God Loves You and There's Nothing You Can Do about It: Saying Yes to the Holy Spirit

by David Mangan

God walks with us in this life as a loving friend. Knowing his love and tapping into it is nothing less than spiritual dynamite.
--From Chapter One

God's love comes to us through the Holy Spirit, but many people are confused about the role and work of this third person of the Trinity. Author David Mangan's experience of the sacrament of confirmation, when the Holy Spirit floods the soul, is typical: I figured that God knew what He was...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867168390
• ISBN13: 9780867168396
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Servant Publications
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Spiritual Dynamite

In the second chapter of God Loves You, David Mangan, a longtime leader in Catholic renewal movements, introduces the concept of spiritual dynamite. He describes himself at the time of the Second Vatican Council as "a weak but sincere Catholic...trying hard but just limping along." His knowledge of the Holy Spirit was limited to memorized passages from the Baltimore Catechism. All that changed radically in 1967 when Mangan attended a retreat sponsored by a group of Duquesne University friends. In the minds of many, that gathering marked the beginning of the Catholic charismatic renewal. For Mangan, it was spiritual dynamite. He devotes nearly half of the book to the baptism in the Holy Spirit that he and many others experienced during the retreat. For most of the participants, a strong sense of the Lord's presence was dramatic and emotional; however, Mangan stresses that renewal is different for everyone. "Some laugh, some cry, some feel great peace and some don't feel anything special at first but later realize new joy, new peace, new spiritual power," he writes. He explains the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a renewal and reactivation of all aspects of Christian initiation, a "stirring up of the grace already bestowed on us in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation." Mangan encourages everyone to invite and embrace the power of the Holy Spirit through whatever channel is available. He points out several times that though he has taken the path of Catholic charismatic renewal, "participation in this movement is not a prerequisite for receiving the wonderful blessing of the baptism in the Holy Spirit."

Great for Use in Youth Ministry

Our Youth Group used the book as a Summer Reading series choice and it was fantastic!