NIV Ragamuffin Bible

When I first heard of the new NIV Ragamuffin Bible, the word “ragamuffin” intrigued me as its meaning ranges from urchin to brat to child – descriptions that undoubtedly fit all of us at one time or another. As children of God, we’re bereft when we shut ourselves off from our Heavenly Father and when we get bratty or disobey! We’re also reminded that the Word of God really is for the people of God through the subtitle, “Meditations For The Bedraggled, Beat-up & Brokenhearted.”

Those meditations come to us through the “Lifetime Work from Brennan Manning 1934-2013,” a former Marine, American author, priest, and public speaker with whom I wasn’t familiar until now even though his well-known works include such interesting titles as The Ragamuffin Gospel, Abba’s Child, Ruthless Trust, and his memoir, All is Grace.

In addition to the complete text of the latest edition of the New International Version (NIV), the NIV Ragamuffin Bible includes 104 devotions, 250 reflections, and 150 quotes from Fr. Manning’s wise words, which come to us as golden tidbits tested by fire. For example, “Element of Delight” offers a reflection on Genesis 2, which says, in part, “The Father gave you as a gift to himself. You are a response to the vast delight of God.”

After “The Great Deception” comes this honest insight, “We find it uncomfortable, if not intolerable, to confront our true selves; and so… we either flee our own reality or manufacture a false self – mostly admirable, mildly prepossessing, and superficially happy. Defense mechanisms become useful allies here.”

If you’ve ever wondered what would have happened if Adam and Eve had simply confessed their wrongdoing to God, you’ll connect with this quote by Fr. Manning on page 8: “Perhaps the main reason that we are such poor practitioners of the art of being human, why we so often teeter on a tight-rope between self-hatred and despair, is that we don’t pray.”

As the reflection on “Encountering God” expresses it: “Religion is a matter not of learning how to think about God but of actually encountering him.” And that encounter might not be easy! In “Testing” (page 25), for example, Fr. Manning boldly asks: “Have you grappled with the core question of your faith, which is not ‘Is Jesus God-like?’ but ‘Is God Jesus-like?’”

Besides encouraging us to soak ourselves in the type of prayer that Fr. Manning calls “Son bathing,” his insights and reflections, quoted above from Genesis, continue to spotlight spiritual thoughts throughout the biblical text, nearing the end in this reflection in Revelation: “Nothing can harm you permanently, no suffering is irrevocable, no loss is lasting, no defeat is more than transitory, no disappointment is conclusive. Jesus did not deny the reality of suffering, discouragement, disappointment, frustration and death; he simply stated that the kingdom of God would conquer all of these horrors, that the Father’s love is so prodigal that no evil could possibly resist it.”

Such uplifting words give this edition a deep place in readers who want to get closer to God or whose faith has lessened or who know someone who needs this Bible to keep going or who just want a nice quality, hardback reader edition of the newest NIV. Regardless of your reasons for reading – and regardless of how many times you’ve read the Bible or these reflective words, this reader edition comes highly recommended and highly inspired.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler

NIV Ragamuffin Bible, hardcover


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



NIV Ragamuffin Bible, Kindle edition, is also available.



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