Ruth Haley Barton Quotes

#1. We are starved for quiet, to hear the sound of sheer silence that is the presence of God himself.

Ruth Haley Barton

#2. Discernment is first of all a habit, a way of seeing that eventually permeates our whole life. It is the journey from spiritual blindness (not seeing God anywhere or seeing him only where we expect to see him) to spiritual sight (finding God everywhere, especially where we least expect it).

Ruth Haley Barton

#3. One thing we can know for sure is that when we are confessing our sin to God but not to the people around us in ordinary, nitty-gritty life, there is not much real spiritual transformation going on

Ruth Haley Barton

#4. Psalm 46: 10 tells us there is a kind of knowing that comes in silence and not in words-but first we must be still.
The Hebrew word translated "Be still" literally means "Let go of your grip.

Ruth Haley Barton

#5. Holy One, there is something I wanted to tell you, but there have been errands to run, bills to pay, meetings to attend, washing to do ... and I forget what it is I wanted to say to you, and forget what I am about or why. Oh God, don't forget me please, for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Ruth Haley Barton