Convite à solitude

by Brennan Manning

Qual a diferença entre solitude e solidão? Solidão é estar só. Solitude é querer estar só, é buscar privacidade, um momento de quietude e silêncio. Brennan Manning tem vivido diversos destes momentos ao longo de sua jornada espiritual. Convite à solitude apresenta seleções de momentos inesquecíveis do autor, nos quais ele se encontrou com Deus e consigo, nos mais diversos e imprevisíveis lugares. Para ele, as lembranças são como presentes, verdadeiras dádivas, por isso devem ser revividas e constantemente trazidas à tona da memória. Este é um livro de registros marcantes da jornada de fé de Manning, que convida você a reviver estes momentos junto com ele e a encontrar seus próprios momentos de solitude para ouvir a voz de Deus. "Nas últimas duas décadas, percorri meu país e o mundo, e com isso descobri que me conecto melhor com o outro quando me conecto com o meu eu interior. Quando consigo me desprender das pessoas e permito que o Senhor me liberte de uma dependência insalubre em relação a elas, mais eu consigo lhes dedicar minha existência, escutar com mais atenção, amar com mais altruísmo, falar com maior compaixão, brincar de maneira mais esportiva, me levar menos a sério e ter a plena consciência de que o meu rosto brilha sorridente sempre que me acho num jogo que aprecio completamente." - Brennan Manning

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

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 1986

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

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that you don't skim through. It's a book you savior, enjoy, contemplate, and examine. This was a great devotional for me. I gave it 5 stars because you could hear the authors personal voice coming forth, nothing hidden, but real issues many of us deal with but don't talk about as Christians.

[Suzzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book that you read once and put down for all time. It is a book that you pick up time and again to digest what is relevant to your life at the moment. It is full of wisdom, both from life experiences and from Scripture.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything Brennan Manning wrote is worth reading. Brennan looks back to find souvenirs of his Christian walk - those moments where God was very present and real and teaching the author. Any Christian believer can gain something from this little book.

[Geoff Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve not read anything from Brennan Manning I didn’t love. We need more authors knowing and believing that Jesus loves us just as we are and not as we should be. This was a short and full of profound truth book

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book then took it out from the library. Anything Manning wrote is well worth the read and reflection. I kept notes as this book has been part of my sabbatical. I think these were devotionals that he journaled.

One highlight from the book:
(79) “in my own ministry to others, the greatest percentage of time is devoted to healing through caring. Often people request prayers for deliverance, inner healing or physical healing. But more frequently they simply want a man or woman to whom they can turn--not because of what this person is able to do but because of what he or she is; a person who makes them feel wanted , a friend to love them, one who generate an atmosphere of warmth and trust in which they are able to love in return.

Francis MacNutt had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and prayed with a group of elders about his role in the church. He thought he might be a Catholic Kathryn Kuhlmann or Billy Graham.
Their word to him: “The communal discernment was that his role in the church was to be a loving man.” That was it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book of reflections- I used this for my morning devotions. I especially enjoyed the poetry at the end of every chapter.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book was written years ago, it speaks to our hearts today and compels us to take a look at our deepest heart.

Excellent devotional book...

[Gero Crispens]

Esta lectura sin duda te llevará a valorar el silencio y la soledad con Dios.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s so much to think about in this book. It’s perhaps a bit random, consisting as it does of articles written by Brennan Manning when he was alone, with time to pray and ponder and realise, once again, who he was, and what was important. As he wrote, he discovered more about himself and his faith.

The main theme of the book is the need to spend time with God, to be alone to pray and listen and accept oneself as a beloved child of the Father. A lot of the book involves the idea of being ‘enough’ - with no way to earn more favour, no need to compete with anyone else.

Very highly recommended to any believers, or those who would like to believe. It doesn't seem to be available in the Kindle version any more, however.

Full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[Isaac Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another wonderful book by the late, great Brennan Manning. You can definitely tell it's one of his earlier works without checking the date, he is more clear about his Catholic sensitivities and beliefs and this was when he was still an ordained priest. For example; he has a RCC view of the sacraments in this book, specially that we are saved by baptism and he talks about absolution he was still giving at the time. I have read several of his later books and most of them are less overtly Catholic and seem to be catered to a more broader audience of which I am apart of. I really do enjoy Brennan's story and insight into the grace and love of God and he has been instrumental to many in breaking down false, harmful viewpoints of our Abba Father. It is my goal to read all his books. I'm about halfway there now. Will definitely read again!

[Colleen Mertens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This devotion was my introduction to Brennan Manning. I related to many of the emotions he had in his stories. I felt like he encourages you to get closer to God. Brennan writes in a way that makes you want to spend more time with God. I liked this book and it lead me to other devotions by Manning as well. Good book to make you think.

[Andrea E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored this book over time, being encouraged and challenged to a deeper relationship with God. By the end joy bubbled up and I want to share what I've gleaned with friends and family. The prayers by Sue Garmon hit the mark.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one slowly since each chapter stands by itself. Brennan Manning is a favorite.

[Steffanie Kamper Culp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did this on audio. I want to read more so I get a better sense of Mannings progress from this early book.

[Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and profound. Thankful for these beautiful words of God’s love and grace.

[Aguss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reconocer a Dios como ABBA (padre), es comprender que nunca se trató de un ser lejano, sino que su anhelo desde el principio es ser cercano a nosotros❤️‍🩹 los libros de Brennan son un abrazo siempre.

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito bom,
Vale o investimento da leitura, o autor é excelente.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Souvenirs and Solitude, Brennan Manning reminds us of the importance of meeting God in the void. Of taking time to be by ourselves and shutting everything off. It is during these times that our Heavenly Father lavishes us with his unrelenting love. These times are also times of refreshment. "When I am able to disengage myself from others and allow the Lord to liberate me from an unhealthy dependence on people," Manning says, "I can exist more for them, listen more attentively, love more unselfishly, speak more compassionately, play more playfully, take myself less seriously, and become more aware that my face is bright with laughter in the midst of a game I thoroughly enjoy". The goal, then, of silence and solitude is to center ourselves in God in order to give ourselves away to others. Only when we are full of Christ are we able to accomplish this selfless act of love.

First published in 1979, the stories and insights Manning illuminates are as effective and as relevant today as when they were first recorded. The relatively short chapters all stand alone nicely, making this book a sort of devotional. As a whole, though, the theme of God's love for us permeates every page. Souvenirs and Solitude gives readers an excellent representation of Manning's ability to make you laugh on one page and cry the next. Readers of Manning will be familiar with his honesty and candor, powerfully evident, for example, in chapter fifteen, "One For The Road." As a recovering alcoholic, Manning shares his gut-wrenching experience at a program and his struggle with "what could have been."

Punctuating each chapter is a poem by the late Miss Sue Garmon. Simple, yet, thoughtful, Garmon puts words to the thoughts in our head after reading what Manning has written. A perfect compliment. Ultimately, Manning and Garmon provide us with a tool to help us turn from ourselves to our Father and then, to others; an experience that is sorely needed in these days of mass information overload. Let us heed their advice and take time out to listen and be refreshed by our Lord.

[Paulo Sousa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livro 2°/Abr//16°/2016

Título: Convite à solitude
Título original: Souvenirs of solitude
Autor: Brennan Manning
Editora: Mundo Cristão
Páginas: 192
Minha classificação: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

_____________________________________
Nesse pequeno grande livro, Brennan Manning, autor de livros consagrados como "O evangelho maltrapilho" e "O impostor que vive em mim", traz as reflexões nascidas em 10 anos de voluntário isolamento. Desses momentos nada ociosos nasceriam profundos aprendizados na vida do autor, pequenas pérolas que Manning vai recolhendo à medida que seu relacionamento pessoal com Deus cresce, e que, deitados são transformados em belíssimos textos, a exemplo do capítulo "A criança e o fariseu", na minha opinião, o mais tocante nesse livro.
O que gosto na leitura de Manning é a coragem com que expõe suas limitações, com que admite a falsidade em como se portou na prática da sua fé. Ex-alcoólatra e ex-padre, Manning extraiu das suas grandes aflições belas lições de como é possível penetrar no profundo de Deus, o que qualquer é capaz, e que requer uma boa dose de solitude. Eis o convite.

[betanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways, reading this book felt like reading someone's personal journal. While that makes for a real and honest feel, it also feels a bit voyeuristic.

Manning's honesty is something that I've always admired. However, I found this book to not have the flow his other books have. Each chapter focuses on a topic that comes out of Manning's times in solitude. Some chapters feel more natural than others, but the reflections and prayers make for heart and thought provoking finishes.

Manning's Catholic theology is more prevalent in this book. I'm not going to make a big deal about this. I am a Protestant who came into the book knowing Manning to be a Catholic author. That being said, Manning's heart to help people how God sees them. As Manning puts it, He's crazy about us. And that is a message I am completely on board with.

[Georgia Herod · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Silence and solitude are precious commodities in [the author's] life." Brennan Manning says "[his] restless self finds peace only when [he rests] in God." Because of Manning's quest for a deepened relationship with God, he gives us a taste of experiences and insights in his pursuit--and those may have come in the midst of an ordinary day, in the middle of a crowd or a countryside retreat.

Twenty-one meditations, each followed by a related poem by Sue Garmon, reveal God at work in the midst of silence and solitude. The length of each reading encourages unhurried reading and contemplation on a daily basis.

The book closes with a guide for an eight-day retreat, with a Scripture passage for meditation and reflection.

Manning is honest and transparent in sharing his own hunger for a connection with Abba, Father God--and allowing his readers to gain from his pursuit.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was great and deserved 5 stars in my opinion and I was disappointed that it didn't carry through that way. The second half got a little too preachy for my taste. At the end, the author includes a week of daily bible readings and devotions that are also excellent, especially the one on gossip(it hit close to home, ahem....).

I think it's overall a good read, and would recommend it.

[S.rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a book I read again and again to remind myself of the peace that comes with quiet.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving book. I highlighted and wept through most of it. There were a few chapters toward the end that I wasn't too fond of, which were more Catholic-oriented, but otherwise this is a great book that touches your soul and opens your eyes.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant, thought-provoking reading that is easy to read in sections. The 8-day retreat that is advertised with it doesn't amount to much and I wish it could have had more depth. Other than that, however, the content is lovely and encouraging.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brennan Manning exuded a naked pursuit of God and every time I read his books it stirs me to follow in those same steps. This book is more of a collection from past events and his reflections on those. It was very moving, especially the final chapter on Resurrection.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need some silence! The world is so filled with noise it is exhauting... this book is one I picked up at Goodwill because of the title. It is a Christian devotioanal which is fine with me, but others may be turned of. Anyway, I like it.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just begun.

3/1 I read Manning's books slowly,meditating on and enjoying his love of God and his knowing - to let it all sink in. As you know I love his books.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nuggets on God's love for us. Some parts are too deep for me!

[Cathy]

Sorry... I just could not finish this. Too, too Christian for me.