“With Open Hands.”

By Julie Saffrin

God's Love and Grace Abound With Open Hands

In February Brennan Manning, author of 14 books, including The Ragamuffin Gospel and an internationally known speaker, is coming to Westwood for a two-day seminar entitled, “With Open Hands.” Friday night Brennan will address Westwood's leadership team with Saturday's conference open to all. Recently Westwood caught up with Brennan and asked him what he will talk about to us. We think you'll agree that Westwood is in for a special time with this “vagabond evangelist,” as he calls himself.

What you are going to talk to Westwood about, Brennan?

Healing our image of God and ourselves. Distorted ideas of who God is and who we are.

Would you expound on what you mean by distorted ideas of God?

There an image that abounds across the Christian landscape that says God's love is based on our performance, which is a flat denial of the gospel. God loves us whether we are in a state of disgrace or grace. Forgiveness precedes repentance.

For example, when I was in Catholic grade school, the priest and nuns taught us that when we sinned God frowned and when we repented He smiled and somehow our repentance caused a change in God's love for us, when in reality, God knows no alteration or shadow of change.

If you can, picture God's love shining upon us. When you choose to sin, you step from the light and into the darkness. When you repent you simply step back into the light. The love of God, however, keeps shining.

How do we heal our image of ourselves by healing our image of God?

When one comes into a safe experience with God and believes God loves them yet encounters fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, low self-esteem, then one believes in God in a vague sense, not in a love affair, “a furious love affair,” as G. K. Chesterton puts it. I have a word for that person. I dare you to trust that God loves you just as you are. For when you move from an intellectual to experiential awareness of God, suddenly your image of the Beloved radically alters your life, the way you live your life, the way you pray, the way you relate to others.

So that is how you live your life, Brennan? That God loves you in this way?

Yes I do. The love of God is radically different than the love of man. God loves me in my worthiness and my unworthiness because the love of God is a gift to those who have no claim to it. God loves because God is loving. I live my life in God's love. And in grace too.

And how do you define grace?

Grace is the active expression of God's love. For example, let's say something comes from inside you that says, “I ought to write a note to this person, I ought to call this ill-will lady. I think tomorrow I'm going to do it.” Where does that inspiration come from? That's God's grace, never imposing, never demanding you do a loving thing.

For more information about this event, please call Pastor Jean Leih at 952-224-7300 or Doug Berg at 952-380-0401.