Reviews (54)

Inspirational
I find this book so inspirational and read something from it every day. Brother Lawrence has tremendous insight into the question of how to get closer to God.

Unfortunately boring
I'm a very spiritual person and I was expecting this CD to provide daily inspiration and help me to remember the very few things that are important in life.Unfortunately, for me at least, the CD is rather boring and not very inspirational.I'm about 30 minutes in to it and have decided to stop listening to it.Fortunately I have a Christian radio station that does a lot more for me.

A Simple but Powerful Message
This little book packs a wallop. It contains a simple but powerful message: to live in contact with God, one need only hold Him in mind, or carry on a mental conversation with Him. The reason why Brother Lawrence's book is so transforming is that one can feel that he practiced what he preached. As he describes the process of practicing the presence, the reader is drawn into the gossamer web of the author's own experience. To begin this practice, all we have to do is read this book. We are given a boost at the beginning; the rest is up to us. Take this book on retreat, or pick it up whenever you are feeling spiritually dry. It will open your heart and nurture your soul. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Devotional    2. Inspirational - Protestant    3. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    4. Christianity   

Reviews (10)

A rare gem (spirituality)
A rare gem (spirituality)
Being God's Friend
Other than the Bible, this book has had the greatest influence upon my life!I began reading Brother Lawrence's book about twenty years ago and was thrilled to find this version ten years later which combines his experience with that of Frank Laubach's. This simple but profound message of being God's friend has taken years to sink into my heart but has become more precious with each passing year. If you are hungry to know God more intimately, this is the book for you!

Short but Inspiring
It's a short book- and it works to have both authors in one book... it inspired me to think a little bit like them- but I feel like I need more- to constantly inspire me to remember God.A daily meditation book on this subject would be great! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Religion    3. Religion - Classic Works    4. Spirituality - General   

Reviews (3)

Practical and Accessible Mysticism for Us Every Day Folks
This former soldier entered a Carmelite monastery as a lay brother after spending some time in the very much real world. He became much loved for his friendliness and devotion and we are grateful that he was befriended by a member of the Catholic bureaucracy from outside the monastery.Thus, we have his letters and maxims, and biographical material.
A rare gem (spirituality)
A rare gem (spirituality)
constant and unceasing prayer
Over the years I've met a few "prayer warriors" who seemed to spend every waking moment connected to God. They carried a peace about them, and saw prayer as a gift rather than an obligation. Frankly, they made me feel terribly inadequate.
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Subjects:  1. Catholic authors    2. Christian life    3. Christianity    4. Christianity - Christian Life - General    5. Early works to 1800    6. Philosophy Of Christianity    7. Prayerbooks - Christian    8. Religion    9. Religion - Christian Life    10. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    11. Spirituality - General    12. Religion / Spirituality   

Reviews (4)

Great New Devotional!
I'll be honest with you... there is a serious need in the Christian market for books like this.Reading this book opened up the words of Brother Lawrence like no other book I've ever read before!The updated language in this book (that's perfect for use as a devotional) made the timeless teachings of Brother Lawrence accessible to a whole new generation of readers.I know there may be those who say otherwise, but recent translations of the Bible like the Message and books like Mr. Elmer's latest are wonderful resources that today's Christians cannot overlook.

Missed Opportunity
This is a really weak and uninspired translation - really a rewriting - of Brother Lawrence's classic little book.The author/translator says that this is a "thought-for-thought" translation rather than a literal one, and admits that this is a risky proposition.He's right that it's risky, especially when a writer is careless and takes unwarranted license with a text, and unfortunately he's failed in his attempt.It could and should have been otherwise.The author goes overboard trying to make the book sound contemporary, filling it with American colloquialisms and excessive informality to the point that it often sounds like a trivial conversation between teenagers ("let's bulldoze the dike that holds back God's flood," "let's cash in lost time," "if death is tailgating us, we need to be ready," "life offers no `do-overs'," don't look for the pleasure payoff," and on and on).There are places where subject and verb don't agree and other grammatical or stylistic errors cause a lack of clarity.When a writer allows himself great license, he can't blame problems like these on the original text.The author has been a news reporter and advertising copywriter, and it shows.This is too important a book to be treated with this much sloppiness and irreverence.I'm surprised at NavPress for letting this one slip through, and I strongly suggest that you buy a better version (the Whitaker House version, for example, is better and cheaper).

Deep enough to change your thinking.
This book attracted my attention immediately. I've heard of Brother Lawrence for twenty years, but each time I read a piece by him, I bogged down in the archaic language. Elmer takes the meat of Brother Lawrence's philosophy/religious tenets and puts them in words I can relate to. I intend to read this small volume several times. The first time was rewarding, but the material is so rich, it requires at least a second read to absorb the finer points. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Catholic authors    2. Christian life    3. Christianity - General    4. Religion    5. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    6. Spirituality - General   

Reviews (4)

The Zen of Christian mysticism
The title "The Practice of the Presence of God" sums up the essence of this book. Brother Lawrence is a humble monk who discovers that, even in ordinary, secular, mundane activities (washing dishes, gardening, etc.), God is present. He even goes so far to say that prayer and meditation bring him no closer to the universal spirit than any other activity; through mindfulness, he is aware of God in everything he does. (Think Nirvana - extinguishing the flame of desire.) Proselytizing, evangelizing, and the usual arrogances that accompany many self-indulgent "believers" are absent. Br. Lawrencehumbly strives to work for others and think only of God. That is all. He even cautions a recipient of one of his letters against sharing the note. (One feels almost unjust even reading his intimate spiritual thoughts.) But, fortunately for us, as this work is now ubiquitous, we may as well take note of his honorable life. He belongs in a small group of similar mystics (Mother Teresa of Avila, St. Augustine, Swami Vivekananda, Gandhi, Siddhartha, and Ramakrishna), who showed that through humility, love, and faith in the spirit, positive change can be made. This is an inspring book for people of all faiths.

A rare gem (spirituality)
A rare gem (spirituality)
This little book changed my life forever!
I realized how lacking in trust my Christian faith was until I read this book and began truly practicing the presence of God.The remedy for every anxiety is contained in the Bible and this book.As an anxious person by nature, I was calmed, comforted, and encouraged by this book. I own a copy and refer to it weekly for strength, insight, and reminders that God loves us deeply and wishes to be united with us at all times, in all the tasks we are obligated to fulfill.Nothing is too small for the Lord and our time is made holy when it is spent communing with Him and His people. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Catholic Church    2. Doctrines    3. Early works to 1800    4. Reference    5. Spiritual life    6. Christian theology    7. Christianity   

Subjects:  1. Catholic authors    2. Christian life    3. Religion   

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Ritual & Practice    2. Religion - Worship - General   

Subjects:  1. Catholic authors    2. Christian life   

Reviews (1)

A rare gem (spirituality)
A rare gem (spirituality)
Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Ritual & Practice    2. Religion    3. Religion - Classic Works    4. Christian rites & ceremonies   

Reviews (2)

A rare gem (spirituality)
A rare gem (spirituality)
WONDERFULL
I'm not given to gushing, but i must do so for the Practice of thePresence of God.Lawrence is simple and straight forward about seeking anawareness of God's presence.Even more practical than St. Teresa'swritings (which is saying a lot), Lawrence explains that"pleasures" or "spiritual consolations" (to useTeresa's term) are all well and good, but that these are not the REASON forseeking the presence.Rather the awareness of the presence IS one'sreward.It is not to make you a better person or more just, etc.Itsimply is to give you an awareness of God, which nothing can then take awayfrom you.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Christian Life - General    2. Christianity - Literature    3. Inspirational - General    4. Religion    5. Religion - Classic Works   

Subjects:  1. 1611-1691    2. Carmelites    3. Catholic authors    4. Christian life    5. Comparative Religion    6. Correspondence    7. France    8. Islam - General    9. Lawrence,    10. Religion    11. Religion - World Religions    12. Specific Members Of Religious Congregations And Orders    13. Spirituality - General    14. of the Resurrection, Brother,