10-Week Study & Discussion Guide

Abba's Child

by Brennan Manning·72 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

Last updated August 16, 2026

Get the complete guide — $29

Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15–16; Galatians 4:6.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Manning opens by describing the "impostor" — the false self we construct to survive, earn approval, and manage how others perceive us. In your own words, what is the impostor, and how does Manning distinguish it from simply being polite or putting your best foot forward?

Read all of Week 1 — free, no card

Week 1 is free. Get this guide for $29 once, or every guide for $79/year.

Yearly access renews at $79/year unless canceled · 7-day guarantee before downloading the PDF or handouts

About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 10-week study and discussion guide for Abba's Child by Brennan Manning, with 72 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Brennan Manning's Abba's Child is a soul-searching invitation to abandon the exhausting performance of the "impostor" — the false self we construct to earn love, manage impressions, and hide our brokenness — and to rest instead in the radical, unearned love of God the Father. Drawing on Scripture, the desert fathers and mothers, contemplative prayer, and his own hard-won experience of grace, Manning argues that the single most transforming truth a person can internalize is this: God loves you as you are, not as you should be. The title comes from the Aramaic word Abba — the intimate, tender address Jesus used for his Father — and Manning contends that claiming our identity as Abba's children is not spiritual sentiment but the most courageous and countercultural act a broken human being can make.

This study guide is designed for use over ten weeks, either in a small group or in personal devotion. The recommended pattern for each week is: Read the assigned chapter slowly, perhaps twice; Journal your honest responses to a question or two before your group meets; then Discuss and Pray together using the questions and closing prayer provided. The questions are not designed to test comprehension — they are designed to create space for honesty. Some will feel uncomfortable. That discomfort is the point. Manning's deepest conviction is that we cannot receive what we will not admit we need, and the impostor's greatest trick is to keep us too guarded to receive grace.

By the end of this study, readers should expect not a tidy set of principles but something more unsettling and more beautiful: a deeper awareness of the places they hide from God, a growing willingness to come as they are, and a more settled confidence that the One who knows them completely loves them completely. As Manning writes, quoting his spiritual director, "God loves you as you are and not as you should be — because none of us is as we should be."

Week 1: Introduction — The Impostor Unmasked

Free — no card

Open Week 1 →

Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15–16; Galatians 4:6.

Before diving into Manning's argument, spend some time honestly asking yourself: what mask do I wear most often, and who am I afraid would leave if I took it off?

2.Manning draws on his own story of alcoholism and shame to illustrate how the impostor develops. Why do you think vulnerability about personal failure is so rare — even in Christian communities — and what does Manning suggest that silence costs us?

3.The Aramaic word *Abba* carries connotations of warmth, safety, and intimacy — closer to "Daddy" than the formal "Father." How does this image of God differ from the picture of God you grew up with, or the one you default to when life is hard?

a.What would it change about your prayer life if you genuinely believed God welcomed you the way the father welcomed the prodigal son?

b.Where does your resistance to that image come from?

Checking your access to the other 4 questions…

Get the rest of Abba's Child

All 10 weeks, 72 questions, closing prayers, and printable weekly handouts — plus the full PDF — so your prep is reading it over, not writing it from scratch.

230+study guides
2,900+weekly sessions
21,000+discussion questions
130+authors

Preview the group handout

See the questions, reading assignment, and space for notes your group can use at the table. The complete guide includes a printable handout for every week.

Week 1 sample · first 3 questions

Your email for the receipt

Where your receipt and sign-in link go. No password to remember.

For multiple studies

Full Library

Every guide in the library, all year

$59~~$79~~

The first-year discount is already applied — there’s no code to type. $59 is the first-year price for new customers, then it renews at $79/year.

Every week of Abba's Child on the web, plus printable weekly handouts
Every guide in the library (200+ and growing)
4 full-guide PDF downloads every 30 days, so you can print a whole study ahead
If your group picks a book we don’t have yet, we write the guide — 3 included a year, $9 each after that
A leader email each week of the study: that week’s questions and a short prep note

$59 today, then it renews at $79/year.

First-year price for eligible new customers. Everything unlocks right away. We email you 30 days before it renews — cancel or pause online anytime, no phone call.

This Guide Only

One study, no renewal

$29once · yours forever

Nothing renews. 7-day money-back guarantee before downloading the PDF or handouts.

Every week of Abba's Child (10 weeks, 72 questions)
PDF for you, printable handouts for the group
A link you can send to everyone in your group
One purchase covers your whole group — no per-person fee
No account to set up — we email you a sign-in link

Upgrade within 60 days and your $29 comes off the regular $79 year — you never pay for this guide twice.

Full Library, monthly — $25/month, renews monthly until you cancel. The same library, with 2 PDF downloads and 1 requested book a month. Worth knowing: four months of it costs more than a full year.

More than one leader at your church? Church Plan — 5 leader seats for $199/year, then $29 a year per extra seat. Renews yearly at that price plus any extra seats, unless canceled. Pay by card, or ask for an invoice your treasurer can pay. See the Church Plan

30-day money-back guarantee on the year (with 2 or fewer guides downloaded)
A receipt you can hand your treasurer for reimbursement
Every guide you download stays yours — even if you cancel
Secure checkout by Stripe — we never see your card number

Why You Can Trust This

What You Get, and Our Promise

Here’s exactly what’s in every guide — and what happens if it falls short.

What’s in every guide

A week-by-week reading plan with a short orienting note for every session
Discussion questions, follow-up prompts, and closing prayers for group conversation
PDF download + permanent web link — every guide you download stays yours, share it with your entire group
Read Week 1 of any guide free before you decide
One membership covers the whole group — no per-seat fees. Or take just one guide for $29, one time.

Our money-back guarantees

This Guide Only has a 7-day money-back guarantee if you request it before downloading the PDF or printable handouts. The Full Library year has a 30-day money-back guarantee with 2 or fewer guides downloaded. Email support@bookstudyguide.com from the address used at checkout and we’ll review your request.

A note from the founder: I’m Josh, and I built this because most Christian books don’t come with study materials — leaving volunteer leaders to build discussion questions from scratch on a Saturday night. That shouldn’t be the default. If anything about your guide isn’t right, reply to your order email and it comes straight to me.

You’ve previewed Week 1 of Abba's Child. Choose the complete guide once or full-library access above; both include printable handouts and a church-ready receipt.

Review both options

10-Week Schedule

Week 2: Chapter 2 — The Beloved

All 8 questions →

Read Chapter 2 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Mark 1:9–11; John 15:9; 1 John 3:1–2.

1.Manning draws heavily on Henri Nouwen's language of belovedness — the idea that our deepest identity is not "I am what I do," "I am what others say about me," or "I am what I have," but "I am the beloved of God." Which of Nouwen's three false identities do you find most personally seductive, and why?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 3 — The Impostor

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 3 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Luke 15:11–32; Colossians 3:3.

1.Manning draws on the work of Thomas Merton's concept of the "false self" — the self built on illusions of who we are apart from God. How does Manning's impostor relate to Merton's false self? What does it mean that the false self is not just a bad behavior but a counterfeit identity?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 4 — Abba's Child

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 4 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 3:26–4:7.

1.Manning centers this chapter on the concept of *adoption* — the theological reality that through Christ we are brought into the family of God not as servants or strangers but as children and heirs (Romans 8:15–17). What does the adoption metaphor add to your understanding of salvation beyond "forgiveness of sins"?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 5 — The Pharisee and the Child

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 5 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Luke 18:9–14; Matthew 23:1–12.

1.Manning uses the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14) as a lens for examining the "inner Pharisee" — the part of us that compares, measures, and judges. How does Jesus's shocking conclusion (the tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee) subvert the religious logic of the crowd?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 6 — Present Riches

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 6 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Matthew 6:25–34; Psalm 46:10.

1.Manning argues that the impostor is essentially a creature of past regrets and future anxieties — it is never fully present. How does this connect to Jesus's teaching in Matthew 6 about not worrying about tomorrow? In what ways is living in the present moment an act of trust?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 7 — The Furious Longing of God

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 7 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Hosea 11:1–9; Luke 15:20; Romans 5:8.

1.Manning uses the phrase "the furious longing of God" to describe a love that is not polite or measured but passionate and relentlessly pursuing. How does this image of God compare with the God you imagine when you are at your lowest? Which image feels more real to you, and why?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 8 — The Victorious Limp

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 8 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Genesis 32:22–32; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10.

1.Manning uses Jacob's wrestling match with God at the Jabbok River (Genesis 32) as a central image: Jacob walks away with a blessing and a limp — and Manning argues you cannot have one without the other. What does it mean that the limp is not incidental to the blessing but part of it?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 9 — Transforming Union

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 9 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: John 15:1–11; John 17:20–26; Galatians 2:20.

1.Manning describes "transforming union" in language drawn from the Christian mystical tradition — a deep, intimate, ongoing communion with God in which our very identity becomes rooted in His. How is this different from simply "having a relationship with God" in the way that phrase is commonly used in evangelical culture?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Review & Reflection

All 8 questions →

Review your notes, journal entries, and any passages you marked throughout Abba's Child.

1.Looking back across the whole book, which single chapter, image, or quote landed most powerfully for you — and why? What nerve did it hit?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Book Club Questions More by Brennan Manning Spiritual Growth & Disciplines Mental Health & Wellness Christian Living For Small Groups For Individual Study Free Question Generator Make a reading schedule for this book

Related Study Guides

If your group enjoys Abba's Child, these studies pair well with it.

Nothing to Prove

by Jennie Allen

One Thousand Gifts

by Ann Voskamp

Lies Women Believe

by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

About the Abba's Child guide

How many weeks is the Abba's Child study guide?

This study guide covers Abba's Child in 10 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 72 discussion questions across 10 weeks — an average of 7 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What books can I get a study guide for?

Any published book — not just bestsellers that come with a curriculum. If the book is already in the library you can read Week 1 right now. If it isn't, we write the guide for you after you join: the Full Library includes 3 on-request books a year, and This Guide Only covers the one book you pick.

How long does it take to get my guide?

If the book is in the library, it's ready the moment you join. If we're writing it for you, we email the link as soon as it's ready.

What's included in each study guide?

Every guide is organized week by week, with a reading assignment, a short orienting note, discussion questions and follow-up prompts, a closing prayer, web access, a full-guide PDF, and printable weekly handouts.

Do my group members pay?

No — one membership covers your whole group. Share the PDF or a read-only link with everyone in your group; there's no per-person fee or seat limit.

Do I need to create an account?

No password to remember. Your receipt email is your account — when you want to sign in, we email you a sign-in link (or a six-digit code) and you're in.

What renews and when?

Full Library renews yearly at $79 — your first year is $59 with the current code. Month to Month renews monthly at $25. We email you 30 days before yearly renewals and two weeks before monthly renewals, and you can cancel or pause in one click from your account. This Guide Only ($29) is a one-time purchase and never renews.

Manage your membership →

How do I get reimbursed by my church?

You get one receipt, and you can add your church's name to it from your account page. If several leaders at your church want access, the Church Plan puts everyone on one invoice.

See the Church Plan →

What if we finish early or take the summer off?

Pause your membership for up to 6 months from your account page. You keep the time you've paid for, and we email you a week before it resumes.

Pause your membership →

What if I'm not happy?

There's a 30-day money-back guarantee on the Full Library year (as long as you've downloaded 2 or fewer guides) and a 7-day money-back guarantee on This Guide Only if you request it before downloading the PDF or printable handouts. Week 1 is free to preview first. Email support@bookstudyguide.com from the address used at checkout and we'll review it.

How do I cancel?

One click from your account page — no phone call, no forms. Your access continues to the end of what you've paid for, and everything you've downloaded stays yours.

Cancel from your account →

How are the discussion questions different from what I'd find online?

Free discussion questions online tend to be surface-level — "What did you think of chapter 3?" Our guides include questions designed to spark real conversation: questions that connect the book's ideas to personal experience, draw out different perspectives, and help group members open up and share honestly.

Still have questions? Email support@bookstudyguide.com

Read all of Week 1 free