Tommy Mann

I recently was asked by my publisher to write an essay about why I chose to write the book All the Law. The essay was included in a book called Why We Wrote, and the proceeds of the book go to the Children’s Literacy Foundation. I was excited to get the chance to sum up All the Law to a largely non-Christian audience. Here is the essay in its entirety: As the opening pages of my book state, I wrote All the Law because I have a passion to teach people about Jesus Christ, and I believe that most Christians are missing the mark when it comes to doing this. Jesus said that the most important thing we can do is love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then to love each other the way that we love ourselves. If we truly show unconditional love this way then we will learn how to obey all the law. Since becoming a published author my life has changed in that my ministry has broadened. I was able to create Tommy Mann Ministries (www.tommymannministries.co

It is easy to accuse a person of being a legalist, or to assume he only does good works in order to make God happy (as if striving to make God happy were somehow wrong). When we see a person striving to fill his life with the commands of Christ to share his faith or volunteer his time, instead of admitting that we should be doing more, we can shake the conviction by saying, “he is just a legalist.” I realize that churches are full of people who subconsciously think that if they do enough work around the church then they must be saved. But I also realize that the church is full of people who love Jesus so much that they cannot help but serve Him in any possible way. The first group may be composed of legalists, but the second group certainly is not. Both groups look the same on the outside, and their deeds are very similar. The difference is the motivation of their heart. Notice what John wrote in his first epistle: “These things I have written unto you that

Thousands of inmates nationwide want Bibles. Some of these inmates are Christians, and some are not. Either way, their lives are in a mess, and they are desperate for the truth. Most prison chaplains are volunteers, and most have little or no budget. While they want to be able to provide Bibles, it is financially difficult for them to put one in each person's hands. Many inmates have to share Bibles from the library so they can only read them at certain times. Once an inmate leaves, he will take this Bible with him to be a "lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path." But that also means that the inmate who takes his place will hopefully ask for a Bible, so another one must be provided. As Christians we know that “[God’s] Word is truth (John 17:17)” and “the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16),” and that is exactly what these inmates need. Through Tommy Mann Ministries we are seeking to put Bibles into the hands of every single prisoner that wa