Endorsements
Manny is a voice that our generation is in desperate need of.
Zach Windahl, author, The Bible Study
Manny Arango is not just an outstanding communicator, he is an exceptional human being. I have watched him walk through tragedy and loss with the same spiritual resilience that keeps him anchored in his success. Brain Washed is more than a great book; it is a conversation with a great young leader on how to frame your future.
Dr. Terry Crist, lead pastor, City of Grace, Phoenix/Tucson/Las Vegas
Reading this book helped me realize how important the message that Manny is presenting is for the generation we live in. Sometimes we all allow trauma and pain to determine how we journey through life and relationships. Brain Washed is a clear guide to get the right perspective. This book is necessary, and the step-by-step guides for overcoming trauma and taking thoughts captive will help us take control of our minds.
Chandler Moore, worship leader, Maverick City Music
Manny is a much-needed voice in the church today, and Brain Washed is an excellent addition to Mannys growing library of resources. Get Brain Washed !
Nathan Finochio, founder, TheosU
Manny is not only a gifted preacher and communicator, but a needed thinker and brilliant mind in the body of Christ. This book is not simply theological theory, but is born out of Mannys renewed mind and love for Gods Word. Brain Washed will be a gift to a new generation of believers who are ready to take their thinking to the next level!
Pastor Jabin Chavez, City Light Church, Las Vegas
Manny Arango is the epitome of the song Enemys Camp. He will crawl through hell to get it back. This book is just a synopsis of the life he has led for many years. Its an honor to call him a friend and an inspiration. Share this after you read it.
Tim Somers, central youth pastor, Elevation Church
Manny Arango is an educated, modern-day theologian with the pastoral, missionary, and evangelistic experience to be the exact kind of teacher and thinker to capture the true challenge of using Scripture to rightly divide soul and spirit, joint and marrow. This book is a MUST for the modern-day believer!
Pastor Andy Thompson, senior pastor and founder, World Overcomers Christian Church
Manny Arango is a rising voice for todays generation. He is a bold, biblical, insightful preacher and now a writer. Brain Washed deals with relevant issues from a scriptural standpoint. A book for all mankind!
Frank Damazio, author, The Making of a Leader
Manny Arango has written a timely and relevant book to help the body of Christ find lasting freedom from toxic thought patterns. Manny has managed to integrate deep biblical and theological truth with relatable storytelling in a writing style that is profound and enjoyable. Brain Washed is a necessary message and a must-read book for every believer.
Pastor Robert Madu, Social Dallas
Im so excited for people to read Brain Washed . This message of mind renewal and mental freedom is so needed and will set so many people free from the prison of negative thoughts theyve been trapped in. I honestly believe that Manny Arango is a voice to our generation and his perspective on mental health is wise, practical and godly.
Pastor Taylor Madu, Social Dallas
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
2022 by Emmanuel Arango
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3789-4
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This book recounts events in the life of Emmanuel Arango according to the authors recollection and from the authors perspective. While all the stories are true, some dialogue and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.
Cover design by LOOK Design Studio
Emmanuel Arango is represented by the literary agency A Drop of Ink, LLC, www.adropofink.pub.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
To my wife, Tia
The journey required of us to become parents, forced us to practice the principles found in this book. Each year we waited to become parents I witnessed your adopting the Mind of Christ. Thank you for being mentally strong and choosing faith.
To my son, Theophilus
I wrote every chapter of this book knowing youd read them one day. Even when doctors told us conceiving was impossible, I still wrote.
Contents
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction: The Finger of God
Part OneUnderstanding the Mind of Adam
1. Doubt Takes the Lead
2. Drop the Leaves
3. Blame Game
4. Just Talking?
Part TwoAdopting the Mind of Christ
5. The Makers Mark
6. Designed for Connection
Part Three Mind Maintenance
7. The Path to Peace
8. Dont Feed the Monkeys
9. Garden Snakes and Wooden Horses
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author
Back Cover
Introduction
THE FINGER OF GOD
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.
Romans 1:2122
I WAS IN A TRANCE as I stared at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Countless photographs of Michelangelos famous fresco Creation of Adam exist, yet as I stood under the majestic work of art, I realized I had never truly seen the mural before that moment. No photograph can fully capture Michelangelos three-dimensional effects. The images pop and pulsate with character, and the longer I stared, the more it felt as though Adam and God were moving closer and closer toward the crowd gathered beneath them.
It took my breath away.
Our tour guide startled me, and I immediately regretted that after standing in line for hours in peak-summer heat to enter the Vatican City State, I had bolted off on my own, face like flint, leaving my group behind. But now that hed found me, the guide pointed out that the shape of the swooping scarlet robe behind God forms an outline of the human brain and a green portion of fabric outlines the shape of the brain stem. He also drew my attention to how Adams expression, depicted prior to his receiving Gods touch, doesnt simply lack life but intelligence as well.
I was in awe of Michelangelos ability to convey a rich theological message through art. When God created humanity, He endowed it with His divine image by granting us the gift of rational thought, intellectual creativity, and consciousness. To Michelangelo, then, it seems the divine spark that separated humans from other creatures in the garden of Eden was the power of their minds. God desires relationship and intimacy with humanity, and therefore He created Adam as a rational and intelligent being, one who could receive and reciprocate love and understanding.