On 20 January 2014 I received an email from a Christian – the subject matter of his email was ‘Brother Lawrence’ and in his email he posed this question – ‘Do you believe that the above monk was a true believer and would you be happy to recommend a believer to read his book’?
The ‘book’ in question is called ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’ and on one web site I gleaned the following information –
Brother Lawrence (1605-1691) The Practice of the Presence of God is a collection of letters and transcriptions of conversations, compiled by a disciple of Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite monk and head cook in his monastery’s kitchens. He quickly gained an international reputation as a mystic and spiritual counselor. The Practice of the Presence records his last words of advice to his friends and disciples, as he suffered from an unnamed illness which would eventually take his life.