NIV Ragamuffin Bible

Many come to God feeling like ragamuffins – unworthy and unlovable. Zondervan’s new NIV Ragamuffin Bible: Meditations for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up and Brokenhearted (November 2013) is a reminder to the ragamuffin in everyone that they are still God’s beloved, no matter what they’ve done. Everyone needs grace, for ourselves and even the person who sits next to us at work, at church or on the bus. Excerpts from the life’s work of the late Brennan Manning, who passed away in April 2013, are the heart and soul of the Ragamuffin Bible. Zondervan’s immediate plans include partnering with ministry organizations and marketplace leaders in key cities to get samples of the Bible (the books of Psalms and Matthew available for free download on www.ragamuffinbible.com ) into the hands of the undervalued and the overlooked in homeless shelters, halfway houses and health clinics, etc. The e-version of the full bible is available for only $4.99 during December.

 

“Manning has inspired artists, poets, musicians and the ragamuffin body of Christ for decades. We are thrilled to share his wisdom and influence on the pages of this new devotional Bible,” says Chip Brown, Senior VP of Zondervan. “On the subject of grace, Manning has no equal. His words can be unsettling at times, but they are always penetrating and deserve to be quoted again and again. That’s exactly what the Ragamuffin Bible does.”

 

Perhaps no one welcomes the message of grace more than the marginalized of society. Yet we each desperately need it. Many accept the gift of God’s unconditional love and grace, in theory, but can’t seem to apply it in their daily lives. They beat themselves up over their own failures and pull away from God because they subconsciously believe he tallies their defects and hangs his head in disappointment. Pairing the text of the most popular English Bible translation in the world with the writings of one of the most respected authors and scholars of the last century, theNIV Ragamuffin Bible offers a collection of Manning’s raw, painfully honest, yet grace-filled devotions, meditations, and reflections of his journey limping back – like the prodigal son – to his overjoyed father.

 

A recovering alcoholic and former Franciscan priest, Manning’s spiritual journey took him down a variety of paths, all of them leading to the profound reality of God's irresistible grace. “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,” Manning writes. He spent the last forty years of his life helping others to find their own identity in the tenderness of Jesus Christ.

 

The Ragamuffin Bible is intended for anyone who is not living in the fullness of God’s amazing grace, including Christians whose growth has been stunted by a toxic diet of grace mixed with law. The Bible features:

an introduction by Brennan Manning, the “original ragamuffin” the complete text of the Holy Bible, New International Version 104 devotions that guide the reader into a deeper connection to God and His word 250 reflections that help the reader understand what it means to be a child of God quotes that offer the reader thoughtful insights into God’s kingdom note pages at the end of each book in the Bible

As a writer, Brennan Manning is best known as the author of the contemporary classic, The Ragamuffin Gospel. He wrote many other influential and popular books, including Abba's Child, Ruthless Trust, The Importance of Being Foolish, Patched Together, The Furious Longing of God, The Parable of Willie Juan and his final book, All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir.   “The NIV Ragamuffin Bible is good news for every ragamuffin – the one who sleeps on the park bench or the one who sleeps in the church pew. Both have a spot in the Kingdom of God,” says Brown.

My review:
  I recently read Manning's Ragamuffin Gospel and cannot say enough good about the book. I was excited when I saw this Bible was coming out and was eager to see what it would be like.

 The Bible has several devotions which take up over half the page, and have a suggested Scripture passage to read along with it, and the devotional is inserted near the suggested reading. There are also a lot of reflections, which are shorter and also have a suggested passage of Scripture. Lastly, there are quotes that appear randomly throughout.

 I wouldn't call this a study Bible, but more of a devotional Bible. Its not everything I expected, as I expected study notes on verses of the Bible, but its still a neat Bible to have, as it has a lot of Manning's comments and works spread throughout the Bible, and it does have some of his thoughts on specific passages of Scripture.

 Would I buy the Bible, now having had it and used it for a few weeks? Maybe. If I got a really good deal on it. If you're a big fan of Manning's books, its something you will appreciate. If I was giving it stars, I'd give it 4 out of 5. Its good, but could be better, could have more.

About the author:

Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning (April 27, 1934 – April 12, 2013)was an American author, friar, priest, contemplative and speaker. Born and raised in Depression-era New York City, Manning finished high school, enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and fought in the Korean War. After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Upon his graduation from the seminary in 1963, Manning was ordained a Franciscan priest.[2]

In the late 1960s, Manning joined the Little Brothers of Jesus of Charles de Foucauld, a religious institute committed to an uncloistered, contemplative life among the poor. Manning transported water via donkey, worked as a mason's assistant and a dishwasher in France, was imprisoned (by choice) in Switzerland, and spent six months in a remote cave somewhere in the Zaragoza desert. In the 1970s, Manning returned to the United States and began writing after confronting his alcoholism.

The NIV Ragamuffin Bible is available from Zondervan Pubishers.
Thanks to B&B Media for the review copy.