caitlin_89's review against another edition
4.0
This was very poetic and rich with truth. It didn't feel very practical to me right now though, which probably just speaks to my level of spiritual development.
bookanonjeff's review against another edition
5.0
Words Elude Me. Wow. I really wish I had read this book years ago. Truly one of the best "Christian thinking" books I have ever read, and so very quotable.
wendylioness's review against another edition
5.0
This is a poetic book about the love of God and it is beautiful and helps you to come into the revelation of a glimpse of that love. It's a book that really challenges you to come deeper in to know God more, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in that. It's a comforting read and when I finished it I went to the beginning and started reading it again. It's a short read. I'll probably be looking into this author's other books, as he sometimes briefly uses terminology in here that might be explained in more detail in his other books. There were one or two phrases I didn't understand but other than that it was beautiful and encouraging.
avolyn's review against another edition
4.0
"Until we let the Christ who consorted with hookers and crooks to be our truth, the false, fraudulent self motivated by cowardice and fear will continue to distance us from abiding restful union."
My dance with God has had a journeyed past over the years. Having been raised in the Lutheran church, and then attending a non-denominational during junior high/high school but then falling away from the church after a bad experience on a youth ministry trip. When I was in college, my aunt and uncle invited me to go to the Saturday night church service with them before babysitting my little cousins. At the time, every fiber of my being wanted to say no, but I didn't want to look like the anti-Christ right before babysitting so I reluctantly said yes.
During college I found my home at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA and participated in multiple Bible Studies and even lead a few. My life was transformed by God and those precious Saturday nights in church were so special, deep and meaningful.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a similar church since moving to Sacramento, CA. To be fair, I haven't invested a ton of time in locating one, mainly because I am highly skeptical but also because even just getting recommendations from others has been a challenge. I attended one church that was the most 'similar' based on outward appearance of type of church, size, mission but when I attended it was nothing short of a theatrical production where you could tell every pastor was living out some unfulfilled dream of being a 'star.'
Either way, when I'm asked about my faith I struggle because I don't consider myself an athiest, but hate to bare any label out of fear that I may give it a bad name. To say I am a Christian almost seems unfair because my faith feels too wavering to bear that title.
However, Mannings words really resonated with me. His book reads rather rough around the edges compared to most other books on Christianity. But to me that makes it more human, I'd take that any day over the religious book that appears glistened with perfection, because that is not the reality of being human, the terribly flawed beings that we are. I also enjoy his quirky choice of words, his silliness that shines through. There were countless passages that jumped out to me but I'll leave you with just one more:
"The entire process (of self-development) can be very exciting and entertaining. But the problem is there's no end to it. The fantasy is that if one heads in the right direction and just works hard enough to learn new things and grows enough and gets actualized, one will be there. None of us is quite certain exactly where there is, but it obviously has something to do with resting."
This was in relation to Manning saying that if he had a chance to do his life over, he wouldn't spend one more moment measuring/monitoring his spiritual development, what did he say he would have done instead?
"I would simply do the next thing in love."
"Are we responding to the love of Jesus living within us concretely and consistently in our love for one another?"
My dance with God has had a journeyed past over the years. Having been raised in the Lutheran church, and then attending a non-denominational during junior high/high school but then falling away from the church after a bad experience on a youth ministry trip. When I was in college, my aunt and uncle invited me to go to the Saturday night church service with them before babysitting my little cousins. At the time, every fiber of my being wanted to say no, but I didn't want to look like the anti-Christ right before babysitting so I reluctantly said yes.
During college I found my home at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA and participated in multiple Bible Studies and even lead a few. My life was transformed by God and those precious Saturday nights in church were so special, deep and meaningful.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a similar church since moving to Sacramento, CA. To be fair, I haven't invested a ton of time in locating one, mainly because I am highly skeptical but also because even just getting recommendations from others has been a challenge. I attended one church that was the most 'similar' based on outward appearance of type of church, size, mission but when I attended it was nothing short of a theatrical production where you could tell every pastor was living out some unfulfilled dream of being a 'star.'
Either way, when I'm asked about my faith I struggle because I don't consider myself an athiest, but hate to bare any label out of fear that I may give it a bad name. To say I am a Christian almost seems unfair because my faith feels too wavering to bear that title.
However, Mannings words really resonated with me. His book reads rather rough around the edges compared to most other books on Christianity. But to me that makes it more human, I'd take that any day over the religious book that appears glistened with perfection, because that is not the reality of being human, the terribly flawed beings that we are. I also enjoy his quirky choice of words, his silliness that shines through. There were countless passages that jumped out to me but I'll leave you with just one more:
"The entire process (of self-development) can be very exciting and entertaining. But the problem is there's no end to it. The fantasy is that if one heads in the right direction and just works hard enough to learn new things and grows enough and gets actualized, one will be there. None of us is quite certain exactly where there is, but it obviously has something to do with resting."
This was in relation to Manning saying that if he had a chance to do his life over, he wouldn't spend one more moment measuring/monitoring his spiritual development, what did he say he would have done instead?
"I would simply do the next thing in love."
"Are we responding to the love of Jesus living within us concretely and consistently in our love for one another?"
lindseypaige45's review against another edition
4.0
“If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who have lived in the course of human history, all their goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love and united all those qualities in a single person, that person’s love would only be a faint shadow of the furious love and mercy in the heart of God the Father addressed to you and me at this moment.” -Brennan Manning
goandbetori's review against another edition
3.0
Gonna be honest, fell asleep to this one. Brennan's got a nice calm voice, though, and a sweet message.
katebates_library's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED this! Listened to it on audiobook in less than 2 days. Something I think every Christian should listen to/read at least once.
bookworm42's review against another edition
4.0
Good chapter lengths, concise subject matter. A bit self inflating but nothing too bad.
jacquelynpedigo's review against another edition
5.0
I took this one slow, reading it chapter by chapter every morning or so with my bible and journal close at hand. This really allowed me to soak up every word that Brennan Manning wrote, every kernel of truth etched in each ink stroke.
Recommended by my therapist, this book redefined God’s love for me and for everyone. I’m someone who was raised with a poor example of love in general getting worse if we specify it to paternal love. So reading this mystical interpretation breathed with cutting new edges to the mystery of Love itself truly helped me see the light of God’s love taken form in Jesus and magnified all around us. Not only for self-help, this book also captures brilliant ramifications for the application of God’s towards others from the lowest in our community to the highest.
Truly, every sentence was a quote to enter into my dorky Favorite Quotes notes page. As someone who also struggles with reading the Bible, this is almost canon to me. I can’t pin a better emissary for God’s word and simple true theology that Manning, who crafts sentences with beautiful words as well as piercing truth.
After reading it, I know that I need to read Ragamuffin Gospel (Manning’s most popular book). I see better the love of God for me, enabling me to make healthier choices that reflect self respect rather than hurt. I feel empowered to love others better and boldly, lit with the fire of Jesus’s love.
However, I’m stuck on one thing. Whether to keep this book, scrupulously rereading every word until memorized, or pass it along and share this joy as Manning advises in the intro.
Recommended by my therapist, this book redefined God’s love for me and for everyone. I’m someone who was raised with a poor example of love in general getting worse if we specify it to paternal love. So reading this mystical interpretation breathed with cutting new edges to the mystery of Love itself truly helped me see the light of God’s love taken form in Jesus and magnified all around us. Not only for self-help, this book also captures brilliant ramifications for the application of God’s towards others from the lowest in our community to the highest.
Truly, every sentence was a quote to enter into my dorky Favorite Quotes notes page. As someone who also struggles with reading the Bible, this is almost canon to me. I can’t pin a better emissary for God’s word and simple true theology that Manning, who crafts sentences with beautiful words as well as piercing truth.
After reading it, I know that I need to read Ragamuffin Gospel (Manning’s most popular book). I see better the love of God for me, enabling me to make healthier choices that reflect self respect rather than hurt. I feel empowered to love others better and boldly, lit with the fire of Jesus’s love.
However, I’m stuck on one thing. Whether to keep this book, scrupulously rereading every word until memorized, or pass it along and share this joy as Manning advises in the intro.