About the Book
Brother Lawrence, living in 1660, is no moralist, no success guru, no super-human monk. Brother Lawrence works in a kitchen!
He cares about the raw ingredients of soup, the textures and flavors of things. He cares that everyone gets fed. Brother Lawrence is a saint, yes, but not the marble statue kind. Brother Lawrence is a sinner-saint, messy with sin and honest about it, burning passionately in love for the One Who made and saved him.
Practicing the presence of God is a hearty and hefty lifestyle, filled with dropped dishes and greasy hands. Worth the practice because we’ve got all the ingredients! Set free in the kitchen, there’s no formula for Christ-likeness, just a loose recipe you learn by heart as you follow Him. What if there was an invitation by the Master Chef to anyone who wanted to learn His way?
Brother Lawrence said, “Yes!” over 300 years ago. Yes, if you and I agree it’s not his kitchen. Yes, it is possible to live and work there minute-by-minute, second-by-second. Yes, God is real and the place is the living presence of His Son.
Some years ago, my wife and I foster-parented a group of young women. Each was abused, hurt, beaten uniquely. We cooked a lot of meals together. I asked myself, “what if they could hear Brother Lawrence as if he were speaking to them today?”
Fair Warning! This little book is a fresh paraphrase of an archaic English translation from Brother Lawrence’s French. Others have tried this, with mixed results. I believe this one’s different, see for yourself.
The only words completely mine are the short poems I inserted as conversation starters between you, me, and the Brother. In the process of "re-translating" the archaic English version, I found this: the Brother says it way better than I ever could.
It’s his thoughts, set in our millennial rhythms. But the place--fellow sous chefs, line cooks, and apprentices--the place is God’s.
Dust Kunkel
Epiphany 2009
He cares about the raw ingredients of soup, the textures and flavors of things. He cares that everyone gets fed. Brother Lawrence is a saint, yes, but not the marble statue kind. Brother Lawrence is a sinner-saint, messy with sin and honest about it, burning passionately in love for the One Who made and saved him.
Practicing the presence of God is a hearty and hefty lifestyle, filled with dropped dishes and greasy hands. Worth the practice because we’ve got all the ingredients! Set free in the kitchen, there’s no formula for Christ-likeness, just a loose recipe you learn by heart as you follow Him. What if there was an invitation by the Master Chef to anyone who wanted to learn His way?
Brother Lawrence said, “Yes!” over 300 years ago. Yes, if you and I agree it’s not his kitchen. Yes, it is possible to live and work there minute-by-minute, second-by-second. Yes, God is real and the place is the living presence of His Son.
Some years ago, my wife and I foster-parented a group of young women. Each was abused, hurt, beaten uniquely. We cooked a lot of meals together. I asked myself, “what if they could hear Brother Lawrence as if he were speaking to them today?”
Fair Warning! This little book is a fresh paraphrase of an archaic English translation from Brother Lawrence’s French. Others have tried this, with mixed results. I believe this one’s different, see for yourself.
The only words completely mine are the short poems I inserted as conversation starters between you, me, and the Brother. In the process of "re-translating" the archaic English version, I found this: the Brother says it way better than I ever could.
It’s his thoughts, set in our millennial rhythms. But the place--fellow sous chefs, line cooks, and apprentices--the place is God’s.
Dust Kunkel
Epiphany 2009
Features & Details
- Category Religion & Spirituality
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Size
5×8 in, 13×20 cm
104 Pages - Publish Date Feb 27, 2009
- Language English
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About the Creator
Dust Kunkel
Portland, Oregon, U.S.A