The Furious Longing of God

I'm a week into a two month sabbatical now. It's been very good so far. Our three year old granddaughter spent the week with us, which was great fun. Then on Saturday my parents hosted a family reunion, which gave us a chance to spend time with our children and spouses, as well as our six month old granddaughter, who is a real charmer. In addition we got to see my two sisters, their husbands, and our two nephews and two nieces. All in all, a great week.

My wife gave me a bookstore giftcard for Father's Day. Heading into a bookstore with a giftcard is a peak adventure for me. I browse around the shelves and sort of wait for some title or author to leap off the shelf into my radar range. Bookstores never let me down. The book that made the leap was Brennan Manning's latest - THE FURIOUS LONGING OF GOD. Brennan Manning is a genuinely heartfelt, blindingly candid, crystal clear veteran follower of Jesus. Over the years, Manning's works have kept me focused and sometimes kept me sane. Most of all, they have drawn me close to the heart of God. Within the area of ministry that ignites my passion, the growing of disciples, Manning keeps me aligned with God's deepest desire. Manning is not at home in a church that is most concerned about meeting protecting the comfort and the needs of those already within the church walls. Nor is he at ease with a congregation in a frenzy of market-driven, high attraction, "cutting edge," number inflating. A church and a believer's greatest motivation to reach beyond themselves, Manning believes, is a passionate and real relationship with a God who is passionate about us.

He writes, "The furious longing of God is beyond our wildest desires, our hope or hopelessness, our rectitude or wickedness, neither cornered by sweet talk nor gentle persuasion...It cannot be tamed, boxed, captivated, housebroken, or templebroken. It is simply and startingly Jesus, the effulgence of the Father's love." (THE FURIOUS LONGING OF GOD, page 24.)

Manning will be my water-side reading for the next week or so. I'll see you around the next bend in the river; probably early next week.

(Other recommended titles by Brennan Manning: THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL, RUTHLESS TRUST, ABBA'S CHILD.)