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Summary: A Timeless Classic
Review: This beautiful gem of a book contains the conversations, letters, spiritual maxims and a brief biography of a seventeenth century French monk, Brother Lawrence. Although almost three hundred years old, this book is a timeless classic. It portrays the lifes journey of Brother Lawrence from a solider to a man of God. It chronicles his struggle to accept the grace of God and then tells of his life as he strove to live in the presence of God. One of my favorite chapters is his letter to a soldier. It is interesting that as a former solider he does not contemn the violence of a soldiers profession; rather, he encouraged the young man to live a Godly life.Repeatedly, Brother Lawrence stresses that the presence of God can only be maintained by heart and love, rather than my understanding and speech. Thus, he would rather mediate on the truth and character of God than spend time in deep exegetical study. Tozer echoed the same though three hundred years later when he stated that the evangelical church is sacrificing a relationship with God for orthodoxy. Like Richard Foster, who wrote Celebration of Discipline, Lawrence distinguished between mediation and study. One needs to slow down and be with God. This book really helped me stop the academic rat race and slow down to spend time in communion with God and my fellow man. Trained in a rational academic environment, it is all to easy for me to spend my time in exegetical study getting to know about God rather than spending time in the Word getting to know God. The other Lord's Day, I came to the church building early to practice my sermon, only to discover that the cleaning crew failed to their jobs. Instead of prayer and preaching, I spent the next two hours cleaning toilets and washing glass doors. I remembered Brother Lawrences admonition that he never grew tired of doing the smallest things for God. Instead of becoming angry, I was able to maintain a joyful attitude that stayed with me throughout the morning services.
Rating:
Summary: Everything Is Significant
Review: This book helps you to see the significance of everything if done as unto God. It has to do with attitude. The Bible tells us to have the same attitude Jesus had. He came to serve and we're required to do likewise. Brother Lawrence served and found joy in doing so. There were no minimal tasks to him. Brother Lawrence reminds us "God knoweth best what is needful for us, and all that He does is for our good." He lived his life with that childlike trust in God.
He talks about God hiding from us sometimes. He discusses faith being tested. Although he lived a simple life, he was a profound thinker and his work has impacted generations.
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Summary: Practicing the Presence of God
Review: This book is meaty, easy and short. Brother Lawrence showed me how to live in the face of God with joy in everyday tasks. Drudgery become joy when viewed with his eyes and with God's eyes. Loved this book, it is one I will never, never forget, and will always treasure.
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Summary: Making Life's Focus as Simple as God Designed It
Review: This book is too good and too short not to be read by every Christian. The author has stated simply what the Bible calls all believers to: Living every moment, every circumstance, every chore, every delight, every trial of life for the love and worship of God. We don't need to make things so complicated in trying to balance these activities with those activities with other activities. Yes, directed meditative time with God in His Word is necessary; but the author makes clear the teaching of the Bible when he says: "I am doing now what I will do for all eternity." Brother Lawrence is simply saying: "Make life simple--do everything for the love and worship of God, and you will be living the life of eternity even here on earth." Brother Lawrence explains how he lived such a live and gives principles on how we may do the same. And it works for one simple reason: It's biblical--it's the same method God has given us in His Word.
Rating:
Summary: Sublime
Review: This is one of the three greatest Christian books besides the Bible that I would recommend for all to read, the other two being "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life" and "Pilgrim's Progress". Brother Lawrence seems to have found a heavenly type of life on earth and describes his experience in this very short and simple book that other's may partake of this blessing also. The life he portrays is one of continual communion with God in that all our daily mundane works are intimately connected with Him. One interesting comment he makes, and which perhaps best serves as the central thesis of this book, is that he feels no less closer to God when he is busy doing his earthly chores than in his set time of devotions. The Christian life he found is the one God intends for all belivers to have.
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Summary: The Simple Experience of God
Review: This is such a simple spiritual book that anyone who wants to know more about prayer and the Christian life should enjoy reading through it. Brother Lawrence had one basic message, which was the importance of the experience of God and His love in the depths of one's soul. His sayings in this book were placed in writing and published after his death, in a beautiful text that conveys much of Brother Lawrence's warm personality as well as the depth of his prayer life. Brother Lawrence was not a devotional writer per se. Rather, having once been footman to the French treasurer, he became for 15 years the cook at the Paris Carmelite monastery. In this collection of his messages given to those who lived around him, he spoke of prayer through the course of a busy day, amidst the noise of a monastery kitchen. The book has much to say to the modern person who is trying to live a spiritual life in the midst of a busy career or home. Brother Lawrence's personality shows through this work. He was described by his first biographer as a man with a "rather rough exterior" but who "made you feel that you had found a friend, to whom you could unbosom yourself wholly." His words convey this accessibility to those around him, and his true wish to share with others how better to live in a constant awareness of the presence of God throughout our daily lives.
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Summary: Inspiration for the journey of our daily lives
Review: This slim volume, written in a style evoking times past, has done wonders for me. I find myself returning to it, and have begun to carry it around in my purse in order to pull it out at a moment's notice. My husband was deeply impacted by it also. We both feel that if we can successfully put into practice the advice so generously given by Brother Lawrence, we will be able to experience a union with God that will allow us to accomplish our most menial daily tasks with great joy and love. It is not called "The Practice of..." lightly. The concepts presented here are pure and simple, but living them takes practice and patience. Let this book find its way into your heart, mind and soul!
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Summary: PURE TRUTH
Review: What honesty and truth brother Lawrence shares. If we had him writing an advice collum today, the world would be a healed place. Living in God's presence with sincere awe brother lawrence took joy in the mundane and rejoiced in pain. He advises Christians to give their lives to God sooner and to live in His presence moment by moment, taking the silly life we have here and making it holy. It was written about brother Lawrence that, "His views were not limited by time, because he contemplated nothing but the Eternal One and had become eternal like Him." How I long for this kind of relationship. Read this one, it will change your life.
Rating:
Summary: An engrossing read!
Review: Written with utter conviction, this book is totally delightful.
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