Letters by a Modern Mystic - Hardcover

Frank C. Laubach

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1583310916 ISBN 13: 9781583310915

Publisher: Purposeful Design Publications, 2007

Synopsis

Have you ever considered what it might be like to live in a conscious moment-by-moment communion with God? "Letters by a Modern Mystic" recounts Frank C. Laubach's spiritual journey as he began such an experiment. Read about the remarkable results. What might you experience in the practice of such a spiritual discipline?

About this title

About the Author:

Frank C. Laubach (Sept. 2, 1884-June 11, 1970) was a Christian evangelical missionary and mystic known as "The Apostle to the Illiterates." A Pennsylvanian, Laubach trained at Princeton University, Union Theological Seminary, and Columbia University (where he attained a PhD in sociology in 1915). He went to the Philippines in 1915 as a missionary for the American Board of Foreign Missions. In 1929, after fourteen years of successful teaching, writing, and administration in Cagayan and Manilla, he pursued his long-standing ambition of settling among the fierce Moros, a Muslim tribe on Mindanao. There, in the province of Lanao, he underwent a remarkable series of experiences of God and simultaneously developed a technique for reducing the Moro language to writing with symbols closely correlated to their spoken words. This technique not only made it possible to teach them to read in only a few hours but also permitted them to teach others immediately. In 1928, two years before his transforming experiences, Laubach found himself profoundly dissatisfied. He then realized in 1930 that after fifteen years as a Christian minister he was still not living his days "in minute-by-minute effort to follow the will of God." He determined at that time to seek to begin lining up his actions with the will of God every few minutes. His confidants at the time told him he was seeking the impossible. Undeterred, he began to try living all his waking moments in "conscious listening to the inner voice, asking without ceasing, 'What, Father, do you desire said? What, Father, do you desire done this minute?'" He believed that this was exactly what Jesus did every day. Letters by a Modern Mystic, first published in 1937, is a compilation of excerpts from letters that Laubach wrote to his father. The tremendous results of this experiment in living in moment-by-moment communion with God are found in the narrative of these letters. The Game with Minutes, on page 85 of this book, is the practical guide Laubach developed to assist others in applying the principles articulated in his letters. Dr. Laubach is probably best known for his work to address adult illiteracy in the world. He conceived a simple method of instruction that permitted even the most disadvantaged people in the world not only to learn to read but also to be able to teach others. "Each One Teach One" became the slogan for this instructional program, which is credited with equipping over one hundred million people with the ability to read. On September 2, 1984, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of Laubach's birth. Frank Lubach died in 1970 at the age of 85. His commitment to live in constant conscious communion with the Father not only transformed him personally but also permitted him to make a significant impact on illiteracy in the world, a work that continues today through ProLiteracy Worldwide, an organization he helped establish.

Review:

You hold in your hands a treasure provided by Christ to all people who long to live their real life today in the constant presence and power of God.... If you will patiently begin to follow the instructions given in this book, you will very quickly see the astonishing results. Anyone who wants to actively love God all the time can do this. Why not begin now? Dallas Willard --back cover

About this edition

• Publisher: Purposeful Design Publications
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1583310916
• ISBN 13: 9781583310915
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 136
• Editor: Gina Brandon And Karen Friesen
• Illustrator: Michael Riester