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I could more easily contain Niagara Falls in a teacup than I can comprehend the wild, uncontainable love of God.

Brennan Manning

we unwittingly project onto God our own attitudes and feelings toward ourselves… But we cannot assume that He feels about us the way we feel about ourselves — unless we love ourselves compassionately, intensely, and freely.
BRENNAN MANNING

Assumption Attitude Compassionate Freedom God Projection
Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace.
BRENNAN MANNING

Acceptance Amazing God Grace Spiritual Togetherness Weakness
The deepest desire of our hearts is for union for God. God created us for union with himself. This is the original purpose of our lives.
BRENNAN MANNING

Creation Desire God Heart Live Original Ourselves Purpose
The way you are with others every day, regardless of their status, is the true test of faith.
BRENNAN MANNING

Day Faith Regard Status Test Way
Whatever we have done in the past, be it good or evil, great or small, is irrelevant to our stance before God today. It is only NOW that we are in the presence of God.
BRENNAN MANNING

Day Evil Goodness Ourselves Past Presence
Christianity doesn’t deny the reality of suffering and evil Our hope is not based on the idea that we are going to be free of pain and suffering. Rather, it is based on the conviction that we will triumph over suffering.
BRENNAN MANNING

Evil Freedom Hope Idea Ourselves Pain Reality Success Suffering
The secret of the mystery is: God is always greater. No matter how great we think Him to be, His love is always greater.
BRENNAN MANNING

God Greatness Himself Mystery Secret Thinking
Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.
BRENNAN MANNING

God Identity Illusion Oneself Radical True
Be daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, wild enough to be burnt in the fire of love, real enough to make others see how phony you are.
BRENNAN MANNING

Dare Different Enough Fire Humble Love Mistake Phone Yourself
If in our hearts we really don’t believe that God loves us as we are, if we are still tainted by the lie that we can do something to make God love us more, we are rejecting the message of the cross.
BRENNAN MANNING

Believe Heart Love Lying Message Ourselves Rejection
My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.
BRENNAN MANNING

Aware Deep Deserve God Love Myself
The Good News means we can stop lying to ourselves. The sweet sound of amazing grace saves us from the necessity of self-deception. It keeps us from denying that though Christ was victorious, the battle with lust, greed, and pride still rages within us.
BRENNAN MANNING

Amazing Battle Goodness Grace Lust Lying Ourselves Stop Victory
You will trust God to the degree you know you are loved by Him.
BRENNAN MANNING

Degree God Himself Love Trust Yourself
To lend each other a hand when we’re falling, perhaps that’s the only work that matters in the end.
BRENNAN MANNING

Each Other End Fall Hands Hard Time Support Work
What makes the Kingdom come is heartfelt compassion: a way of tenderness that knows no frontiers, no labels, no compartmentalizing, and no sectarian divisions.
BRENNAN MANNING

Compassionate Department Division Heart Tender
Our culture says that ruthless competition is the key to success. Jesus says that ruthless compassion is the purpose of our journey.
BRENNAN MANNING

Compassionate Competition Culture Journey Key Ourselves Purpose Success
The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust — not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God.
BRENNAN MANNING

Authentic Character Dominant Experience Flow God Gratitude Intimacy Life Purity Spiritual Trust
In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.
BRENNAN MANNING

Encounter exchange Life
The temptation of the age is to look good without being good.
BRENNAN MANNING

Age Appearance Goodness Temptation
To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.
BRENNAN MANNING

Acknowledgement God Grace Learning Live Meaning Myself Shadow
In Love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve.
BRENNAN MANNING

Love Service Wound
I asked for wonder, and He gave it to me.
BRENNAN MANNING

God Himself Miracle Myself Wonder
Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God. Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust in the Father’s active goodness and unrestricted love.
BRENNAN MANNING

Active Clarity Crave Destroy Elimination Father Restriction Risk
The sorrow of God lies in our fear of Him, our fear of life, and our fear of ourselves. He anguishes over our self-absorption and self-sufficiency… God’s sorrow lies in our refusal to approach Him when we sinned and failed.
BRENNAN MANNING

Failure Fear God Himself Life Lying Sin Sorrow
The story goes that a public sinner was excommunicated and forbidden entry to the church. He took his woes to God. ‘They won’t let me in, Lord, because I am a sinner.’ ‘What are you complaining about?’ said God. ‘They won’t let Me in either.
BRENNAN MANNING

Complaint Funny God Myself Public Sin Story
We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.
BRENNAN MANNING

Astonish Call God Goodness Holy Moments Name Stand Stunning
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.
BRENNAN MANNING

Encouragement Evil Failure Forever Grace Sorrow Suffering

I could more easily contain Niagara Falls in a teacup than I can comprehend the wild, uncontainable love of God.

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I could more easily contain Niagara Falls in a teacup than I can comprehend the wild, uncontainable love of God.

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