The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there. Henri Nouwen More Quotes by Henri Nouwen More Quotes From Henri Nouwen As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, what we have, and what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgments, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to putting people and things in their "right" place. Henri Nouwen judging-people long thinking Life is not entertainment. Life is not distraction. Henri Nouwen distraction entertainment life-is When we approach fundraising in a spirit of gratitude, our confidence in our mission does not depend on how the person we are with responds to our request! We are free to remain secure in God's love with our hearts set joyfully on the kingdom. Henri Nouwen fundraising gratitude heart I really believe that what we finally want is to know God, as God has come to be known through Jesus. Knowledge is knowledge of the heart - the Spirit - I would say. It is the Spirit in us who reveals God. Henri Nouwen heart believe jesus I have found it very important in my own life to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in hope. I am finding that when I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen for me. (Finding My Way Home) Henri Nouwen eye letting-go meaningful Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world - precisely because they have been joined through the suffering of Jesus Christ Praying is letting one's own heart become the place where the tears of God's children merge and become tears of hope. Henri Nouwen prayer children jesus Be sure that you make a difference in the world. Henri Nouwen making-a-difference differences world I trust in you, Lord, but keep helping me in my moments of distrust and doubt. Henri Nouwen hurt doubt inspirational Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God. Henri Nouwen doors believe jesus As a general remark, I would say we must move from the moral to the mystical life. Henri Nouwen mystical moral moving Your body needs to be held and to hold, to be touched and to touch. None of these needs is to be despised, denied, or repressed. But you have to keep searching for your body's deeper need, the need for genuine love. Every time you are able to go beyond the body's superficial desires for love, you are bringing your body home and moving toward integration and unity. Henri Nouwen home love moving When I could no longer cling to my normal supports I discovered that true support and real safety lie far beyond the structures of our world. Henri Nouwen our-world real lying [The Return of the Prodigal book] came out of my emotional and spiritual journey during the four months I was gone from Daybreak because of depression. Henri Nouwen journey spiritual book As long as we have our stories there is hope. Henri Nouwen there-is-hope stories long The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know. Henri Nouwen space journey writing It is this nothingness (in solitude) that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something. The task is to persevere in my solitude, to stay in my cell until all my seductive visitors get tired of pounding on my door and leave me alone. The wisdom of the desert is that the confrontation with our own frightening nothingness forces us to surrender ourselves totally and unconditionally to the Lord Jesus Christ. Henri Nouwen running believe jesus The best of community does give one a deep sense of belonging and well-being; and in that sense community takes away loneliness. Henri Nouwen community loneliness giving If you are not able to be silent, you will not be able to speak well. Henri Nouwen silent able speak God wants you to live for others and to live that presence well. Henri Nouwen wells live-for-others want What once seemed such a curse has become a blessing. All the agony that threatened to destroy my life now seems like the fertile ground for greater trust, stronger hope, and deeper love. Henri Nouwen agony stronger blessing
