RATED 4 HEARTS
"The gospel of grace announces: Forgiveness precedes repentance. The sinner is accepted before he pleads for mercy. It is already granted. He need only receive it. Total amnesty. Gratuitous pardon." (from book)
THE PRODIGAL
A Ragamuffin Story
by
Brennan Manning
and
Greg Garrett
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
October 28th 2013
by
Zondervan
OVERVIEW
(from Goodreads)
From the inspirational
author of The Ragamuffin Gospel comes a powerful contemporary retelling
of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jack Chisholm is 'the people's
pastor.' He leads a devoted and growing megachurch, has several
best-selling books, and a memorable slogan, 'We have got to do better.'
Jack knows how to preach, and he understands how to chastise people into
performing. What he doesn't know is anything about grace. This year,
when it comes time for the Christmas sermon, the congregation at Grace
Cathedral will look to the pulpit, and Jack will not be there. Of
course, they will have seen plenty of him already---on the news. After
an evening of debauchery that leads to an affair with his beautiful
assistant, Jack Chisholm finds himself deserted with chilling swiftness.
The church elders remove him from his own pulpit. His publisher
withholds the royalties from his books. Worst of all, his wife
disappears with their eight-year-old daughter. But just as Jack is
hitting bottom, hopeless and penniless, drinking his way to oblivion,
who should appear but his long-estranged father, imploring his prodigal
son: 'Come home.' A true companion piece to The Ragamuffin Gospel, The
Prodigal illustrates the power of grace through the story of a broken
man who finally saw Jesus not because he preached his greatest sermon or
wrote his most powerful book, but because he failed miserably. Jack
Chisholm lost everything---his church, his family, his respect, and his
old way of believing---but he found grace. It's the same grace that
Brennan Manning devoted his life to sharing: profound in nature and
coming from a God who loves us just as we are, and not as we should be.
REVIEW
Jack Chisholm, "the people's pastor" was the pastor of a very large church. It wasn't anything for Jack to have a congregation of 4000+, not counting his TV worshipers. Jack knows how to preach, how to chastise people into doing right. What he doesn't understand is grace. But, he had failed all of them, the congregation, his wife and his daughter. Everything that was important to him is lost. He is homeless, penniless and drinking to the extreme. He is lost. His personal assistant, Sally had been his downfall. He had committed adultery.
Jack hadn't talked to his father in years. Whenever he thought of his father he got angry. His childhood had been full of misery, because of his father.
Tom Chisholm, is terminally ill. He gets in touch with his son and asks him to come home. He wants desperately to have a relationship with him before it's too late..
The message is that no matter how bad we've sinned, God forgives. You just have to receive it.
The author tells the very important message of forgiveness, love and grace. The Prodigal can change the ways and thinking of a person that is willing to change. Jack didn't find God because he preached good but because he had failed miserably. He had lost everything but he found the important thing, and that is grace. I would recommend this book to anyone that is troubled. The book is full of love, forgiveness,warmth and grace. Sometimes we have to fall to stand tall.
I would give this book 4 HEARTS.
I was given a complimentary copy of THE PRODIGAL by Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett from Booksneeze for my uncompensated view.
The author tells the very important message of forgiveness, love and grace. The Prodigal can change the ways and thinking of a person that is willing to change. Jack didn't find God because he preached good but because he had failed miserably. He had lost everything but he found the important thing, and that is grace. I would recommend this book to anyone that is troubled. The book is full of love, forgiveness,warmth and grace. Sometimes we have to fall to stand tall.
I would give this book 4 HEARTS.
I was given a complimentary copy of THE PRODIGAL by Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett from Booksneeze for my uncompensated view.
BRENNAN MANNING
“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.”
― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY BRENNAN MANNING
- The Prodigal (November 2013)
- All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir
- Smack Dab in the Middle of God’s Love
- Patched Together (A Story of My Story)
- Souvenirs of Solitude
- The Furious Longing of God
- Above All
- Abba’s Child
- A Glimpse of Jesus: Stranger to Self-Hatred
- Journey of the Prodigal
- The Wisdom of Tenderness
- Ruthless Trust: The Way of the Ragamuffin
- The Boy Who Cried Abba: A Parable of Trust and Acceptance
- Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus
- Signature of Jesus
- The Ragamuffin Gospel
- Reflections for Ragamuffins: A Daily Devotional
- Posers, Fakers and Wannabes
- The Rabbi’s Heartbeat
- The Importance of Being Foolish
GREG GARRETT
LINKS
http://bemiown.blogspot.com
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18012379-the-prodigal
http://www.shelfari.com/books/36314590/The-Prodigal-A-Ragamuffin-Story
http://www.amazon.com/The-Prodigal-A-Ragamuffin-Story/dp/0310339006
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