Lawrence, Brother - The Practice Of The Presence Of God

[Hans Deventer]

This small book consists of three parts:
1. A kind of interview with Brother Lawrence by an abbot
2. Some 15 letters from Brother Lawrence
3. His "Spiritual Maxims"

The latter was by far the most interesting. I have two quotes here:

He alone can reveal Himself to us; we toil and exercise our mind in reason and in science, forgetting that therein we can only see a copy, whilst we neglect the Incomparable Original. In the depths of our soul, God reveals Himself, could we but realize it. (p95)

The practice of the presence of God is the shortest and easiest way to attain to Christian perfection: it is the form and the life of virtue, it is the great preservative from sin. (p111)

I don't recall having ever read about him in our holiness literature. I wonder why.

Brother Lawrence (1614-1691) was a French lay monk.

[Marsha Lynn]

I don't recall having ever read about him in our holiness literature. I wonder why.

Brother Lawrence (1614-1691) was a French lay monk.

Hmm... I'm not sure where I heard of this book but I've owned it for years and it seems that something or someone prompted the purchase, most likely a sermon by a holiness preacher.

The one source I remember discussing it was, I think, Philip Yancey in one of his books. (I had read Brother Lawrence's books several years before the Yancey book was written.) He wrote of a modern-day person who made a diligent effort to truly do what Brother Lawrence advocated, keep one's mind on the presence of God during every waking hour/moment/second. It turned out to be extremely difficult.

Still, the book has great value, if only in showing us the blessings that come from aiming for such a goal. Thanks for including it here.

Marsha

[Brad Mercer]

It's been years since I read that book and I don't remember anything specific from it anymore. I do remember that I found it worth reading.

Brad

[Mike Schutz]

Greetings!

Brother Lawrence is on a short list of readings I return to every year. It was first introduced to me by Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline) and the clarity and simplicity are both challenging and refreshing.

Thanks!

[Marsha Lynn]

It was first introduced to me by Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline) and the clarity and simplicity are both challenging and refreshing.

Aha! I suspect that if my memory were better I could trace my familiarity back to the same source. It seems that I read both books around the same time. Thanks for making the connection, Mike.

[Hans Deventer]

Aha! I suspect that if my memory were better I could trace my familiarity back to the same source. It seems that I read both books around the same time. Thanks for making the connection, Mike.

Which would confirm my notion that it is not from Nazarene sources that the reference came. And I still wonder why. Neither in "Exploring Christian Holiness, the historical development", nor in "From The Apostles To Wesley" is he being mentioned.

[Mike Schutz]

Which would confirm my notion that it is not from Nazarene sources that the reference came. And I still wonder why. Neither in "Exploring Christian Holiness, the historical development", nor in "From The Apostles To Wesley" is he being mentioned.

It seems that the classics of "devotional" literature, whether it be the early monastics, or even later (such as Thomas a Kempis, Catherine of Siena, or Brother Lawrence) are not referenced within the Protestant holiness movement. Perhaps such writings were a little too "mystical," or too "Catholic." This is one reason why Foster's Renovare movement, with an emphasis on learning from Christian streams outside your own, has been so compelling to me.

Several weeks ago a member of my staff was searching through my library to find reading material for her mother, a recent widow who served with her husband in Nazarene pastoral ministry for many years. She took several books. A few weeks later her daughter returned the books to my library, including one by Brennan Manning. She told me her mother enjoyed it, but that she had not read much outside the Wesleyan tradition, and had never read anything written by a Roman Catholic. So, being the trouble maker I am, I passed her several books by Nouwen:basic05

[Jim Franklin]

I have that book also and often refer to it as life guide.

[Jamie Wayne]

I have been familiar with Brother Lawrence for a very long time...another good book from this tradition is Thomas a Kempis' "Imitatio Christi" or "The Imitation of Christ", which historically is the most read book in Christendom after the Bible itself. It's really quite good.

As for "mystical" stuff, I'd highly recommend "The Cloud of Unknowing" by an unknown English author - it's EXCELLENT if one is into mysticism...St. John of the Cross seems to refer to it quite often.

[Don Engie]

This small book consists of three parts:
1. A kind of interview with Brother Lawrence by an abbot
2. Some 15 letters from Brother Lawrence
3. His "Spiritual Maxims"

The latter was by far the most interesting. I have two quotes here:

He alone can reveal Himself to us; we toil and exercise our mind in reason and in science, forgetting that therein we can only see a copy, whilst we neglect the Incomparable Original. In the depths of our soul, God reveals Himself, could we but realize it. (p95)

The practice of the presence of God is the shortest and easiest way to attain to Christian perfection: it is the form and the life of virtue, it is the great preservative from sin. (p111)

I don't recall having ever read about him in our holiness literature. I wonder why.

Brother Lawrence (1614-1691) was a French lay monk.

We covered his writings in my spiritual formation class, but I do think we should have covered his writings more in depth. What a great classic book of extreme significance! I find myself turning to the pages of this book quite often. We need to be reminded that our daily tasks- no matter how useless they may seem- can be an act of worship to God. What a great testimony of a life spent striving to honor God in every "little" thing he did.