Practicing God's Presence

It was our first or second date. Maybe it was the infamous date where my future husband impressed me with his effeciency at producing delicious brownies and leaving the kitchen spotless at the same time. I remember lingering at the kitchen table while he began telling me about an out of print book that changed his spiritual life forever. As he went on and on about "practicing God's Presence", I grew more and more excited.

"So that's what it's called," I thought. "I just referred to it as 'clinging to Jesus'."

At one point, my date asked, "Are you bored? Because if you're bored with this, you're bored with me."

I was definitely not bored. In fact, at that moment, I suddenly grew far more serious about this fellow. A man who defines himself by his relationship to God? Wow.

Thanks to Eldest Son, I found out that The Spiritual Maxims are back in print, combined with The Practice of the Presence of God. I bought a copy for my husband for Christmas and wrote him a mushy note in the beginning. (Well, about as mushy as I get...)

Brother Lawrence was a monk who lived hundreds of years ago, yet his message is still timely for us today. This fairly simple little book has changed a lot of lives. It makes practical sense out of the verse that we should "pray without ceasing". It can inspire a greater devotion and passion for our Lord. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a book I highly recommend.

I'm looking forward to reading it again this year.