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A gentle man of joyful spirit, Brother Lawrence shunned attention and the limelight, knowing that outside distraction “spoils all”. It was not until after his death that a few of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, counsel to the Paris archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year, in a second publication which he titled, ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’, de Beaufort included, as introductory material, the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence. At the end of this first conversation Brother Lawrence said that, if my purpose for the visit was to sincerely discuss how to serve God, I might come to him as often as I pleased; and without any fear of being troublesome. If this was not the case, then I ought visit him no more. Brother Lawrence was a man of focus. As a lowly brother he was visited by an archbishop’s counsel. He greeted him respectfully but as to further visits, he was interested only in sincere discussion on how to serve God. Just think the impact on our lives if we limited our activities to those which dealt with how to serve God. No […]

10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” Exodus 19:10-13   Our concept of God isn’t big enough or holy enough. Imagine a God so holy that His people were told not even to touch the mountain on which he visited. It’s true we are privileged to call God, “Abba” or “Daddy” but that should not diminish Him in our eyes; rather it should make His love for us the more remarkable.  We are privileged to communicate with God and […]

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14-17 Do you remember pencil marks on a door post? It was the way our parents measured the growth of children. How do we measure our spiritual growth? It is dangerous to think that we must be growing just because time is passing. It’s not like when we were kids and physical growth just happened.   Here are some signs of growth: 1. A spiritually mature person is increasingly aware of their own sin and weakness. It’s not unusual for Christians to be aware of sin…in others. The mature Christian realizes he is weak and sinful. The more he matures the more that reality grows. 2. A […]

Today was a great day. I noticed that recently my Wednesdays have been great days. I attribute this, at least in major part, to my Friendship Group which meets on Wednesday mornings at 6 a.m. at the McDonalds near Rouse’s in Youngsville. If you are not part of a Friendship Group please consider joining up with one. Ours is for men (who else is up and free to go to Mikey Ds at 6 a.m.). But there are groups for women and groups with no membership restrictions. We review the Daily Bread reading for the day and talk. We pray for each other and have coffee. It’s not a complicated format but it’s great.  In a world where most communication is by text or on Facebook, real face-to-face communication is worth more than ever. And such communication with Jesus at the center can be the centerpiece of a great day.  Brother Andrew recognized that truth. At the beginning of his spiritual life, he spent time alone in the dessert but eventually opted for monastery life. While not the most social of lives, he lived in constant fellowship with Jesus and his brothers.  We can mirror a small piece of […]

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.James 1:2-4 Brother Lawrence’s greatest testimony may not be in his words but in his actions. When he found himself crippled for life and in acute, constant pain, he did not retreat from service, but rather recognized his circumstances as an opportunity for God to be glorified. This is so foreign to our current “victim” culture. We are bombarded with commercials that tell us if we have suffered anything in life, we may have a right to monetary compensation. We have lost touch with the concept that God is glorified in our weakness. Our faith in God has incredible potential to make life complete.   Don’t be mistaken. It wasn’t easy for Brother Lawrence to cook and to serve with constant pain in his back. There is no reason to believe the pain went away. But by practicing the presence of God, this man was able to focus on the Great Positive and deal with the nominal negative.  Can we get to the point that the appearance of a trial is cause for joy bringing with it knowledge […]

Brother Lawrence  was converted at the age of eighteen. He recalls, during that first  year after coming to God,  seeing a tree in winter stripped of its leaves. He recognized that in a little while leaves would appear, then flowers and finally fruit. God provides all of that. The tree does nothing but exist as a tree. From its very nature comes the leaves that provide it’s nourishment, flowers that attract the insects which propagate it and finally fruit from which other trees are produced. Later in life when injured in battle and suffering a chronic painful condition, Brother Lawrence remembered God as provider. Rather than consider himself a victim; he became, even in his injured condition, a servant to others.  What excuses prevent us from living the life God calls us to? Are we too busy making a living or raising our kids, or building up wealth? God provides all that we need to do all that we are called to do. He produces the fruit; it is ours to be aware of His presence and bounty and to grow where we are planted. I remember some years ago we shared our home overnight with two missionaries from […]

 Brother Lawrence was born Nicholas Herman around 1610 in Herimenil, Lorraine, a Duchy of France. His birth records were destroyed in a fire at his parish church during the Thirty Years War, a war in which he fought as a young soldier. It was also the war in which he sustained a near fatal injury to his sciatic nerve. The injury left him quite crippled and in chronic pain for the rest of his life.     He was educated both at home and by his parish priest whose first name was Lawrence and who was greatly admired by the young Nicholas. He was well read and, from an early age, drawn to a spiritual life of faith and love for God.     In the years between the abrupt end of his duties as a soldier and his entry into monastic life, he spent a period of time in the wilderness living like one of the early desert fathers. Also, prior to entering the monastery, he spent some time in private service. In his characteristic, self deprecating way, he mentions that he was a “footman who was clumsy and broke everything”.      At mid-life he entered a newly established monastery in Paris […]

To be honest, I’m not a great fan of Father’s Day. First off it’s one of those Hallmark holidays, created by the greeting card companies to sell more cards.Further, when I was a young father, it always seemed to me that on Mother’s Day the preacher would honor all the great moms and on Father’s Day he would lecture all the less-than-perfect dads. Maybe I was too sensitive. But it must be said that in 2011, Fatherhood as an institution is not in great shape. According to the U. S. Census Bureau there are approximately 13.7 million single parents in the United States today who are raising approximately 26% of the children and 84% of those are women. So there are fewer fathers today than ever before. Many of the fathers who are physically present or emotionally absent. Plus our image of fathers is more negative than ever before. Consider for a moment and try to think of a single television or movie father who is portrayed positively. Even those who are old enough to remember Father Knows Best, will remember that the title was a bit tongue in cheek. Mom ran that household not Father. Father didn’t know best; he […]