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Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.

Brennan Manning

A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.
BRENNAN MANNING

Difference Experience God Goodness
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
The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can’t save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient.
BRENNAN MANNING

Declare Prayer Save Scripture Sufficient
You will trust God to the degree you know you are loved by Him.
BRENNAN MANNING

Degree God Himself Love Trust Yourself
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
The men and women who are truly filled with light are those who have gazed deeply into the darkness of their own imperfect existence.
BRENNAN MANNING

Darkness Existence Imperfection Light Man True Woman
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
Hope knows that if great trials are avoided great deeds remain undone and the possibility of growth into greatness of soul is aborted.
BRENNAN MANNING

Avoid Greatness Growth Hope Soul
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
In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.
BRENNAN MANNING

Encounter exchange Life
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
Jesus reveals a God who does not demand but who gives; who does not oppress but who raises up; who does not wound but who heals; who does not condemn but forgives.
BRENNAN MANNING

Demand Forgiveness Generosity God Healing Oppression Reveal Wound
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
The temptation of the age is to look good without being good.
BRENNAN MANNING

Age Appearance Goodness Temptation
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
God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.
BRENNAN MANNING

Be Yourself God Love Original
Letting ourselves be loved by God is more important than loving God.
BRENNAN MANNING

God Important Love Ourselves
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
The only kind of love that helps anyone grow is unconditional love.
BRENNAN MANNING

Growth Help Kind Love Unconditional
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
We must go out into a desert of some kind (your backyard will do) and come into a personal experience of the awesome love of God.
BRENNAN MANNING

Desert Experience God Kind Love Personal
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
Ruthless trust ultimately comes down to this: faith in the person of Jesus and hope in his promise.
BRENNAN MANNING

Faith Person Promise Ultimate
When a man or woman is truly honest, it is virtually impossible to insult them personally.
BRENNAN MANNING

Honesty Impossible Insult Man Personal True Virtual Woman
For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ.
BRENNAN MANNING

Demand God Present Radical Religion Rise
I am wonderfully content with a God who does not deal with me as my sins deserve.
BRENNAN MANNING

Content Deserve God Myself Sin Wonderful
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

Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.

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Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.

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