Loving

Richard Francis Xavier Manning  (April 27, 1934 – April 12, 2013) was known to his faithful readers (including me) as an author, speaker, and contemplative who vulnerably proclaimed the good news of the irresistible grace and unconditional love of God. Much of his public life—his teaching and speaking and writing—began in earnest after he suffered a collapse into alcoholism. Six months of treatment restored his health, placing him on the road to recovery. Book after book followed (including The Ragamuffin Gospel, Abba’s Child, The Signature of Jesus, The Wisdom of Tenderness, Ruthless Trust, and All Is Grace) as invitations to speak and lead spiritual retreats grew significantly...Read more …

Souvenirs of Solitude, Finding Rest in Abba’s Embrace, by Brennan Manning, has been my companion most of this fall. For me, it has lived up to its name as I’ve attempted to carve out moments of solitude and quiet for myself. Through Manning’s own “souvenirs” of reflections I have felt Abba’s embrace and dared to believe and revel in His lavish and “kooky, embarrassing kind of love.” For me. One of His kids. One of His prodigals. One of His “least of these.” These particular reflections of Manning, the street-wise mystic, are reminders that though we are all “ragamuffins” (see...Read more …

(Photo source: Chattanooga Times Free Press) This is Walk the Way, brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. And I’m Pam Klein. At Walgreens the other day, I looked around to see if someone could answer a question. That’s when I saw an older Caucasian man in his wheelchair, smiling and chatting with a younger Muslim woman. I took note – in light of racial tensions in our country, their easy exchange was precious to witness. What a great reminder of what God wants: Shalom – yes, peace. Restored relationships. Courage. Love. Not too long ago, in the...Read more …

In Dave Runyon’s book, The Art of Neighboring, Runyon writes about his journey as a pastor and how that journey led him to his town’s city hall and a meeting with the mayor and the city manager. Neither were Christians. When Runyon asked them what area churches could do to help the city, their answer was simple: start a neighboring program. What did the city officials mean by that? Runyon asked them to clarify. They elaborated: “Shovel snow, rake leaves, you know, do some good deeds for people—people you know. Research shows this impacts a city in a positive way.”...Read more …

Editor’s note. The following is a compilation of Rev. George Byron Koch’s writings from his book, What We Believe and Why. What We Believe and Why started out as a teaching/sermon series for Koch’s own congregation and developed over the course of years into an insightful, plain-spoken and “feisty” book about the Christian faith. After reading the book, I’d say Koch summarizes his entire content well on page 240 when he says, echoing 1st Corinthians, that “Believing the right things is worthless when we are loveless. Faith is empty when it is without love.” And the question he poses at...Read more …

Not too long ago, I heard Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission, speak. I was incredibly impacted by his passionate reminder that God chose to make his appeal to the world through us. The Gospel suffers from an image problem. Christians know how much God loves the world. We know that He is good. We’ve experienced the good news! Yet truth be known, most of the world experiences anything but love and goodness and good news. Most of the world lives in so much darkness. Most of the world lives in so much pain. That is the greatest...Read more …

When my oldest son, Benjamin, arrived home from college on his first break during his freshman year, he brought some friends home, too, anxious for his siblings, dad and me to meet his new brood. We were excited to do the same. Who were these kids we’d seen so much of on Facebook and Instagram? My husband, Jeff, was especially excited—he’d have new people for his standard routine of jokes and stories! Soon after everyone arrived and introductions ended, Jeff began his shenanigans. And as I heard the laughing from his captive audience, my mind couldn’t help flashing back to...Read more …

My eldest son is beginning to discover the great world of good books in college, so you can bet that when he suggested I read one that strongly impacted him, I jumped at the opportunity. Heroes and Monsters, An Honest Look at the Struggle within All of Us, is author Josh James Reibock’s own story exploring the complexities of the life he experiences—indeed the one we also do—a world of contradictions and oxymorons and paradoxes sprinkled only every once-in-a-while with hints of redemption. A world, for sure, that makes it hard for so many to dare to believe in the God of Love....Read more …