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
Related The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust BRENNAN MANNING Being present is being connected to All Things. S. KELLEY HARRELL, M. DIV. That which should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our... JERRY BRIDGES The fear of God is the only cure for the fear of people. CRAIG GROESCHEL Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of gratitude. SIMONE WEIL The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you a... ST. FRANCIS DE SALES Everything about Andrew was hot, from the hands holding him down to the mouth steadily taking Neil a... NORA SAKAVIC The two men had a conversation. Brief, cryptic, to the point. As though they had exchanged numbers a... ARUNDHATI ROY Poor God, how often He is blamed for all the suffering in the world. It’s like praising Satan... E.A. BUCCHIANERI All I ever did to that apartment was hang fifty yards of yellow theatrical silk across the bedroom w... JOAN DIDION We can never make proper goodbyes. It was your last ride in a Checker cab and you had no warning. It... COLSON WHITEHEAD In the Christian community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only... DIETRICH BONHOEFFER Perhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering... HENRI NOUWEN To have the time to reminisce is one of the futures gifts. Don't think to much, don't live to fast, ... CALVIN WILSON We are the masters of our own destinies we shape and mould our lives into to the circumstances surro... GARY F EVANS... Not," Swift said firmly, "for all the tea in China." "That expression has never made sense to m... LISA KLEYPAS Life can be tough & make you wanna give up. But baby keep your head up because you got all the time ... LILLIAN S. VILORIA I believe God has a path for me. He's always had a path for me, and I've always been in the ... JUDITH JAMISON Gratitude is not only the memory but the homage of the heart rendered to God for his goodness. NATHANIEL P. WILLIS Gratitude is not only the memory but the homage of the heart rendered to God for his goodness. NATHANIEL PARKER WILLIS God is always coming to you in the Sacrament of the Present Moment. Meet and receive Him there with ... EVELYN UNDERHILL I had forgotten that God, or the world, or whatever carves the rules in stone, doesn't give you time... TANA FRENCH The more God is glorified the more man is energic and the more satan is weak. INDONESIA123 The only true and lasting inspiration for life is genuine love for God, and submitted gratitude that... JOHN ORTBERG Even after the dehadhyas (the belief that 'I am the body') has gone, people will say, "I saw you eat... DADA BHAGWAN To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us e... THOMAS MERTON The future is uncertain, but that can be a good thing. JENNIFER NIVEN From the Kindle Book Reflections in the Mirror of Life: “In a slum somewhere in India As... THE PROPHET OF LIFE In God, there is no sorrow or suffering or affliction. If you want to be free of all affliction and ... AL-GHAZALI Food Allergies Are Not Due to Food, Rather Are Due to the Constant Contamination of That Food That Y... THEHEALTHFOODGURU It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up. ECKHART TOLLE Ascetics and fakirs come to mitigate human suffering; to heal us and lead us on the path. They put u... SADHU VASWANI Before I got here, I thought that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it didn't exist, ... JOHN GREEN We don't know all the truth! We only know all the lies! ANTHONY T.HINCKS Without God there could be no American form of government nor an American way of life. Recognition o... DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER At its best, the expression crucified God reminds us that the power of all life, God, faces and suff... MARK LEWIS TAYLOR The striking thing about the Precious Blood is the bond it establishes between love and suffering in... GABRIEL MARCEL May I never neither turn left nor turn right in my journey of life, but may I go straight to Christ ... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH Embrace YOU...Believe in yourself, in this very moment...forgive yourself for all mistakes and 'bad'... ANGIE KARAN It’s sloppy theology to think that all suffering is good for us, or that it’s a result of sin. A... SHAUNA NIEQUIST Were you there?” She shook her head. “No. I was here in Nain having a child.” �... FRANCINE RIVERS Getting lost in the ‘big picture’ often prevents us from cherishing the 'small moments' that mak... J.R. WIRTH God is not impressed with what PRECEDES your name, but how you PROCEED in His Name." BJ NELSON Our efforts to disconnect ourselves from our own suffering end up disconnecting our suffering from G... HENRI NOUWEN Whatever we are waiting for -- peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abun... ELLEN VAUGHN I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES When unity of the mind, speech and body occurs, God has called that the ‘foremost’ religion. If ... DADA BHAGWAN Prayer is the movement of trust, of gratitude, of adoration, or of sorrow, that places us before God... THOMAS MERTON These young ones. They do not understand. There are so few of us left who remember how destructive r... CONNILYN COSSETTE Does god need our prayers? No. God doesn't need anything. A god in need is not a god indeed. So why ... BANGAMBIKI HABYARIMANA Dear Child of God, I write these words because we all experience sadness, we all come at times to de... DESMOND TUTU I have been asked on hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to co... BILLY GRAHAM Clay in the hands of a good potter suffers so many good turns, but in the end, we see its real and t... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it, unless it has been all suffering, noth... JANE AUSTEN Gratitude was never a noun; it's secretly a verb. It is not a place you accept defeat, settle in for... SHANNON L. ALDER You've never really know what it's like to trust God to provide for you today, because you've got to... CRAIG GROESCHEL The Bible is God's chart for you to steer by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show yo... HENRY WARD BEECHER Some revelations have been reserved for the last days for God to accomplish His original plan. PST ADELAJA SUNDAY Those who worry stumble long The Way. Those who pray have no time to stray. ERROL ANTHONY SMYTHE What matters is the one thing I do know for certain: God is with me. CRAIG GROESCHEL I wish I could see you some day, Just for a moment, just see you, I wish I could h... RATISH EDWARDS I don't define lust as anything evil or nasty. Lust as defined by me, is the feeling of desire: a de... C. JOYBELL C. Don't belive what others tell you. You belive in what you belive; there is nothing better. LYNDA HERNANDEZ The soul that is within me no man can degrade. FREDERICK DOUGLAS I'm a meathead. I can't help it, man. You've got smart people and you've got dumb people. KEANU REEVES Seek always for the answer within. Be not influenced by those around you, by their thoughts or their... EILEEN CADDY The thing I realize is, that it's not what you take, it's what you leave. JENNIFER NIVEN If thou canst walk on water, thou art no better than a straw. If thou canst fly in the air, thou art... ANSARI No more duty can be urged upon those who are entering the great theater of life than simple loyalty ... EDWIN HUBBEL CHAPIN Where talent is a dwarf, self-esteem is a giant. - Conceits and Caprices. J. PETIT-SENN You can say that you dont care what anyone thinks about you, but in the end, its all that really mat... TIFFANY GARLAND Because of what you have done the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us f... RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON I have never been contained except I made the prison. MARY EVANS The only thing I leave alone is the ceiling, because white contains all the wavelengths of the visib... JENNIFER NIVEN, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES I don’t need to worry that Finch and I never filmed our wanderings. It’s okay that we didn’t c... JENNIFER NIVEN, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES The Nest Houses aren’t there. It’s dark by the time I stop in downtown New Harmony, with its bri... JENNIFER NIVEN, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES Right now, he crosses his arms and frowns at me. “Is it true you almost drowned Roamer... JENNIFER NIVEN, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES It’s okay to laugh, you know. The earth’s not going to split open. You’re not going to hell. B... JENNIFER NIVEN, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES The thing is, there are good days and bad days. I feel almost guilty saying they aren't all bad. JENNIFER NIVEN You are all the colors in one, at full brightness. JENNIFER NEVIN If that blue could stay for ever; if that hole could remain for ever." There was nothing to make him... JENNIFER NIVEN Using the scientific knowledge that we
currently possess, we can take simple logical steps, backed b... LEWIS N. ROE As we become the light, the light is lifted in every room that we enter. NATALIE PACE Wake every morning with the same feeling. Live up high and fly on top of the ceiling. I just know th... ANA CLAUDIA ANTUNES Dive into the river of the present, but don't thrash about, go with the flow. JIM GENOVESE To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegia... DIETRICH BONHOEFFER When we teach ourselves and our children discipline, we are teaching them and ourselves how to suffe... M. SCOTT PECK We cannot look at the child who has been raped and offer the theological maxim that God will draw so... ELLEN VAUGHN Suffering is the substance of life and the root of personality, for it is only suffering that makes ... MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO The greatest miracle is to be alive. We can put an end to our suffering just by realizing that our s... THICH NHAT HANH It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained. QUEEN ELIZABETH II Like all best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and... QUEEN ELIZABETH II My husband has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years, and I owe him a debt greater ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II It is easy enough to define what the Commonwealth is not. Indeed this is quite a popular pastime. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have to be seen to be believed. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughou... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I myself prefer my New Zealand eggs for breakfast. QUEEN ELIZABETH II The British constitution has always been puzzling and always will be. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have behind me not only the splendid traditions and the annals of more than a thousand years but t... QUEEN ELIZABETH II
More Brennan Manning
The life of Jesus suggests that to be like Abba is to show compassion. Donald Gray expre... BRENNAN MANNING The story goes that a public sinner was excommunicated and forbidden entry to the church. He took hi... BRENNAN MANNING The ragamuffin gospel reveals that Jesus forgives sins, including the sins of the flesh; that He is ... BRENNAN MANNING The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with th... BRENNAN MANNING I am deeply distressed by what I only can call in our Christian culture the idolatry of the Scriptur... BRENNAN MANNING The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust BRENNAN MANNING I believe that the real difference in the American church is not between conservatives and liberals,... BRENNAN MANNING My trust in God flows out of the experience of his loving me, day in and day out, whether the day is... BRENNAN MANNING Put bluntly, the American church today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice. We say we ... BRENNAN MANNING Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but ... BRENNAN MANNING Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship. BRENNAN MANNING The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with the... BRENNAN MANNING Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity a... BRENNAN MANNING The unwounded life bears no resemblance to the Rabbi. BRENNAN MANNING In Love's service, only wounded soldiers can serve. BRENNAN MANNING In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal o... BRENNAN MANNING Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about tryin... 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BRENNAN BILBERRY People understand the disgusting length this organization will sink to, to attack a woman who has de... BRENNAN BILBERRY People all across the country realize this is going to be a hard-fought and very close election. Gov... BRENNAN BILBERRY We certainly want to make sure that we have a complete profile, so we know who our opponents are. Bu... BRENNAN BILBERRY It's more confirmation that Francine is running against a group of career politicians and millionair... BRENNAN BILBERRY I'd say we're right around 40 players. We got a good response, and hope to have a big announcement i... BOB BRENNAN A neighbor called them and told them their house was on fire. BOB BRENNAN One of the things I'll ask for in the future is that we have a deeper (contact) tree on the next of ... BOB BRENNAN No farmers can buy here anymore. And I don't know how young people can buy a piece of land and build... BOB BRENNAN It's horrible -- the worst fears ... something we can't control. BOB BRENNAN [But all the elaborate measures could not prevent the explosion.] It's horrible -- the worst fears .... BOB BRENNAN You have to use your mind instead of gears. BOB BRENNAN This program will allow all our customers, including our low-income customers, to enjoy the benefits... BOB BRENNAN A few of those wagons, if I had a place to move them to I would, but if I start saving stuff I'd hav... BOB BRENNAN A blind man sees not with his eyes, but with his heart. A deaf man hears with his soul and mind, not... BRENNAN MASTOUS Punishing desecration of the flag dilutes the very freedom that makes this emblem so revered. WILLIAM BRENNAN At one point in the 'Onyx Court' series, I think during 'In Ashes Lie', I suggested ... MARIE BRENNAN I think if you write for long enough, you eventually have a problem with everything, because you sta... MARIE BRENNAN You get a great perspective on the way the U.S. is perceived in other countries. I think everyone sh... CHRIS BRENNAN Foster also reflects the frustrations which so many colleges feel about the structures imposed on th... JOHN BRENNAN Anyone who might assert that our numbers were intentionally skewed is mistaken. JOHN BRENNAN We don't know the cause of death, but there was a knocked-over propane lantern in the tent, which wa... DAVE BRENNAN We needed reassurance. I needed reassurance. JACK BRENNAN We were so close in some of those games that we easily could have been 17-3 at the end of the season... JOE BRENNAN It was very similar to the game we had last week. We got a big lead and they came back hard. They're... JOE BRENNAN They're a good team, a scrappy team. They always find a way to get back in games. Their hustle and s... JOE BRENNAN We talked about it before the game. If we could come out and shoot the ball well, that's a real key ... JOE BRENNAN Someone might want to buy a special bottle to commemorate an occasion. Or someone might want to roll... TED BRENNAN We're looking forward to another good season. BARBARA BRENNAN We've talked about it, BARBARA BRENNAN We had six, lost three, then gained three, and have six again. We have a nice group. Annmarie, Kathy... BARBARA BRENNAN He's always been a good shooter. Nobody knew about him and I'm sure these guys didn't. I knew they w... RICH BRENNAN I had rather face wild beasts and diseases than the perils of civilization." There is a proverb... MARIE BRENNAN We were excited to go to Nashville because it came down to Nashville or San Francisco and either pla... BRENNAN SCHMIDT That facility is in dire need of some cosmetic and functional upgrades. KEN BRENNAN My Aunt Ella and my mom have informed me that we are going to rebuild. And because they are the matr... BRAD BRENNAN We're trying to get the investigation wrapped up. Obviously, it's a horrible and tragic situation fo... DAVE BRENNAN confirms our belief that the rangers' actions were justified. DAVE BRENNAN It reminds me of that dog that's always gnawing at you. They chase the postman. SEAN BRENNAN It's a reality. This team runs the ball very well, and they have the right personnel for the system ... BRENNAN SCHMIDT I haven't yet heard of a hookah lounge opening and going out of business. BRENNAN APPEL It's at its largest demand ever in this country. I don't think it's going away any time soon. There'... BRENNAN APPEL