The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Week 1: Editor's Preface — The Man Behind the Method
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Before we encounter Brother Lawrence's teaching, we meet the man himself — a crippled, self-deprecating former soldier and kitchen cook whose quiet life became one of the most influential spiritual testimonies in Christian history. Take a few minutes before you begin the questions to simply sit with the strangeness and beauty of that fact.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The editor tells us that Brother Lawrence's birth records were destroyed in a war he himself fought in, and that the war left him crippled and in chronic pain for the rest of his life. What does it tell you about God's ways that the man who would teach the world about joyful, continuous communion with God spent his entire adult life in physical suffering?
2.Brother Lawrence entered the monastery expecting to be punished for his clumsiness and faults — to 'sacrifice his life with its pleasures to God.' Instead, the editor notes, 'God surprised him because he met with nothing but satisfaction.' Have you ever approached God bracing for judgment and been surprised by grace instead? What happened?
3.The editor describes Brother Lawrence as a man who 'shunned attention and the limelight, knowing that outside distraction spoils all.' It was only after his death that his letters were collected and published.
a.Why do you think obscurity and hiddenness seemed natural — even necessary — to Brother Lawrence's way of life?
b.In your own life, do you find that public attention to your spiritual life helps or hinders your actual experience of God's presence? Be honest.
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