Trust is that rare and priceless treasure that wins us the affection of our heavenly Father.
Brennan ManningRead
May all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God who is the Father, Son and Spirit.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that experiencing vulnerability and loss can lead to a deeper connection with the divine.
Brennan Manning's quote emphasizes the idea that when our expectations and desires are challenged or unmet, we may find ourselves in a state of helplessness akin to that of a child. This state, though difficult, can ultimately lead us to experience a profound sense of love and connectedness to God, who embodies the roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, inviting us to embrace joy and freedom, even in the face of adversity.
In practice
During a sermon on the importance of surrendering to God's will.
Trust is that rare and priceless treasure that wins us the affection of our heavenly Father.
The sinners to whom Jesus directed His messianic ministry were not those who skipped morning devotions or Sunday church. His ministry was to those whom society considered real sinners. They had done nothing to merit salvation. Yet they opened themselves to the gift that was offered them. On the other hand, the self-righteous placed their trust in the works of the Law and closed their hearts to the message of grace.
There is the "you" that people see and then there is the "rest of you". Take some time and craft a picture of the "rest of you." This could be a drawing, in words, even a song. Just remember that the chances are good it will be full of paradox and contradictions.
Do you honestly believe God likes you, not just loves you because theologically God has to love you?
Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.
For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without mercy our darkness would plunge us into despair - for some, self-destruction. Time alone with God reveals the unfathomable depths of the poverty of the spirit. We are so poor that even our poverty is not our own: It belongs to the mysterium tremendum of a loving God.
I can speak to my soul only when the two of us are off exploring deserts or cities or mountains or roads.
The psychedelic inner astronaut sees things which no human _x000D_ being has ever seen before, and no other human being will ever see again. But in fact this has no meaning unless it is possible to carry it back into the collectivity.
Society is just a structure with no soul. The soul is of the individual. One individual outweighs all societies. And, one individual's revolution outweighs all revolutions in the whole of history, because one man can become the womb for God to be reborn.
One cannot prescribe to anyone whether he should follow an ethic of absolute ends or an ethic of responsibility.
I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?
Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.
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