A biography written by Brennan Manning about himself and his idea of grace.

Brennan Manning describes his label “Ragamuffin”.

Ragamuffins have a singular prayer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Brennan Manning

Brennan Manning quotes Joseph Conrad to describe how it's sometimes impossible to get the need of somebody else.

It is when we try to grapple with another man’s intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering, and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun. Joseph Conrad in Lord Jim¹⁾

When being completely disapointed of himself, he gets a word from Brother Dominique Voillaume. He also showed him Matthew 5,3 (Blessed are those, who are poor in spirit).

“You are on the threshold of receiving the greatest grace of your life. You are discovering what it means to be poor in spirit. Brother Brennan, it’s okay not to be okay.” Brennan Manning

Dominiques Message was the love of Jesus.

“Jesus Christ is crazy about you. He loves you just as you are, not as you should be.” Brennan Manning

Brennan summarizes it as

It’s okay not to be okay Brennan Manning

Brennan Manning gets into struggles with his alcohol addiction throughout his whole life. He has a long and a short answer for a question asked about that.

It is possible because I got battered and bruised by loneliness and failure; because I got discouraged, uncertain, guilt-ridden, and took my eyes off Jesus. Because the Christ-encounter did not transfigure me into an angel. Because justification by grace through faith means I have been set in a right relationship with God, not made the equivalent of a patient etherized on a table. […] Question: “Brennan, how could you relapse into alcoholism after your Abba encounters?” Answer: “These things happen.” Brennan Manning

But the ultimate realisation should be that christians are just not better.

My highest hope is for all of us to stop trying to fool others by appearing to have our act together. As people living in intimate union with God, we need to become better known for what and who we actually are. Perhaps a good place to begin would be telling the world—before the world does its own investigation—that we’re not as bad as they think. We’re worse. At least I know that I’m worse. Let’s get real. For every mean-spirited, judgmental thing some preacher has said, I’ve thought something nastier, more hateful and more cutting about one of my neighbors. For every alleged act of homophobia by my fellow Christians, I’ve done something stupid to demonstrate my manliness. For every brother or sister whose moral failure has been exposed, I’ve failed privately. No matter how boring followers of Jesus may appear to be to the outsiders, they don’t know the half of it; trust me.… If we really believe the gospel we proclaim, we’ll be honest about our own beauty and brokenness, and the beautiful broken One will make himself known to our neighbors through the chinks in our armor—and in theirs. Fil Anderson, Breaking the Rules (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2010), Page 80–81.

If asked whether I am finally letting God love me, just as I am, I would answer, “No, but I’m trying.” Brennan Manning

Brennan tries to preach the last sermon you will ever need. Some of his thoughts,

God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be. Brennan Manning

Gods grace is,

unfair grace, […], vulgar grace. Brennan Manning