Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
Week 6: Chapter 6 — Present Riches
Read Chapter 6 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Matthew 6:25–34; Psalm 46:10.
Previewing Week 6 of Abba's Child
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 10-week guide when you’re ready.
Manning turns our attention from who we are to *where* we are — arguing that the impostor lives everywhere except the present moment, and that God meets us precisely here.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.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?
2.Manning draws on the contemplative tradition to argue that God can only be encountered in the present moment — not in our reconstructed past or our imagined future. Does this ring true to your experience? When have you felt most genuinely present to God, and what were the conditions?
3.Manning suggests that the practice of "the sacrament of the present moment" — a phrase from 18th-century Jesuit Jean-Pierre de Caussade — is one of the most practical antidotes to impostor living. What would it look like in your daily routine to treat each moment as a potential encounter with God?