furious longing.

This little black book I am reading right now is leaving me in tears every night. A simple 5 pages of very few words are being written permanently on my heart. The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning, is a small in stature but BIG in wisdom book.

I've told many of you that I always have to be careful about the books I read because I will believe what it says and assume that it is based off God's words without even checking. Well, not this time.

I've never heard of Brennan Manning before, partially because I avoid Christian books, but also because titles like The Ragamuffin Gospel and The Furious Longing of God intimidate me. Unless they have a good cover, I won't even think of reading them. So here I am, reading the first chapter on Amazon and pretty much electrocuting myself because the tears are splashing on my keyboard :] haha. I knew this book was going to hit me in those deep corners and force me to keep looking face to face with my inner white elephant(s).

And the best part...My bible is open when I am reading it. Brennan Manning paints the scripture into his writing in a way that causes me to want to search the bible, it leads me to God's words and takes the focus off of the authors.

That is powerful.

"The men and women who are truly filled with light are those who have gazed deeply into the darkest of their own imperfect existence." [brennan manning]

This brings me to what Dilyn and I talked about on our walk yesterday...how it is our immediate response to go to other people before we go to God. How we stifle God's voice to a whisper because we make our lives so busy and filled with noise, but really, God is SHOUTING and SINGING, and LAUGHING, and LOVING BOLDLY...every second of every day.

Take a walk down Grand River, right before 10:20 classes, turn off your I-pod, and just listen. Open your eyes to the people around you, making your heart vulnerable to those you see, turn your ears towards your prayers and to the shouts that God is boldly sending your way.

God is everywhere and that is a great reinforcment for the hope He has placed in our hearts.