The Fire Of God

by John Michael Talbot

STrives to inspire readers in a way similar to teh fire that burned within St.Francis in his radical imitation of the life and gospel of Christ.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Talbot was born into a Methodist family with a musical background in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and started learning to play the guitar at an early age. At age 15 he dropped out of school and was performing as a guitarist for Mason Proffit, a country folk-rock band formed with his older brother Terry.

Talbot embarked on a spiritual journey that led him through Native American religion and Buddhism to Christianity. At this point he and his brother, Terry, joined the Jesus Movement, recording the album Reborn which was re-released by Sparrow Records (originally released as "The Talbot Bros." on the Warner Brothers label).

Two solo albums followed for Talbot: John Michael Talbot (1976) and The New Earth (1977). Both of these were produced by Billy Ray Hearn. Reading the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, he was inspired to begin studying at a Franciscan center in Indianapolis. He became a Roman Catholic and joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1978. He started a house of prayer, The Little Portion.

Talbot moved The Little Portion to Eureka Springs, Arkansas on land he had purchased during his Mason Proffit days. He formed his own community, the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, at Little Portion Hermitage as an "integrated monastic community" with celibate brothers and sisters, singles, and families. By 1989, Talbot had married Viola Pratka (with the permission of the Catholic Church). Pratka was a former Incarnate Word Sister who had come to the community in 1986.

Talbot's title is General Minister and Spiritual Father. For many years, he has promoted the work of Mercy Corps.

The hermitage suffered a fire in April 2008 in which the library and many common areas were destroyed.

Reviews

[Peter Davids · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book is clearly a book from the 80's, before the end of the cold war, it is still an excellent read. John Michael Talbot does a good job of evaluating the fires of desire burring in people - materialism, lust, anger, speech, etc. - showing why they are problematic and coming up with solutions. I did struggle with his chapter on lust, not because of what he says about improper sexual desire but because lust usually translates the Greek epithumia that means any desire, not just sexual desire, although it includes sexual desire if the context allows. Still, that is a minor issue. Readers should be warned that JMT's solutions are disciplines: praise, thankfulness, distinguishing needs from wants, praying in tongues, ascetic disciplines such a fasting. What is great about all of this is that he is realistic and places each of the disciplines into a proper context so that it makes sense. It is a positive rather than a negative. And the last chapters of the book focus not on the fires of desire, but on the fire of God. In a sense, the first part of the book clears the way for the second part, in which he writes about how to draw near to the fire that is God, how to allow God's fire to purify one, how to become, as it were, a flame of love with God. Good stuff, this book, but not to be read quickly. It is too challenging for that. Read it in bites and then act on the bites and read some more.