Our identity rests in God's relentless tenderness for us rev... - Brennan Manning, Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging

"For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ."

"As we come to grips with our own selfishness and stupidity, we make friends with the impostor and accept that we are impoverished and broken and realize that, if we were not, we would be God. The art of gentleness toward ourselves leads to being gentle with others -- and is a natural prerequisite for our presence to God in prayer."

"Silent solitude makes true speech possible and personal. If I am not in touch with my own belovedness, then I cannot touch the sacredness of others. If I am estranged from myself, I am likewise a stranger to others."

"Our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh when we learn where the outcast weeps."

"Live in the wisdom of accepted tenderness. Tenderness awakens within the security of knowing we are thoroughly and sincerely liked by someone...Scripture suggests that the essence of the divine nature is compassion and that the heart of God is defined by tenderness."