Good book

I picked up a book yesterday which I bought this summer while in the U.S. "The Way of the Heart" by Henri Nouwen. I started it last night, finished it this afternoon, and immediately restarted it again. Here are some quotes for your own pondering:

"Solitude is the furnace in which the false, compulsive self is transformed into the new self of Jesus Christ, and from this new self, real ministry flows."

"'Compulsive' is indeed the best adjective for the false self. It points to the need for ongoing and increasing affirmation."

"Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Jesus Himself entered into this furnace. There he was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant (turn stones into loaves), to be spectacular (throw yourself down), and to be powerful (I will give you all these kingdoms). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity (You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone). Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter---the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self."