Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God

by Brennan Manning

Our Review
Falling Backward into God

Trust is two steps beyond faith. It is faith that gets us into position, with our backs facing unseen people ready to catch us; it is trust that allows us to fall. Brennan Manning's new book thoughtfully and movingly examines the overlooked Christian value of trust: trust in ourselves, trust in Jesus Christ, and trust in God. "It takes a heroic courage to trust in the love of God no matter what happens to us," he writes early on. Many of the anecdotes in the book -- stories of loved ones lost, of personal anguish -- show how difficult it can be to fully trust God's glorious and benevolent love, but yet how the motion to trust in the face of ample reasons for distrust is the bravest movement of the human heart.

Manning relates how the ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for a few months with Mother Theresa. Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him, to pray that he have clarity. Her response was sharp and telling: "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of. So I will pray that you trust God."

Unfortunately, it is manifestly difficult to will trust in anyone, perhaps especially in God, who sometimes seems so remote and abstract. Manning explains that the path to trusting God comes through his son, Jesus Christ. So human, so fallible, so loving, Jesus is the link between mortals (in whose pain he shared) and divine love. Faith comes in truly recognizing Jesus as our personal savior; trust comes when we wed faith with "reliance on the promise of Jesus, accompanied by the expectations of fulfillment."

But the path of true trust never did run smooth and there are tremendous obstacles to heeding this call. Manning uses many episodes from his own spiritual life to illuminate the difficulties in overcoming disbelief and trusting in God like children trust in their parents. Clearly of an advanced spiritual complexion, Manning has nevertheless had his own doubts, his fears, his complaints. His own thoughts and his reaching out to other thinkers, in all disciplines -- from Martin Buber to Thomas Aquinas to parables from India -- provide a means for us to think about our own stations of trust.

Manning's book is entitled Ruthless Trust because it is the uncompromising ruthlessness of our trust in Jesus and in God through the revelations of their majesty, countering every negative and negating thought, that represents the highest aspirations of Christianity. One can do no better than to quote Manning's own words: "In 1968, on a wintry night brilliant with starshine, I stood on the edge of darkness awaiting the sunrise. The Spanish desert sands gleamed like silvered sugar. Over and over the wind whispered his name to me, 'Abba, Abba.' " That such a quiet revelation should transform itself into the beautiful deeps of trust should happen to us all. Perhaps with insights derived from this powerful book, it can.

Edward Sien, a grant maker to renascent Jewish communities in Russia and Ukraine, lives in New York, where he listens to music, reads, writes all too little, and dreams.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Christian Living, Religion

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning (April 27, 1934 – April 12, 2013) was an American author, friar, priest, contemplative and speaker.Born and raised in Depression-era New York City, Manning finished high school, enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and fought in the Korean War. After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Upon his graduation from the seminary in 1963, Manning was ordained a Franciscan priest.[2]

In the late 1960s, Manning joined the Little Brothers of Jesus of Charles de Foucauld, a religious institute committed to an uncloistered, contemplative life among the poor. Manning transported water via donkey, worked as a mason's assistant and a dishwasher in France, was imprisoned (by choice) in Switzerland, and spent six months in a remote cave somewhere in the Zaragoza desert. In the 1970s, Manning returned to the United States and began writing after confronting his alcoholism.

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"At times however, in some rare and gratuitious moment on the road, I meet someone and experience what can only be described as a moment of mutual recognition.... In my efforts to overcome my lifelong struggle with self-hatred, the despair of ever being worthy of love, I have been aided immeasurably by trusted and trusting friends who, with no ulterior motive, see something in me that I cannot see in myself. They do not merely tel me, they relate to me in a way which shows that they find me lovable." These types of friends described by Brennan Manning are the ones who God has sent straight to me and encouraged me to see the image of God that dwells in me through Jesus. I just couldn't see it myself and I was surprised by what I experienced with them.. that "moment of mutual recognition". "Is this not the dream that we all share? Someday, somewhere, I am going to meet that person who really understands me-understands the words I speak and even the words I leave unspoken. The gospel proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of that dream." Can you imagine the depth of a friendship between two people who accept the love of God through Jesus and spend their lives seeking more and more of what life is all about together? I guess that is what is meant to be in God's church in this lifetime. I'm afraid sometimes we just get it miserably wrong!

[Cori Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most helpful books I have ever read. Brennan Manning is one of my favorite authors because of his honest, authentic approach to the gospel. In one chapter, he talks about how being grateful for our lives actually releases us to inner freedom. I loved it. Good quote from the book that is actually from Henri Nouwen:

"To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives- the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections- that requires hard spiritual work. Still we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God."

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book...when I read some of it three years ago, the first few chapters impacted me heavily. This time around Ch. 9 on Humble Confidence blew me away.

It's the type of a book that I feel can and should sit on your bookshelf, impacting you in many different ways as you pick it up and read it at different seasons in your life.

[Michele Koh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that marked the beginning of my Christian life. I was ready to die when I read this. I was also experienceing withdrawel from psychiatric drugs and feeling very psychotic. I cried alot reading this book. But it kinda saved my life. A raggamufin is the nemesis of the pharasee. The ragamuffin doesn't go to church, is not well-versed in scripture and is "poor in spirit". Ragamuffins are the down-trodden, the insane, the convicts, the gamblers, the prostitutes, the alcoholics, the depressed, the homeless...all the outcasts of society. "Ruthless Trust" is a testimony that God works his greatest wonders in the those who suffer and do not fit in. The message that God's plan for those who have been hurt, abused and ostracized is a powerful one. " It is a rare piece of Christian litreture that does not preach sanctimoniously. It speaks to any man who seeks God on a level. This book shows you Jesus' very human nature, which is understanding and deeply compassionate. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven."

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

With being in Washington state very recently and driving home with the heavy smoke through Oregon, with all the riots and killing of police and then the attempted killing of two sheriffs in LA a few days ago, I really needed this book on ruthless trust. My husband and I went to a retreat years ago that Brennan Manning gave at our church. It really impacted my life then and again he did it through this book.

[Nikki Slonaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This continues to be one of the most influential books in my faith. I cannot recommend reading it enough!! Manning does an incredible job of poking at the holes in my faith without condemnation. I feel spurred and in awe of what it means to fully trust God.

[Shae Whittle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply incredible and convicting in the best way. Brennan Manning’s story alone makes this concept of ruthless trust even more amazing

“You will trust Him to the degree that you know you are loved by Him”

“I must insist that I am always happy for it would be untruthful to state otherwise. My experience of God has taught me that whatever He does must of necessity be good. Thus, everything that I receive from His loving hand or whatever He permits me to receive from the hands of others—be of prosperity or adversity, sweet or bitter—I accept with joy and see it as a sign of His favor. For many, many years now, my first resolution each morning is to attach myself to nothing but the will of God alone. I have learned that the will of God is the love of God. And by the outpouring of His grace, I have so merged my will with His that whatever He wills, I will too. Therefore, I have always been happy.”

[H.b. Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate this book even more than I do Ragamuffin Gospel.” And that is a high compliment.

[Susie Porier · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love Brennan Manning literally so much!!!!! this was a great first read of the year. would recommend Manning to anyone who finds themselves in need of grace— so, everyone?

[Jordan Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow … read. this. book. i would give it a 6/5 if i could.. best book i’ve read “to learn” this year

it says a lot about a book when it doesn’t stop at simply offering relatable, insightful, or new information .. but goes beyond that to challenge the reader’s way of thinking, acting, or praying. i found myself genuinely and deeply challenged and encouraged by this book in a way that i practically took with me into my daily life. furthermore there are so many memorable, comprehensible stories and quotes that bring a fullness to Brennan’s points and allow them to stick with you. plenty of scripture references throughout as well which is always a green flag in my book

[Sara Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was more like a 4.5 for me. Brennan Manning isn't stating that we trust Jesus because of what happens in our lives but because of who Jesus is. Manning doesn't minimize or skip over the mammoth stumbling blocks of pain and tragedy as it pertains to trust. Instead, he leans into the "how" and life-altering power of trusting despite the pain and tragedy. Not brand new information, but certainly appreciated encouragement for the journey.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5: This was not a book I could read quickly. There were so many moments I had to stop and reflect, or question, or apply and often times I had to look up what words meant. This book was real, deep, thoughtful, and nurturing. I underlined so much of it, I might as well have underlined the whole book. It was a hard, but great read.

[Jillian Shupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book is relatively short, it was challenging for me. I believe Brennan is an extremely talented writer, and pushed me to stretch my reading comprehension a bit further than I normally would.


“ We can no more catch a hurricane in a shrimp net or Niagara Falls in a coffee cup than we can grasp the infinity of God’s reality.”

[Susan S. Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenged me personally that I couldn't separate 'trusting God' from 'faith in God'. It was a line I had become comfortable with.

[Becky Giovagnoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The right book at the right time. Brennan Manning is one of my favorite writers ... the perfect blend of poetry, rawness, authenticity and wisdom.

[Christabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. ~ Sir Francis Bacon

I savored this book taking small bites and savoring it thoughtfully. I know God loves me, but do I trust Him? Am I willing to surrender myself to Him whatever He brings into my life? Manning writes, "It requires heroic courage to trust in the love of God no matter what happens to us." I understand this, that is, "seeds of distrust" that try to take root in my soul. But Peter's word's still echo in my mind, "Lord, to whom shall we go?"

I appreciate how this book weaves back and forth between our faithlessness and His faithfulness, our need and His supply, and creates a tapestry of the beauty of His glory played out in our lives. "Faith and hope work together to form a trusting disciple," that is, "faith in the person of Jesus and hope in his promise." I'm reminded that our trust builds as we experience His love in our lives, we cannot control God but He absolutely loves us, and He continues to hound us with His love even when we disown Him and do our own thing. I was both ripped open and encouraged by this book, touched by the raw emotion with which Manning speaks. I have read lots of books, but few have impacted enough to say, "It changed me." This is one of them.

[Chris Canuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable, and edifying read from Manning. After reading 'Ragamuffin Gospel' a few months ago I went out and bought everything of Manning's I could find. As in all of Manning's works I was in awe of the love of God, and His grace in not only saving me from my sin, but loving me in spite of my sin. While I believe Mr. Manning and I would disagree in some areas theologically(though we've never discussed it :)) I wish more folks from my own "camp" would preach more about the love of God, and focus more on loving His people, and spend more time talking about that aspect(love, mercy, tenderness) of His character, and how that ought to flow out of us. Doctrine without love is worthless, and a theology devoid of love is really no theology at all. I too fell(fall) into this trap myself, and am thankful for stumbling onto Mr. Manning's work. I love Brennan Manning's honest and straightforward style. He is a man with a lifetime of experiences across many areas and various church and denominational lines. This book didn't contain a ton of new insights, as many of his books tend to repeat themselves, still I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to others.

[Sharayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I needed to read right now. I am facing difficult decisions, and above all I want to go where God leads me, but it's scary and takes risk. Ruthless Trust reminded me not only how much risk is involved in trust, but was also very encouraging at the same time. "My gracious Lord has shown me that the best way to strip fear of its awesome power is to be a homebody, to stay home in the palace of Nowhere." The concept of 'Nowhere' as Manning uses it is discussed in the book, so I won't bother to explain other than to say that the best way to get rid of fear's power is to make my home in the unknown, the very place that scares me the most. Following God is not easy by any means. It requires a lot of sacrifice. But its the adventure of a lifetime and, though I'm scared, I'm excited to see where life/God takes me.

[Chas Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brennan Manning is an engaging, brutally self-honest author. Here in Ruthless Trust he captures his central theme of what it mean to be a Ragamuffin and focuses on the question of trust, which is combining hope with belief. There are many great concepts in this book and they are often beautifully communicated. My criticism however, is with the organization of the book. This is a consequence of Manning's style and may be endearing to some. As for me, I struggle to follow Manning's logic and organization from passage to passage and from chapter to chapter. Manning's overuse of one-liners and references to obscure works was also distracting.

I think this is one of those books that one could read only the first and final chapter and come away with the meat of the book. Sure, a lot of poetry, quips and zingers will be missed, but the meat of the book is there in the bookends.

[al.wopata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year I read Abba's Child, Ruthless Trust was the perfect next step. "Behold, the splendor of a human heart which trusts that it is loved!" I become more and more convinced that learning to live this reality is the core of the Christian life, and have found encouragement for the journey within these pages. Manning writes with courage about his own story, and invites the reader to an unselfconscious honesty as well. Without it, "we can only pretend that we are sinners, and thus only pretend that we are forgiven."

[Grant Den Herder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Brennan Manning’s writing, but I have to do it in short bursts. His chapters don’t seem to flow and his stories don’t always pertain to his main point. It seems to me like a lot of his content just jumps from to point.

There are some real nuggets of wisdom in this book though. This was a nice, easy read.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Uncle Dave recommended this book to me a few years ago before he died, and I just now finished it. Parts of it brought me to tears. Manning preaches a real, gritty gospel, and uses literary references and personal accounts to teach the reader what it means to trust God.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Words really hit me hard. I am not a fan of the word "ragamuffin". And I've thought for years now that Brennan Manning was probably playing fast and loose with the Bible and so I would have difficulty appreciating his work.

BUT. I ignored the "ragamuffin" part. And I really got a lot out of this book. Manning is sincere but also honest. He exhorts and encourages and speaks with a kind of knowing compassion, sort of like "yes I know you will make excuses but here is what you need to remember....." I copied down many quotes into my commonplace book. Here is a nice one: "Ask for the grace to set a limit on our self-pity." He recognizes that we face difficulties that will tempt us to self pity. But we cannot stay there.

Great book!

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love Manning's works because he can't stop sharing about how much God loves each one of us. We are God's beloved and He's crazy about us because he thought us up and then created us. He cannot stop loving us.

Ruthless Trust takes us deeper into the heart of God. How do we respond to that endless love, especially when life gets tough? We trust God! And because at times it seems too hard to do that, trusting God can be hard work and requires us to be 'ruthless' to keep trusting. Even a little crazy at times.

I loved most of this book. Some of it dragged on a little too much for me but it was still a tremendous read, one I expect to read again like I do Manning's words. They come better as we marinate in them.

[D.A. Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the main ways I judge a book is how often the author stops me in my tracks, forcing me to appreciate the words and contemplate the meaning behind them. I did this so often when reading Ruthless Trust I lost count. An outstanding and paradigm shifting Christian work. I loved it. I was moved. I was challenged, and I will read this again...and again. Straight into the realms of Mere Christianity and What's So Amazing About Grace. A great, great book. Faith in Jesus + hope in his promises = trust. Love it!

[Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I get to heaven, after I say hey to Jesus, Peter, and my Dad, Brennan is one of the firsts I want to have coffee with. He has such a way with words, and his books always leave such a deep impact on me. I've spent the last few weeks just arrested by so many phrases and paragraphs in this book and this is one that will be staying with me for quite some time, and also one I will be returning to again and again.

Brennan's vulnerability and honesty are so evidently rooted in his awareness of Jesus' love for him. And his vulnerability opens up something that allows me to look at the dark side of my heart and the ugly parts of my story and see the evidence of redemption and overwhelming grace.

I'm so grateful I live in a world where Brennan Manning's words are accessible to me.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the cover of my paperback edition, there is a quote from Dallas Willard about how, in this book, “Brennan Manning throws firebrands into your soul.” That’s what this book felt like to me. Not every word, of course, but I’d find myself reading along when BAM! A firebrand of truth and encouragement hit my soul. I started reading this book at a very difficult and dark time in my life, having been slammed again and again by life’s circumstances. Manning called out to me repeatedly from the pages to set my Ruthless Trust on Christ, and it felt like a lifeline on the hard days.

[Jonathan Janik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book can lift your soul...if you let it!

[B Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruthless Trust
- an attack on our self indulgence, will, service , gratification, righteousness, sufficiency etc
- “trust is our gift back to God and he fine it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it”
- Jesus demanded the disciples to trust, not asked (john 14:1)
- God exists… to I trust you!!! rational, natural, logical theology to a communion, “bread on our tongue from an unseen hand”
- God by definition is thinking of me, or he would cease to exist!
- we just accept the acceptance of Jesus and the total sufficiency of his redeeming work
- in reliance on self we do not live by trust in a loving God

- gratitude arises from the lived perception, evaluations and acceptance of all of life as a grace - an undeserved and unearned gift
- trust has enabled them to step outside their grim conditions and to find joy in life - they run against the grain
- underlying every cry of a grateful sinner is an unshakable trust in the person and promise of Jesus!
- walk in gratitude is an inclusive, attentive, contagious, and theocentric
- grateful for ALL life and everything that has brought us to where we are and trust that we will soon see the guiding hand of God
- notice marvels of God!
- it is gratitude that makes us contagiously joyful
- there is Someone to thank
- “he knew himself to be a man possessed totally by another, belonging totally to another, and dependent totally on another…” JESUS
- do not let ingratitude be in ur heart, forgetting of the graces, benefits, and blessings received

- not necessarily how can God tolerate so much evil, but rather how the more tangible reality of evil still allows the possibility of God’s existence?
- unbelievers and often believers too substitute art, rational reflection, or philosophical reflection for the guttering religion of trust
- submitting to God is hard in trials
- the glory of God is the human being fully alive! and the life of the human consists in beholding God

- kabōd = glory
- weight, greatness, eminence, power, and authority of God
- Jesus is inexpressibly incomparable…. Cannot be limited to human concepts, considerations, and expectations
- cannot be comprehended by a rational logic mind
- romantic love is the best mirror but I it is still inadequate to express infinite love
- To avoid mystery is to avoid a God , the only God, worthy of praise and honor
- The tenderness of father, compassion of Jesus, and consolation of spirit …beyond these hints is love beyond measure
- glory of God demands the renunciation of belonging to self
- any brand of religion that focuses on supernatural or offers of after life gives no comfort, consolation, or solidarity in our PRESENT suffering
- yet a fleeting! incomplete glimpse! of God’s BACK awakens a dormant trust in the real and incomparable glory of Christ
- if Christianity is merely an ethic or moral code it will not withstand the incursion of suffering

- “artists, mystics, and clowns” stretch our limited understanding of God
- instruments of grave telling us to lighten up! a lighthearted whimsical stance toward life & unaffected graciousness and sincere friendliness makes our inflated sense of self-importance go away
- “claim the child you once were”
- reexamine priorities
- wrong thinking about God and people often can begin with a debased image of ourselves
- look beyond the literal to see the world as a metaphor for God…
- majesty of mountains, beauty of prairies, wildflowers on the road, smells in the summer, sound of a waterfall… THEY BIRTH THE WORD IN OUR MIDST
- they dare us to dream of a homeland where eye has not seen, ear has heard nor the imagination conceived of the beauty that awaits

- transcendence means that God cannot be confined to the world
- immanence means that God is wholly involved with us, that he is living and here in his mysterious nearness
- disregard of God’s immanence deprives us of any sense of intimate belonging , while intention to his transcendence robs God of his godliness
- divinity must be coupled w humanity, heaven must be balanced with earth, and God’s distance must be complemented by his nearness

- faith arises from personal experience of Jesus as Lord
- Hope is reliance on the promise of Jesus and the expectation of fulfillment
- trust is these together
- in Christianity, knowledge is felt , arising. From an experience of God in faith and love
- Jesus is the revelation of the only God worthy of trust
- the full experience of Jesus is an encounter with him on both divine and human levels of existence
- “to seek the experience simply for the sake of the experience is to seek self not God��
- the experience of Jesus AS LORD brings forth the response of faith and differs per individual
- Jesus gives life meaning
- reveals our own self too, we cannot be our own try self except by union with this person
- faith and certainty here is “I know that I know that I know” however dimly and through a glass darkly
- God has come to us in a human word = Jesus Christ
- transcendence and immanence reflects in us that it is more intimate than my deepest self and higher than my utmost peak
- “What is one thing in life that is certain?” the love of Christ!!!
- The certitude of faith rising from lived experience
- Our trust in Jesus grows as we shift from self conscious efforts to be good to allowing ourselves to be loved as we are (not as we should be)
- time of prayer can be characterized by less rational reaction and speaking and more contemplative quiet and listening
- life is loved forward but understood backwards (Jesus resurrection and then reflected in OT)
- in varying degrees, suffering and loss touch every life , just as the presence of God in Christ if we have faith in his presence and hope in his promise
- Jesus Christ knows how to wait too
- be careful- when taking control becomes our ROUTINE response to troubled relationships and worrisome problems, God is not our pilot or co-pilot, he’s not even aboard!!!
- trust cannot be self generated , I cannot will myself to trust
- but such is the meaning of RADICAL dependence!
- what does lie within my power is paying attention to the faithfulness of Jesus !!! <3
- he is always faithful, and cannot disown his own self
- we must humbly acknowledge out limitations , we are driven to the prayer … Lord, I do believe! Help my lack of trust
- Job… his trust endures even when understanding fails
- we can endure evil when we have experienced the insight to the reality of God
- trust not because God has offered proof but because God has shown his face!!!!!
- Jesus is the truest and never failing friend - raw honesty w Jesus about our doubts and anxieties, lust and laziness, shabby prayer life and stale religiosity, mixed motives and divided hearts = full and mature expression of invincible trust
- no faith w out doubt, no hope w out anxiety, no trust w out worry… these shadow us from dawn to dusk .. when they threaten to consume, we can overpower w a simple and deliberate act of trust - address as ABBA father
- Jesus is the revealer as the Father’s compassion
- Jesus’s enduring relevance is based on his historically proven ability to speak to , to heal and to empower , the individual human condition. He is still bringing things to ordinary humans

- clarity, reassurance, and proof cannot create trust, sustain it, or guarantee any certainty of its presence
- trust in God and do not always presume that God will intervene

- humble people are small in their eyes l, honest about their struggles, and open to constructive criticism
- following the counsel of Jesus to take the last place, they are not shocked or offended when others put them there
- self-acceptance w out self-concern is anchored in the acceptance of Jesus

- 134 water bearer story
- without you being just the way you are, he would not have had this beauty to grace His house
- what do these stories tell us about JESUS not ourselves
- we often formulate plans to fulfill what we perceive to be the purpose of our lives (inevitably limited) and when the locomotive of our longings gets derailed, we deem ourselves failures??
- our disappointments arise from presuming to know the outcome of a particular endeavor
- we are as unaware as the cracked pot of the divine intention in much of what we do… entrust yourself to Mystery , move forward fearlessly
- any attempt to measure the value of our lives by comparison and contrast to others belittles our gifts and dishonors God by our ungratefulness
- self consciousness has seeded to self hatred
- our very existence is one of the never-to-be-repeated ways God has chosen to express himself in space and time… because we are made in God’s image and likeness, we are another promise that he has made that he will continue to love and care for us and the universe
- in patient endurance we wait for God to make clear what he wants to say through us

- it is an act of radical trust - trust that God can be encountered at no other time and in no other place than the present moment
- it is through immersion in the ordinary - the apparently empty, trivial, and meaningless experiences of a routine day - that life , Life, is encountered and lived
- slow down and actually be in the moment. like eating or walking , take joy in the fact of what you are doing
- to live in the moment requires profound trust that the abundant life Jesus promised is experienced only in nowhere
- “In our human relationships we have no need to identify others with their sins and condemn them for their actions : for we are able , in them also, to see below the surface and to guess at the presence and innermost self that is the image of God!”
- the effort to free ourselves from concerns and the willingness to put aside distractions involves a kind of death in order to take up the cords of the present moment
- the commitment to living out rather than escaping the gift of life is the special province of children 🧡
- serve the faith, which is a lived conviction that all times and places, and all things great and small are equally close to God as his cherished gift to all of us

- “my experience of God has taught me that whatever He does must of necessity be good”
- the way of ruthless trust gives definition to our lives, reveals what is life giving within us
- Ruthless trust is the courageous confidence that despite suffering and evil, terrorism and domestic conflict, God’s plan in Jesus Christ cannot fail
- search your heart for the Issac in your life - name it and place it on the altar as an offering
- Jesus’s love is capable of transforming our cowardly, distrustful hearts into hearts strong in the trust that they are loved.
- RUTHLESS TRUST is an unerring sense, way deep down, that beneath the surface agitation, boredom, and insecurity of life, its gonna be all right. Ill winds may blow, more character defects may surface, sickness may visit, and friends will surely die; but a stubborn, irrefutable certainty persists that God is with us and loves us in our struggle to be faithful. A nonrational, absolutely true intuition perdures that there is something unfathomably big in the universe (kabod), something that points to Someone who is filled with peace and power, love and undreamed of creativity-Someone who inevitably will reconcile all things in himself.
- Lord, I trust you. Help my lack of trust

[Whitney Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I added this book to my TBR list after hearing a story referenced in it, in which an ethicist went to work under Mother Teresa and asked if she would pray for clarity on his behalf. “No, you don’t need that,” she responded. “I’ll pray that you trust God instead.”

Now, it’s the first week of February, I’ll read dozens more books this year, and I already know this will make my “Most impactful of 2023” list.

I’ll revisit its highlights. I’ll quote it (probably stumble’y) in conversations and journal entries. In other books, I’ll search for the sobering sting and piercing warmth Brennan Manning bleeds onto his honest pages, as he writes about Jesus and life and sin and suffering and mystery and what it is to be childlike and grateful and fully present, and assured of God’s love and trustworthiness - and I’ll return to this one, because I found it here and don’t know when I will again.