The Prodigal

by Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett
Hennepin County Library paperback 282 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships

When I first saw "A Ragamuffin Story" below the title, I thought, "I've heard of that but never read it." Not to worry - this works as a standalone title.

Jack Chisholm has built a mega-church on the credo "we have got to do better." When he has a fall from grace, he loses his job, his family, and his status overnight. Estranged from his father for the past decade, Jack finds himself back at his dad's house to pick up the pieces of his life.

Page 127 - "Funny, he and Grace Cathedral had done good things for people on the other side of the world. A lot of good things. For a lot of needy people. But he couldn't remember the last time he'd done a good thing for someone standing right in front of him." This made me think of my mom and how she disliked Mother Teresa - because people would send money and "take care" of their obligations to do good without actually changing anything in their own comfortable lives.

Page 149 - "Jack had always been a nervous flyer, couldn't talk until after they'd taken off and clearly weren't going to crash back to earth. A part of him could never quite believe that something so big could take to the air." This made me think of Jamie (and myself a little!) and the fear of flying.

Page 203 - This was the best scene in the book! When Bill, his former friend who was furious with him and his selfishness, offered him communion with tears in his eyes. Yes!

Page 281 - Wait! What? The conclusion to the story came so quickly that I thought I'd missed a few pages . . . .  the author apparently doesn't believe in denouement.

Overall, I liked it but didn't love it to the moon and back. It'll be fun to discuss it with my book club tonight! I love those women and am always interested in their perspectives and opinions.