Brennan Manning

My Life Summed Up

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I think if I had to sum up my life to this point, it would be something like this: if you keep showing up every day with hope and expectation in God, no matter what each day looks like, God will show up big time.

If you keep on keeping on even when it would be easier to quit, then you find out that God hasn’t and can’t and won’t ever quit on you.

Even if all you have is that mustard seed amount of faith, it’s enough, because it’s not about the size of your faith but the size of your God.

Many times, I’ve found that God worked through me when I was not aware of it. In fact, most of the time God used me when I thought all I was doing was showing up and serving in the best way I knew how. I may never know until eternity how something I said or did changed another’s life forever.

If I can, you can. All you need is to keep showing up to your life knowing that God will more than meet you halfway. Your greatest moments may not be preaching to thousands or writing the hit songs or representing Jesus on the world stage. In fact, you may be completely unaware of your impact in this life.

But I know God honors those who honor Him. God rewards those who keep seeking and serving Him, even when they’d rather be somewhere else doing something else.

God can take the two fish and five loaves of your life and break it and multiply it to minister to the multitudes. You might not see the leftover baskets on this side of heaven, but trust me that they are there.

My life may not have gone according to plan, but that’s okay. It’s going according to God’s plan, and that’s way better.

A Blast from the Past

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I posted something on the socials for the first time 9 years ago. Today, I was reminded why I posted it (and reposted it a few years later). It speaks to the heart of true masculinity versus toxic masculinity and a whole lot of other ideas about manhood that involve lots of facial hair and muscles. It’s from Brant Hansen, who has a refreshingly unique take on Jesus and a lot of other things:

“A twitter hashtag about masculinity got me to thinking: If I’m to be a man like Jesus, what will I be like?

I will be a healer.
I will defend the powerless.
I’ll absolutely frighten and enrage the self-righteous.
I won’t be impressed by those with celebrity, credentials, or power.
I’ll be tremendously patient with people, well beyond what they “deserve”.
I will not take advantage of women.
And I’ll take them seriously.
I’ll subjugate my ego for the benefit of others.
The government will consider me, and my kind, a threat.
The religious power structure will consider me, and my kind, a threat.
I’ll attract people with bad reputations, and the seemingly worthless.
I’ll welcome children.
I will exhibit meekness – power, under control. And whatever power I do have will not be used to crush people, but to set people free.”

False Fall/Second Summer

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I got my hopes up when it got cooler for a bit a few weeks ago. I actually thought for a second that we might be getting an early fall. Then it got hot again, and I sweated to death. I should know better by now.

Every year toward the end of summer, we get a tease of Autumn, a kind of sneak preview of fall that lasts long enough to tempt the weak and feint of heart that fall might actually be here. But those who are old enough and have lived in Tennessee long enough know what’s up.

Inevitably, the first actual day of fall will be hot. People will wear sweaters and flannel anyway. I will see them in their sweaters and flannel and sweat even more in a vicarious “I’m sweating on your behalf” way.

The worst is seeing all the pumpkin spice everywhere. All good people know that pumpkin spice doesn’t taste right when it’s over 90 degrees. Pumpkins are for sweater weather, not sweaty weather. And definitely not for swear weather when it’s so hot outside you want to yell swear words at the sky, but then there are probably little kids hunting for pumpkins.

Fall is still my favorite. No humidity, no bugs, and all those wonderful Autumn scents that float in the air. Plus all my favorite holidays live there (and yes, I count Christmas in with fall because it’s not really winter in Tennessee until January).

At least we’re in the ‘ber months. Those are my favorites.

10 Years Later

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Technically, it was 10 years and about three weeks that The Church at Avenue South officially launched at 2510 8th Ave S. In some ways, it seems like only yesterday, but in other ways, it seems like a lifetime ago.

The familiar story is that we were told by those in the know that we could never hope to find a suitable facility for worship in the Melrose/Berry Hill area. Not only did we find one back in 2014, we found another permanent home in 2022.

The hero of this story is God. While there have been so many people working selflessly and giving of their time, talents and treasures for the sake of building the Kingdom of God in Nashville, God is the one who blessed our efforts. He’s the one who keeps adding to our numbers through salvations that can have no other explanation other than God.

I’m thankful for Godly leadership under Aaron Bryant and staff both past and present, including Matthew Page, Hunter Melton, Bill Ferrell, Meg Nelson, Shannon Moore, Alex Rose, Nic Gonzales, and many others. We are living proof that miracles still happen, and that God still loves and saved sinners.

I’m blessed to have been able to play a small part in it. All those Serving Saturdays and Deacons Meetings and Christmas and Easter services are forever etched in my memory. Plus, being a regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church with 8 sister campuses has been a blessing.

I still believe the theme song for our current season is “God of This City” recorded by Chris Tomlin:

“You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city” (Aaron Boyd / Andrew Mccann / Ian Jordan / Peter Comfort / Peter Kernaghan / Richard Bleakley)

Back to the Lost Art of Porch Sitting

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A few months back I wrote about the joys of front porch sitting. Today, I had the chance to fulfill that wish in real time. I was able to sit in an honest to goodness rocking chair on an honest to goodness front porch and look down that winding gravel road.

Honestly, I’m not very good at it yet. I think I — like so many of us — am programmed with the urge to look at my device instead of looking up. But I think I’m getting better at it. I was able to put my phone face down and simply bask in the breezes blowing all around me.

Thankfully, it wasn’t 1000 degrees outside this time. I even thought for a moment that it might rain, which would have been especially pleasant sitting on that porch under a tin roof with the rain coming down. But alas, that didn’t happen.

Lots of houses still have front porches, but I rarely see anyone taking the time to sit on their front porch. We’re probably in the busiest time in the history of the world with people accomplishing the least (or at least hardly anything of true significance). We are slaves to the tyranny of the urgent (which is a great little book that everyone should read at some point).

But sitting on a front porch is simply the art of doing nothing. It’s choosing to exist in the moment that God made like Martha who chose to sit at Jesus’ feet rather than worry about so many distracting and competing tasks. And yes, I know that Mary also did a good thing in being a good host but Martha chose the better way.

It takes practice to sit on a front porch well. You almost have to retrain your brain for the slower rhythm and learn to see everything again. You almost have to become a little child again (although I don’t know too many little children who are good at sitting still for long periods of time) by remembering the art of awe and wonder at God’s creation.

From now on, I want to waste as much time as I can sitting on front porches, especially on near fall-like days like today.

One Final CAFO Takeaway

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I was able to attend the final session of the CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans) 2024 conference for which I was a volunteer. It was an incredible experience hearing from MaryBeth Chapman about the journey of adoption through grief and healing and beyond. Then I heard an amazing sermon that I’m still processing. I don’t remember the name of the preacher, but the message hit home.

Basically, Caesar issued a dirty decree that made all the inhabitants of the Roman world go back to their ancestral hometown to be registered (so that he could later raise their taxes significantly). It was a hardship for many, especially Joseph and Mary, who was with child at the time.

But God used that dirty decree to accomplish His own divine decree, born before the foundation of the world and prophesied 700 years before Caesar made his decree. Caesar was the instrument God used to accomplish the purpose of bringing Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would arise from that little town.

I know that in the world of adoption and fostering and raising children, there are so many trials and tribulations of adoptions falling through and tragic losses and raising children that have come out of horrific abuse situations that so many must navigate with heavy hearts. But I see more and more that God is working behind it all to accomplish something bigger than any of us can yet comprehend that would blow our mind if we could see the way God sees.

I look back and see that me being out of a job enabled me to participate in this conference as a volunteer where I would normally have not been able. I could not have foreseen this back in February, but God already knew. God’s plan means there is a purpose for my pain and a special joy for me if I will step out in faith and join Him in the journey He has for me.

God is not surprised by my setbacks or my (occasional) stupidity. He’s factored those into His plan. In fact, Romans 8:28-30 says, “We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. God knew from the beginning who would put their trust in Him. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son. Christ was first and all those who belong to God are His brothers. He called to Himself also those He chose. Those He called, He made right with Himself. Then He shared His shining-greatness with those He made right with Himself” (Romans 8:28-30, NLV).

Ultimately, the goal is to be like Jesus and to know that He is coming back. We will see the grand purpose in God’s plan, knowing that behind every dirty decree is a divine decree of God directing us toward His perfect will for us.

Giving Your Battles to God

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“… there’s some of us up tonight who can just thank God we’re not the mistakes we’ve made,
we’re not the plans that have failed,
we’re not the wrongs we have done.
We aren’t forgotten, aren’t abandoned, aren’t alone.
Because You, Lord, say to the lost: ‘Come.’
You say to the Unlikely: ‘Beloved.’
You say to the Battle Weary: ‘Rest.’
You say: ‘Take every battle to the air in prayer — so your God can take over your battles on earth.’
In a hard and beautiful world,
Your grace, Lord, is the only relief for our tired souls.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

#SharingPrayerTogether” (Ann Voskamp).

The battle belongs to the Lord.

CAFO2024

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Sometimes, you can go back. Almost.

This time, it was the Christian Alliance for Orphans (or CAFO) conference held at Brentwood Baptist Church. It was basically 13 years after the first time I volunteered for a CAFO conference.

I truly believe that if you are pro-life, you are pro-adoption and pro-fostering. The best way to show that we care for unborn babies is to keep caring for them once they’re born, especially if they’re born into unfortunate circumstances.

One of the few upsides of being unemployed is that I now have the free time to volunteer. I can be a part of something that’s bigger than me and make a difference (and possibly turn it into a career down the road). While that last part isn’t exactly super realistic, it’s not impossible.

One of my favorite parts so far is seeing the incredible diversity of the people who are attending. It’s like a small taste of heaven where there will be people from every tribe, tongue, ethnicity, race, and nation represented and bound together in worship to Jesus.

I’ve heard that one of the best ways to deal with stress/trauma/grief is to go and do for others. One of the best kinds of therapy is to serve others as a way of taking your mind off your own world for a bit. I’m not saying every single person is 100% ready nor that serving will make all your problems magically go away, but it does give a bit of perspective to step outside of yourself for a bit.

For me, the motivation is partly to recapture some of the magic from last time. I also believe in what CAFO is doing around the world. I also can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

This is not a humble brag about how great and selfless I am, but really a shameless plug for CAFO and an encouragement for you to go and find a place to serve not to get anything out of it but because of the joy of serving and most of all because God is worth it.

What God Gives

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I would love clarity, answers, and above all a road map. Although I’m not quite in Job’s shoes in terms of tragic losses, I sometimes can relate to His questions of God’s silence and hiddenness.

But what I often forget (and what Job eventually learned) was that God doesn’t so much give answers as He gives Himself. In the long run, that’s better. After all, I’m not always the best at asking the right questions or focusing on the right things.

Right answers and clear thinking and even a five-year plan without God’s immediate presence do me no good. I’d screw it up or try to subvert the process to get to the end quicker. And as I’ve learned sin is taking my own shortcut to God’s promises and/or trying to get God’s provisions apart from God.

So much of what God wants from me in this season means slowing down and really seeping in each day instead of wanting to rush on to the next big event or the next holiday. Lately, I’ve been actually hungering for the Word of God instead of reading it as part of my rote routine.

I think God gets us all to a point where we have to lean on Him and learn from Him for as long as it takes to get us weaned from ourselves and our own self-help. He puts us in a season where all our theoretical head knowledge about God becomes lived-out experience and love for God. Basically, we find out what “Jesus loves me, this I know” really means.

Take your time, God. As much as I really would love to have clarity and answers and a detailed plan for my life, what I need right now is You. Just You.

Burdens

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I wonder how many of us are carrying secret burdens because we have this mentality of “I don’t want to be a burden to anyone else” and “I have to bear this alone.”

I do think that’s one of the negative consequences of this kind of Lone Ranger/ pull yourself up by your own bootstraps kind of individualized American Christianity. Not only is it okay to share your burdens, it’s actually commanded both bear one another’s burdens.

That means you occasionally take someone else’s burden. Also, that means that another sometimes takes your burden. It works both ways. Not only are you making your own life harder by bearing unnecessary burdens but you also deprive someone else of the joy of fulfilling God’s command in that way.

That’s the most tangible way we have of showing our love for each other. And oh, by the way, how we love each other is the greatest witness to the saving power of Christ and the gospel that we have. The early Church turned the known world upside down by how they loved each other. Also by how they loved their neighbors but mainly by their sacrificial love for each other.

My prayer is that churches become places where we can unburden and find rest, not a place where more burdens are added. Part of it starts with the Church but part of it starts with you and I being willing to share our burden and let it be known that we’re struggling instead of the pat answer of “I’m fine” whenever anyone asks how we’re doing.

I think when I let you share my burden and you share mine, we learn a little more of what it means when Jesus bore all our burdens to Calvary. We understand more of what it means about His yoke is easy to carry and His burden is light. And the world sees a love that it simply cannot resist.