Practicing the Presence of God

This edition of a timeless classic--enhanced by Emergent leader Tony Jones--will appeal to college students, readers new to Christian classics, and anyone else who desires to learn how to make spirituality a moment-by-moment way of life.

Brother Lawrence's Practice of the Presence of God has stood the test of time because it chronicles the life of a very ordinary person who became an extraordinary Christian. Through a life of humility and service, Brother Lawrence achieved something that many Christians aspire to: he was so concentrated on God that God became a part of his every breath. Whether deep in prayer or peeling potatos in the kitchen, he knew God's presence.

This readable translation, replete with enlightening background notes, will appeal to today's reader in ways that no other edition has been able to do.

Brother Lawrence (c. 1611 – 1691) was born Nicholas Herman in the Lorraine region of France. As a young man, he fought in the Thirty Years’ War before joining the Carmelite order in Paris as a monk at the age of 24. The Practice of the Presence of God was originally compiled from his letters and conversations, immediately after his death.

Tony Jones is the author of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier, and the theologian-in-residence at Solomon's Porch in Minnesota. He is the author of many books, including The Sacred Way, and is a sought-after speaker in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality. Tony lives in Minnesota.