Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 in Review: Jesus Christ is the Scandal of God.

Jesus Christ is the Scandal of God.
the Ragamuffin Gospel & the Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning

Furious Longing was the first Manning book that I picked up and I fell in love with the profound simplicity of Brennan's writing. Furious was the doorway to what God was intending to do with Ragamuffin. Sheesh, what an adventure that is turning out to be.

Ragamuffin easily tops the rest of the books from 2011. Well, it might be tied with another but you'll find out about that soon enough. But without a doubt, I'll be revisiting this book for many years to come. Thankful to God for the journey that book brought me on with Him.

Sometime this past year a good friend of mine took a minute to prophesy over me a very strong word from the Lord. She saw the Lord taking me on a journey that was going to change my life, the way I saw God and it was going to bring monumental amounts of growth for me in the Lord. Little did she know that now as I reflect on this past year all I can do is praise God for the accuracy of that Word.

Here in hinds' sight, He did a work in me that shook me to my core. Little did I know that opening the Ragamuffin Gospel would be the beginning of a journey with the Lord that has changed everything in my life.

"Because we approach the Gospel with preconceived notions of what it should say rather than what it does say, the Word no longer falls like rain on the parched ground of our souls. It no longer sweeps like a wild storm into the corners of our comfortable piety." pg 117, Furious Longing of God

This quote alone speaks volumes about who I was previous to reading Ragamuffin. I loved Jesus, yes. I read my Bible, yes. I went on missions, yes. But the journey He brought me on was one where He opened my eyes to the reality of the Gospel! Beloved, in doing that He made me come ALIVE on the inside! I found a TREASURE of infinite worth in understanding the implications of the Gospel for real! He became to me a source of Joy, of delight and of treasure!

I fell in love ALL over again!

"He has a single relentless stance towards us: He loves us" pg 18, Ragamuffin Gospel

"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it." pg 23, Ragamuffin Gospel

"Jesus Christ is the Scandal of God." pg 101, Ragamuffin Gospel

I'm choosing to not un-pack the quotes above because you deserve a journey of your own in finding out the immeasurable riches of this glorious Gospel!

I only pray that He would do to you what He has done to me and by that I mean, would He simply seize you with His love. {see below}

"Over a hundred years ago in the Deep South, a phrase so common in our Christian culture today, born again, was seldom or never used. Rather, the phrase used to describe breakthrough into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ was, " I was seized by the power of a great affection."' pg 197, Ragamuffin Gospel

May it be so Lord, for Your beautiful name.





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