false 3 75 72 true 5805892 read 1 true 5203843 currently-reading 2 true 5203842 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78151625 to: Souvenirs of Solitude: Finding Rest in Abba's Embrace (Hardcover) by Brennan Manning
In Souvenirs and Solitude, Brennan Manning reminds us of the importance of meeting God in the void. Of taking time to be by ourselves and shutting everything off. It is during these times that our Heavenly Father lavishes us with his unrelenting love. These times are also times of refreshment. "When I am able to disengage myself from others and allow the Lord to liberate me from an unhealthy dependence on people," Manning says, "I can exist more for them, listen more attentively, love more unselfishly, speak more compassionately, play more playfully, take myself less seriously, and become more aware that my face is bright with laughter in the midst of a game I thoroughly enjoy". The goal, then, of silence and solitude is to center ourselves in God in order to give ourselves away to others. Only when we are full of Christ are we able to accomplish this selfless act of love.

First published in 1979, the stories and insights Manning illuminates are as effective and as relevant today as when they were first recorded. The relatively short chapters all stand alone nicely, making this book a sort of devotional. As a whole, though, the theme of God's love for us permeates every page. Souvenirs and Solitude gives readers an excellent representation of Manning's ability to make you laugh on one page and cry the next. Readers of Manning will be familiar with his honesty and candor, powerfully evident, for example, in chapter fifteen, "One For The Road." As a recovering alcoholic, Manning shares his gut-wrenching experience at a program and his struggle with "what could have been."

Punctuating each chapter is a poem by the late Miss Sue Garmon. Simple, yet, thoughtful, Garmon puts words to the thoughts in our head after reading what Manning has written. A perfect compliment. Ultimately, Manning and Garmon provide us with a tool to help us turn from ourselves to our Father and then, to others; an experience that is sorely needed in these days of mass information overload. Let us heed their advice and take time out to listen and be refreshed by our Lord. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60253294 Confessions (World's Classics) by Augustine of Hippo
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60253267 The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible (Hardcover) by A.J. Jacobs
bookshelves: to-read
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60224000 to: Ordering Your Private World (Hardcover) by Gordon MacDonald
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60223931 Trading Places: The Best Move You'll Ever Make in Your Marriage (Hardcover) by Les Parrott III
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59229088 to: The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers (Paperback) by David Hansen
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