Thoughts on the ragamuffin gospel and the God of Grace

Good morning faithful and dedicated blog reader. I write to you from my living room in a quiet house in Kansas City. Yes, a quiet house. My kids are at their grandparents' house, my wife is on a plane to Colorado as I write (and I go tomorrow, praise Jesus), and I am rained out of work today thanks to a 90 minute shot of moisture yesterday. In other words, I am bringing you a special morning edition of my thoughts. This might be especially bad, but whatever, you're reading it and you're stuck with me. Besides, if you endured my Appalachian is HOT HOT HOT post, and my rants about Mac Powell and Jeremy Camp - you are good to go here.

After dropping Ashley off at the airport this morning, I braved the rush-hour traffic in North Kansas City to head to my favorite little coffee joint: Starbucks. . . . .at the Plaza. . . .so quaint. Amidst the sea of high class business-formal and business-casual apparel wearing corporate job holding Lemmings, I found myself in a nice, comfy chair with an Americano and a scone (can I be serious? I had a scone for breakfast? So manly. . .), my bible and my book, the Ragamuffin Gospel. This was a rare moment for me - time to read, think, and relax. Those times of sipping coffee and reading grow very few and far between as your kids grow (as any parent can attest to). So for just over 100 minutes, I read.

The Ragamuffin Gospel is quickly becoming a landmark book in my life. I was skepticle of this book in the past, mostly because I saw that the foward was by Michael W. Smith. Could this book simply be a fad, or perhaps a fashionable Christian book that most Middle-class suburban dwelling American Christians should read? After all, that's what I marry with Michael W. Smith in my mind.
I'm not here to rip on him, that's just where my mind goes when I see his name: a worship concert full of 40-somethings with pleated slacks, polo shirts, cell phone clips on their belts, and homes in the 'burbs. I am wicked to the core - but I'm right and you know it.

I am only 3 full chapters into the book - scarcely 72 pages - and it has shattered my expectations, and has began to refine my view of Christ. This isn't a "live better lives in 10 steps" book, but it's altering my foundation of faith - returning me to the Christ full of unconditional love and grace; reminding me that the gospel is for the broken and beat up. Brennan Manning has placed me front and center in the Gospel story and his words cut to the heart.

My background has always been the "good guy" - the Christian kid - the church goer - the do gooder, etc. I have, for much of my life, lived the way that "good" people do - not like "those sinners". And I've served the church. And I've gone on missions trips. And I've gone to the inner city. And I've led youth group (and learned to play acoustic guitar like every other Christian guy has at some point). And I've learned how to say the "right things" in the right way. And along the way somewhere, I have a tendency to lose sight of the grace of God.

"God is love" or so the Bible says. But if I am honest with myself, I live believing that God is love IF I do the right stuff, say the right stuff, serve more, act better. It's a flawed perception of Jesus, and I'm finding myself again confronted with the simple and pure message of the Gospel: Jesus loves me, exactly as I am, and I can do nothing to change that love. Manning writes:

"The danger with our good works, spiritual investments, and all the rest of it is that we can construct a picture of ourselves in which we situate our self-worth. Complacency then replaces sheer delight in God's unconditional love. Our doing becomes the very undoing of the ragamuffin gospel."

My "doing" becomes my undoing. Serving to gain His approval? I have it backwards! I have forgotten His love is unconditional, maybe not in my mind, but in my heart. It's a subtle difference - but what a difference! Knowing this love is constant, never-changing, fierce for me - there is peace and rest in it. And ultimately, over all things - the foundation of the Gospel message rings loudest in my ears:

"At the heart of the gospel of grace, the sky darkens, the wind howls, a young man walks up another Moriah in obedience to a God who demands everything and stops at nothing. . . This is the God of the gospel of grace. A God who, out of love for us, sent the only Son He ever had wrapped in our skin. He learned how to walk, stubled and fell, cried for His milk, sweated blood in the night, was lashed with a whip and showered with spit, was fixed to a cross, and died whispering forgiveness on us all."

I'm off to run on this beautiful fall day and to Colorado tomorrow. May your heart be encouraged in the midst of this ever-present, never-ending love from our Gracious Savior. Much, much love to all.