This is Manning's last book. He is in very poor health and needed someone to help him write this. I have really enjoyed reading last books by people that I respect. If done well, and this one is, then it really can show what is important for that person. There is always a hint of sadness in a last book, but usually at least a hint of hopefulness as well.

This is not a long book (just over 4 hours on audio), but it does a very good job showing why for Manning 'All is Grace'. He live...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Barb Terpstra rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Ragamuffin Gospel many years ago, and so, was interested to read this memoir. Like all of us, Manning has lived a life that has sometimes honored God, and sometimes dishonored God. He has lived his life in the public eye, freely admitting to his failings, and always, always,leaning in on God's grace. I like what is friend, Robert Benson, says in the forward: "in the end, my sin will never outweigh God's love...the prodigal can never outrun the Father...that living a life of faith is not l...more I read Ragamuffin Gospel many years ago, and so, was interested to read this memoir. Like all of us, Manning has lived a life that has sometimes honored God, and sometimes dishonored God. He has lived his life in the public eye, freely admitting to his failings, and always, always,leaning in on God's grace. I like what is friend, Robert Benson, says in the forward: "in the end, my sin will never outweigh God's love...the prodigal can never outrun the Father...that living a life of faith is not lived in the light, it is discovered in the dark". Isn't this so true? It is in the dark that we lean into the Father and find that grace and peace. If only we could learn to extend those twins to all we come in contact with.

Manning grew up with an alcoholic father and a mother who did not express love and pride in him. I am reminded again, how fortunate I have been to have grown up in a home where I was loved, and where love was expressed to me. No home life is ever perfect, but my life is rosy compared to his. Manning had a "Golden World" experience where he found himself in the very heart of Jesus. It is here that he began his life of ministry to God. Some years later, he also began his descent into alcoholism. But God, God, who is still in charge, still uses Manning's weakness to bring strength to others. I don't know if Manning himself would think this, but I think, what courage, to be so vulnerable as to share these sometimes disgusting, and always disappointing, life experiences with complete strangers, and still lead them into God's grace.

There are so many good quotes in this book, some from Manning himself, and some from writers of long ago, or current friends, it's very tempting to include them all in this review. Instead, I'll leave you with this, the message Manning has clung to for 50 years, and one that we can cling to as well:

"God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be,because nobody is as they should be"

His friend, Brother Dominique, said it this way: "Jesus Christ is crazy about you. He loves you just as you are, not as you should be"
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Feb 03, 2013 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great example of no matter how old we get or how many mistakes we make along life's journey God is there for us. Once we have accepted Him we are never again alone. He walks with us along the journey and provides all the grace we need. We don't have to be perfect for Him to love us or accept us. He loves us simply because He created us. The honesty in this book is refreshing! Many people allow you to think they are so good that they would never have messed up. Not the case here. Really enjoyed t...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Kip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good read.
I've always admired Brennan Manning's honest and simple approach to faith. I love the way his life of grace confronts the contention of "cheap grace". I used to believe that grace was defined by its expense. Now, though I will always stand in awe of the cost, I'm persuaded that it is more abundant than water and in many ways similar - the analogy applies better to those of us who live around the Great Lakes :)
It is essential to life and yet so abundant and always available.
This is a gr...more

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About Brennan Manning

Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning (April 27, 1934 – April 12, 2013)was an American author, friar, priest, contemplative and speaker.Born and raised in Depression-era New York City, Manning finished high school, enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and fought in the Korean War. After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania....more

More about Brennan Manning...

Books by Brennan Manning

The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging

Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God

The Signature of Jesus: The Call to a Life Marked by Holy Passion and Relentless Faith

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“Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity—that he loves you in the morning sun and in the evening rain—that he loves you when your intellect denies it, your emotions refuse it, your whole being rejects it. Do you believe that God loves without condition or reservation and loves you this moment as you are and not as you should be.” — 18 people liked it

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title link	preview: All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir
avg rating	preview: All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir Goodreads rating: 4.22 (499 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10894332-all-is-grace?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328763011l/10894332.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10894332-all-is-grace?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir by Brennan Manning[/url]

All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir

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