Can I Say That? Quotes

“When I recognized myself in Mark 2, I saw that Jesus invites everyone to experience Him. To sit down and have a meal with Him. To ask Him hard questions. And to do so before He requires our obedience. The church hasn’t done this well. I haven’t done this well. But Jesus’ example to us is to leave room for everyone. Jesus did not call Levi to the standard of being His follower before Levi got the chance to know Him. Therefore, I am not calling you to the standard of following Christ before you have gotten to know the person of Christ. What I am doing is extending an invitation to you to step into the room Jesus is offering you as you turn the pages of this book. I am saying, come inhabit this space, but not with gritted teeth or your fake, on-guard smile or “right” answers. Come with your mess and your unedited language flowing. Dare to be your full self, like the tax collector who shared a meal with the God-Man. Be willing to say that thing and ask that question. Be okay with causing the religious leaders to question, “What is happening?!”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Jesus, however, wasn’t looking for the morally “put together.” Those were not the people in desperate need of Him.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“I truly believe that Brenna’s story as told in this book is the way of the future for evangelical Christianity. Everyone is tired of short answers to thick questions, of assuming that Christianity is nice and easy. What the evangelical church needs is more honesty, more humility, more lament alongside our long bouts of celebration.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“He wants you to be your true self with him and be willing to engage with him deeply, so he can wow you with the beauty of his heart and character.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“I imagine that you, as much as I, have not been a stranger to this wicked false gospel. But as we have gotten to know the real God through our questioning, we are given a much different picture. A real picture of the God who meets us in the road with tender eyes and a wide smile. The God who calls us precious while He gently presses His face to ours, the God who weeps with us, the God who is actually here in the room communing with us.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“When creation remembers their Creator, they fight to keep Him on the throne of their hearts.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“While this may be an extreme example of how remembering God can change a kingdom, our effort to keep God at the center can be just as revolutionary.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“We live real lives, full of the mundane and, frankly, full of crap. Everyday stressors, disappointments, or boredom can leave us with broken longings, and without exposure to truth, we can lose ourselves in those longings. But let’s not forget: our God did not rise from the dead simply to release us to live unchanged lives. Salvation is just the beginning. If you believe in the life and resurrection of Jesus, then you get to acknowledge the Holy Spirit and continued sanctification.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“God, I know You care. I know You do. But the church and these leaders are falling silent on the things that those who feel unseen are wrestling with. How will they ever know that You care if the church won’t show them that? Until one day I stopped talking long enough to actually listen. Brenna, you have a voice. Why don’t you show them I care?”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“there is a God who is jealous for you. He chases after those who are prodigals and those who stayed home and felt unseen. He leaves the ninety-nine for the one who would never even consider themself worthy or in need (Matthew 18:10–14). There is a God whose thoughts about you are more than the grains of sand that cover this earth or the stars in the galaxies that seem to go on and on and on (Psalm 139). The God who literally dwells in eternity (Isaiah 57:15). The God who fills up forever. Do you get how insane that is?! He is madly and deeply in love with you.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“The Bible is not a list of rules; it is a shovel that uncovers the sinful condition of our hearts, uproots us from our sinful selves, and replants us within God’s will and safety.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Whether it is Philippians addressing anxiety or Romans talking about our future glory, the Bible cannot be spliced into pieces. We cannot apply Scripture based on key phrases or micro ideas that “feel” applicable to us. To really understand the meaning of the Bible, words and passages must be taken in their entire context, and that requires study. Sure, it is easy to shrug our shoulders at the thought of having to give time to understand what this book is really saying, but consider this: Have you ever prayed, God, show me what You want to say, and flung the pages open, hoping to find something relevant to your life or situation? I have. But almost every time I’d land somewhere in the middle of Leviticus, and I would roll my eyes, thinking, Yeah, this is great for the next time I need to practice animal sacrifice. It is easy to laugh, but we have to acknowledge how real this practice is. We ask the Holy Spirit to miraculously show up and hope that we will stumble upon something of worth and value. But the Bible isn’t a Magic 8 Ball.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“So pour out the contents of your heart. The ugly, the angry, the depressed, the doubt, the fear, the hate, the aggression, the failure, the pain, the sin; every piece of your humanity is welcome—because if it brings you to communion with God, God can and will use it. He just wants to hear from you.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Maybe, like me, you have felt so overwhelmed by fear or shame or unbelief that you’ve thought, I am too messed up. My situation is too awful. Nothing will ever change. I can’t picture God wanting to hear from me now. But let’s go back to David. Somehow, in all his constant struggles and adulterated sin, he knew he could turn to God and he chose to do so. Why? I believe it is because he came to know the nature of the Lord. David came to know that Perfection Himself was and is the only One equipped to deal with his messes, his wicked heart, his broken spirit. And this shaped the way David chose to approach God.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Although we do not currently have Jesus in the flesh with us face-to-face, we still have a God who longs to hear from us and a way to communicate with Him. Did you know that He really wants to hear from you? Your words can be jumbled, the tone wobbly. A prayer can be as short as a text or as long as a novel. You can voice your current aches and pains, your doubts and fears, or read Him the lyrics of a song you wrote. The content does not matter as much as the one producing it. God cares to hear from you, in your tone, from your heart, with your mannerisms and character and experiences, however knotted up they are. He knows that they’ll never get untangled unless you hand them over to Him, in all your heaviness and anguish. How can I be so sure? I know this because I have read the prayers of the man called “the one after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, author’s paraphrase).”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Confession between God and me still leaves me with agency to continue doing wrong, but public confession invites accountability.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Often, at least in the Protestant church, when we think about confession we think of legalism or old traditions. We believe we should confess to God, but when it comes to those around us in our spiritual communities, we often fall silent. But confession is a necessary and blessed spiritual practice. Something significant happens when we confess out loud to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And while it may be a nerve-wracking practice to think about, consider where we, the collective body, have come from. All of us, every single one of us, has been the prodigal son. We all have run, hidden, wept, and returned in shame to be met by the deepest of loves—the sacrificed Son who bled for us. He doesn’t just wait; He runs into the road when we are far off. He calls our names and longs to look us in the eyes while welcoming us home.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“He is with you. He’s with you not despite your suffering and not outside your suffering, but He is in it with you, communing with you, remaining next to you, holding you. He knows the pain, He knows the hurt, and He knows you.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“God worked to keep me alive, and He is doing the same for you. Why? Because God does not exist “outside” of our suffering. He is right there with us. How? Through the working of the Holy Spirit, through the fruition of God’s will, and by the obedience of His people.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“God is here with us, but He doesn’t always heal, He doesn’t always intervene, and He doesn’t always promise earthly rescue.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“God asks us not to hide in shame, but to bring all our “stuff,” our realities, to Him. All the dirty laundry we could ever pile into mounds of baggage, all the bricks we could carry on our backs. And with a great gesture of gentleness, He asks if He can have it.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“We don’t have to be struggle-free for God to come near. We don’t have to be faultless for God to rush in with His love. Our baggage and our bricks won’t stop Him from wanting to be close to us.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“All I ever wanted was to be known. Jon came to know me and didn’t demand my perfection. As he allowed me to wrestle with Christianity inside a Christian circle, rather than outside of it, I had room to take one step closer to knowing Christ Himself. Not the version of Jesus the Westboro Baptist Church painted, nor the version the metal-chair Baptist church drew . . . but the Jesus who eats with prostitutes and tax collectors. The Jesus who creates safe spaces because of who He is. The Jesus who invites you, just as you are, to step closer to Him.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“If I skipped a night, someone texted me to say they missed me. I got invited to birthday parties and game nights. And every Wednesday I found myself looking forward, with real excitement, to youth group—which we called Refuge. I know. It didn’t make sense. Fourteen-year-old me hated church, was afraid of God, and was absolutely, undeniably gay. These things don’t make you a good candidate to be a youth group kid.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“Why must this man always pop out of nowhere to try to talk to me when I am just trying to blend in and find my friends?! I grumbled to myself. I don’t do friendly, I don’t do small talk, and I certainly don’t have any interest in knowing adult dudes who think God is worth knowing.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“At age fourteen, I shared my secret with my closest friends, none of whom treated me differently, despite their different reactions—from “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy” to “You know this means you’re going to hell, right?” I caught a glimpse of what it would look like to come out to the secular world, and it was inviting. That world didn’t view me as gross. It loved what I loved. It fed my desires. It didn’t ask me to change. It invited me to indulge. I binged movies and TV shows with lesbian couples and I dreamed about the day I would be loved by someone I was wildly in love with. And it was still all under wraps. Because I went to church.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“I had learned years before that certain people were incompatible with Christianity. When I was young, I thought it was people who wore thong bathing suits or did drugs. As I got older and I listened to the irate, outspoken people at Westboro Baptist Church, I gathered that gay people were making God angriest, since He was sending them natural disasters and wars. With no real counterarguments or nuanced conversations taking place in my circles of faith, this felt like truth. Questions churned in my head, questions maybe you’ve asked before too: Am I too tainted for the church, the house of God? If I ever confessed to my struggles within the walls of a church, would I be safe there? And I couldn’t escape the haunting statement that reverberated in my mind: God hates gay people.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“A subject like porn had never come up in my other churches or youth groups, but now an adult—a pastor—was acknowledging that even people our age could have struggles and secret sins. Porn wasn’t a personal struggle of mine, and if I told you I remembered the rest of the sermon, I’d be lying. So why did God keep bringing this memory to mind as I wrestled with my doubts? Perhaps those words held something beyond a recognition of our sin. Perhaps they spoke more deeply by answering the question I was asking underneath. God cared about my faith. God cared about my abuse. God cared about my human condition. God cared.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“My reality was incongruent with the gospel people were teaching me. God was good, unless you had been abused—then, there wasn’t much He could do for you. God was near, unless you felt emotionally alone. God was our comfort, unless the comfort you needed was due to something too uncomfortable to talk about.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God

“All those lessons may be valid and important, but at the time, they fed my soul a lie I’m sure Satan took delight in: My reality doesn’t matter, and God doesn’t care. I’d sigh to myself as these words would replay in my mind while I walked out of youth group. Sure, like every middle school kid, I struggled with kindness, and I didn’t always respect my parents. But I’d also been molested.”
― Brenna Blain, Can I Say That?: How Unsafe Questions Lead Us to the Real God