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God Is Here: Connecting With Him in Everyday Life
You know that perfect feeling? That life-is-good moment on the open highway with the windows down and the radio up, when the perfect song comes on, and you sing along with carefree, top-of-your-lungs abandon? When joy and contentment and life well up from somewhere deep in your soul? What if you could live that way? A 17th-century monk named Brother Lawrence figured out how, and wrote about it in the devotional classic, The Practice of the Presence of God . He found a way to connect with God moment by moment, to experience the joy of His divine presence every minute of every day - whether during deep, contemplative prayer or while washing a sink full of dishes. In God Is Here , Steve Case unearths that 17th-century wisdom and remixes it into a 21st-century guide to everyday life. With modern, thought-provoking essays drawn from Brother Lawrence’s original writings, God Is Here shows you how to connect with a God who’s always available. God is here.
Connect.
Connect.
199 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 18, 2007
this review first appeared on [http://intraspace.blogspot.com]
i've been a fan of 'the practice of the presence of God' by brother lawrence for about 7 years or so since i read it. it was, without doubt, a book that changed my life. the main idea i got from it (and the one that stays with me) is the concept that God is there continuously - it's just a matter of recognising that fact. we tend to see moments of our heightened awareness of his presence as being the only moments when he is there. in actual fact these moments are simply instances when our senses were turned on to his proximity. he is there all the time.
steve case's 'God is here' is a book that attempts to apply and explain brother lawrence's ideas for a contemporary audience. brother lawrence lived in the 1600s, so you can see why someone might think that his writing needs some interpretation in the 2000s.
anyway, because of my feelings about 'the practice of the presence of God' i approached this book with a couple of thoughts - 1. "this should be good, because it is about such a great book" and 2. "this better be good - the author better not get this wrong."
case does a reasonable job. as usual with american published books, i found myself frustrated with the american context - these books are written with the assumption that all the readers will be american - so we get endless references to 'krispy kream' donuts and such. let's talk about what i'd like to call the 'krispy kream factor'. this is about more than just an american cultural framework. i've noticed recently that christian authors in their anxiety to make their material culturally relevant, lessen the impact of their writing by constantly referring to banal illustrations. you end up with a kind of kitsch image of something profound - like comparing the kind of divine encounters recounted by brother lawrence to sitting on the backporch with a grande starbucks espresso and a box of krispy kreams on a sunday morning. american christian authors seem obsessed with coffee and donuts.
case is trying to apply the ideas in brother lawrence's book to my everyday life. but it doesn't always work because i was first impacted by the unmediated reading of the original (i didn't need anyone to explain it) and also because i don't really identify with the krispy kream factor.
that's my rave finished. all that being said, the book reminded me about brother lawrence and got me thinking about his stuff again. and some of the things that case pointed out were helpful to me.
and, i finished reading this book on the deck yesterday, in the sunshine - which was a blissful experience that proved a lot of what case was saying... enjoy the moments, know that God is there. and i did (without donuts and coffee).
i've been a fan of 'the practice of the presence of God' by brother lawrence for about 7 years or so since i read it. it was, without doubt, a book that changed my life. the main idea i got from it (and the one that stays with me) is the concept that God is there continuously - it's just a matter of recognising that fact. we tend to see moments of our heightened awareness of his presence as being the only moments when he is there. in actual fact these moments are simply instances when our senses were turned on to his proximity. he is there all the time.
steve case's 'God is here' is a book that attempts to apply and explain brother lawrence's ideas for a contemporary audience. brother lawrence lived in the 1600s, so you can see why someone might think that his writing needs some interpretation in the 2000s.
anyway, because of my feelings about 'the practice of the presence of God' i approached this book with a couple of thoughts - 1. "this should be good, because it is about such a great book" and 2. "this better be good - the author better not get this wrong."
case does a reasonable job. as usual with american published books, i found myself frustrated with the american context - these books are written with the assumption that all the readers will be american - so we get endless references to 'krispy kream' donuts and such. let's talk about what i'd like to call the 'krispy kream factor'. this is about more than just an american cultural framework. i've noticed recently that christian authors in their anxiety to make their material culturally relevant, lessen the impact of their writing by constantly referring to banal illustrations. you end up with a kind of kitsch image of something profound - like comparing the kind of divine encounters recounted by brother lawrence to sitting on the backporch with a grande starbucks espresso and a box of krispy kreams on a sunday morning. american christian authors seem obsessed with coffee and donuts.
case is trying to apply the ideas in brother lawrence's book to my everyday life. but it doesn't always work because i was first impacted by the unmediated reading of the original (i didn't need anyone to explain it) and also because i don't really identify with the krispy kream factor.
that's my rave finished. all that being said, the book reminded me about brother lawrence and got me thinking about his stuff again. and some of the things that case pointed out were helpful to me.
and, i finished reading this book on the deck yesterday, in the sunshine - which was a blissful experience that proved a lot of what case was saying... enjoy the moments, know that God is there. and i did (without donuts and coffee).
October 10, 2011
God Is Here reviews and explains bunch of a monk named Brother Lawrence's quotes. I really didn't remember why I had wanted to read this book when I added it to my to-read list a couple of years ago. Basically, Brother Lawrence became a monk late in life and Steve Case explains in an easy modern-day fashion about knowing how God's presence is with you all the time and how to dwell on Him and about growing in your personal prayer life and more. It wasn't bad, and it was a fast and easy read, I just wasn't wowed by it during my current life stage. It was a nice review for myself though to ponder and to continue to strive towards righteousness.
July 26, 2011
This book was a great read and really helped me to piece things together for myself about how to practice the presence of God. I usually am skeptical about books that are kind of like an self-help to an already published book. But this one really helped me to find more practical ways that I can go about doing this.
I think that before reading 'God is Here' I would recommend reading Brother Lawrence's 'The Practice of the Presence of God' to form more of a base of reference. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.
I think that before reading 'God is Here' I would recommend reading Brother Lawrence's 'The Practice of the Presence of God' to form more of a base of reference. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.
January 5, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. I think I'm going to start reading it again right away.
This book is a reworking of the writings/communications of 16th century monk, Brother Lawrence...(I think I got that right...anyway). He was a man so at peace and who seemed to have such a connection with God that his fellow monks, friends, and others who encountered him inquired as to how he did it. How did he maintain such peace and connection with God?
Brother Lawrence himself was never happy with his attempts at explaining himself, but many people who talked with him collected bits of information from their communications with him. So, this book strives to rework his teachings and make them accessible to us in the modern world.
The main premise is just to think of God constantly. It sounds impossible, but during my reading of this book I've noticed that it happens. We must be conscious and think of God during the mundane parts of life as well as during the times of great highs and lows. This striving for connection leads us to appreciate so many things in our lives that we often take for granted. This book is very uplifting. And I would suggest to anyone interested in achieving a closer connection with God and a more appreciative spirit.
This book is a reworking of the writings/communications of 16th century monk, Brother Lawrence...(I think I got that right...anyway). He was a man so at peace and who seemed to have such a connection with God that his fellow monks, friends, and others who encountered him inquired as to how he did it. How did he maintain such peace and connection with God?
Brother Lawrence himself was never happy with his attempts at explaining himself, but many people who talked with him collected bits of information from their communications with him. So, this book strives to rework his teachings and make them accessible to us in the modern world.
The main premise is just to think of God constantly. It sounds impossible, but during my reading of this book I've noticed that it happens. We must be conscious and think of God during the mundane parts of life as well as during the times of great highs and lows. This striving for connection leads us to appreciate so many things in our lives that we often take for granted. This book is very uplifting. And I would suggest to anyone interested in achieving a closer connection with God and a more appreciative spirit.
January 25, 2009
I was introduced to Steve Case through his articles in Group Magazine where he wrote liturgy for creative worship services that youth could lead. The popularity of these services led to his writing two volumes of "The Book of Uncommon Prayer," filled with many original ideas. One of my favorites was a multisensory Good Friday Service and what Case called "A 'Dumpster' Christmas Service."
So I went into "God Is Here" with high hopes, knowing that it was to be an update of Brother Lawrence's "The Practice of the Presence of God." Case had been successful in finding ways to bring Scripture to life. Surely he'd be able to do the same for Lawrence's work.
Not so much.
The format of the book has sections from Lawrence's original writings followed by Case's commentary. And while the commentary is good, it seems unneccessary in many cases.
Yes, some of Brother Lawrence's writing is dated, but it's perfectly understandable for the most part and is great writing to just sit and ponder.
The commentary by Case does not really add much that most people could not come up with on their own after some serious thought or by discussing the book with a friend. I'd reccommend getting a copy of Brother Lawrence's original classic and doing just that.
So I went into "God Is Here" with high hopes, knowing that it was to be an update of Brother Lawrence's "The Practice of the Presence of God." Case had been successful in finding ways to bring Scripture to life. Surely he'd be able to do the same for Lawrence's work.
Not so much.
The format of the book has sections from Lawrence's original writings followed by Case's commentary. And while the commentary is good, it seems unneccessary in many cases.
Yes, some of Brother Lawrence's writing is dated, but it's perfectly understandable for the most part and is great writing to just sit and ponder.
The commentary by Case does not really add much that most people could not come up with on their own after some serious thought or by discussing the book with a friend. I'd reccommend getting a copy of Brother Lawrence's original classic and doing just that.
October 5, 2007
This book teaches he simplicity of connecting with God. It teaches that it is nothing more than thinking to him while doing laundry or going for a walk. It showed me how we complicate things in our walk with our very personal God.
September 12, 2007
This is a great application/study for Brother Lawrence's "Practicing the Presence of God"
January 20, 2008
A watered-down version of Practicing the Presence of God. You'd be better off sticking with the original.
March 11, 2009
I learned that I don't have to prepare myself to enter into God's presence. He is already here, always. I just need to remember. That is when my heart and attitude are right.
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May 9, 2012A universalist's perspective on living a theocentric life.
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February 19, 2016good read
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews