Brennan Manning

He is a recovered alcoholic and a gifted writer. I keep "Abba's Child" by my bathtub and pick it up and reread it over and over. I could quote the whole book, I won't, but if you don't have a copy--buy one!! Reading this, I felt like he was telling my story.

He talks about the life he led before his encounter with Christ in the previous paragraph...
"Suddenly Jesus appeared out of nowhere, and life began anew. From being a nobody who cared about nothing but my own comfort, I became somebody, a beloved disciple, who cared about people and things. His word became "a light unto my path" Ps 119:105. I found a sense of direction and purpose, a reason for bounding out of bed in the morning. Jesus was my Rabbi, my Teacher. With infinite patience He illuminated the meaning of life and refreshed the weariness of my defeated days. I cannot and will not forget the great Rabbi who led me out of darkness into daylight. He is not a refuge from reality but the Way into its depths."

and more..
"The promised peace that the world cannot give is located in being in right relationship with God. Self-acceptance becomes possible only through the radical trust in Jesus' acceptance of me as I am. Befriending the imposter and the pharisee within marks the beginning of reconciliation with myself and the end of spiritual schizophrenia."

That is how I feel "bounding out of bed"...now that is a miracle that is only done through Jesus.

And one more because THIS has been my day.
"A hard day, yes. Rattled and unglued, yes. Unable to cope, no.
How does the life-giving spirit manifest Himself on days like that? In our willingness to stand fast, our REFUSAL to run away and escape into self-destructive behavior. Resurrection power enables us to engage in the savage confrontation with untamed emotions, to accept the pain, receive it, take it on board, however acute it may be. And in the process we discover we are not alone, that we can stand fast in the awareness of the present risenness and so become fuller, deeper, richer disciples. We know ourselves to be more than we previously imagined. In the process we not only endure but are forced to expand the boundaries of who we think we really are."

AMEN!