One of my favorite authors was in town this past Friday and Saturday, Brennan Manning. If you aren't familiar with him, you should be. Check out either Abba's Child or The Ragamuffin Gospel. The man has an incredible message, and for me to try to sum it up would be to massacre it. Your next book should be one of these.
So, I go to hear him (thank you, Saint Andrew's Methodist Church for hosting him free-to-the-public). He is getting on in years, but still has a ministry and a message. Unfortunately, he's been dealing with a few health problems lately. He had two eye surgeries and a bad fall within the past few months. He lost 4 pints of blood when he fell. This was his first speaking engagement since October, when these problems began. And after flying in from New Orleans, he had a rough time remembering his points. There were long pauses as he tried to collect his thoughts. It was very awkward for him and for us. The service ended early Friday night.
But here's the thing; the wonderful People of Saith Andrews stepped up and ministered the grace of God to Brennan. Paradoxically, the relentless love and grace of God is a huge part of his message. They prayed for him, loved him, encouraged him. After a good night's sleep, he was back in the saddle and spoke very powerfully on the unconditional love of God Saturday morning. One of his more powerful quotes would be, "God loves us just as we are, not as what we should be, because we will never be what we should be in this life."
Not only did I hear him speak about a God who loves us regardless of performance, I saw that powerful love demonstrated through the church. People loved and blessed this man not because he knocked it out of the park the night before. They loved him and offered healing to him because he was a son of God, a brother. The minister became the needy, and the body of Christ stepped up. As Brennan put it, he was tremendously touched by the professional lovers of Saint Andrews. God the ultimate, relentless lover, must have been most pleased.
