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rebcamuse's review against another edition
3.0
"A good Muslim would fill his life with God. I fear there are few good Muslims. But so would a real Christlike Christian speak to God every time he did anything--and I fear there are few good Christians. What right then have I or any other person to come here and change the name of these people from Muslim to Christian, unless I lead them to a life fuller of God than they have now? Clearly...my job here is not to go to the town plaza and make proselytes, it is to live wrapped in God, trembling to His thoughts..." (13)
I liked this idea of the reflective missionary--one who is as much on a mission for himself as looking to spread the Gospel. I used the book for my Lenten meditations and it worked very well for that. As for the "Game with Minutes," at the end? I didn't like it. I found the metaphor sort of silly and glib and it was a rather bizarre shift of tone from the letters, which are filled with the real anguished questioning and blissful moments of a true spiritual sojourn.
kaaleppii's review
5.0
When I was in high school, I remember hearing an older missionary talk about Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing", stating that he could not possibly have meant that literally. That seemed defeatist to me at the time, and more an excuse than an honest appraisal. Yet I had no example of a person to point to who had made a serious effort of obeying that command, and so I considered it silently. And that is one of our greatest hurdles in Christianity--we model our faith after those we look up to, ("join in imitating me as I imitate Christ"), and so our image of the Christian life is largely defined by the "best" Christians we know. This is a precarious system, because we often fail in our imitation, thereby passing our failings on to those who subsequently imitate us. In this way, especially in the areas of the Christian life which require considerable effort and discipline, the "bar" has a tendency toward a downward trend through generations (this is not a universal rule but consider why there has ever been a need for even a single revival). This tends not to affect theology, because theology as we understand it is easily recorded and immortalized. For some reason, though, when we read records of Christians living lives radically different from ours we come up with all kinds of excuses to dismiss why we ourselves are not seeing similar things in our own lives. "That was then and this is now", or "this must be fabricated", or "that had entirely to do with the situation, and not the mettle of the Christian". It is far easier to dismiss such things than it is to confront why our own experience does not match up. Cessationism is a prime example of such excuses that have snuck their way into theology, where they become even more intractable.
These excuses tend to lose their strength the closer in proximity one gets to one of these Christians, be they a martyr or a missionary or a particularly passionate Christian living and experiencing "abundant life", such that a testimony from 50 years ago by someone from your own country carries a lot more force than one from 500 years ago by someone from the other side of the globe. Laubach provides such a testimony, and confronted me with a vision of a life lived with God that is causing me to rethink how I approach spiritual growth. How? Read the book. It's really short, I promise :)
kayathebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I’m not sure how theologically and biblically solid the author’s beliefs are. Parts of the book had me questioning if he even believed that Jesus is God as he seemed to talk of Jesus and God separately. There were also some statements that caused me to wonder if he may believe that Mohammed, Buddha, and Jesus are all the same (spoiler: they’re not! Only one is God).
This is all speculation though and I don’t want to scare those reading this away from the book as I would still recommend it but only for those who already have a solid foundation in their faith, knowing what they believe and why they believe it.
Besides these questionable parts (which were few and far between, by the way), Laubach’s approach on the topic of closeness to God really challenged me. He made me want to want God more. I have frequently prayed that the Lord would make every one of my thoughts about Him and that He would just completely consume my life with Himself but I have also wondered at times if this is even possible. That is what Letters by a Modern Mystic is all about: can God be in every moment of every hour of every day? The author, Frank Laubach, says “yes!” and the book is, therefore, about this theory and his “experiment” to test if it is correct. I finally want to add that I greatly appreciate that the author shares about his failures and trials in this experiment of his.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book but also want warn about it’s theological problems first. There is still very useful, practical, and encouraging words with in these pages though so don’t be scared off! Finally, I want to encourage those who choose to read the book to take it slow. I found that, though it is only about 40 pages long, I needed time to ponder every sentence and really let the words sink in; you will also enjoy Laubach’s beautiful poetic style more this way :).
P.s. Congratulations to those who made it this far! Lol. Sorry for the long review.
neilrcoulter's review
4.0
I first heard of [a:Frank C. Laubach|489899|Frank C. Laubach|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s [b:Letters by a Modern Mystic|17679255|Letters by a Modern Mystic|Frank C. Laubach|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1380684396s/17679255.jpg|3058662] from an excerpted portion in [a:Richard J. Foster|36065|Richard J. Foster|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1271787665p2/36065.jpg]'s edited collection [b:Devotional Classics|210237|Devotional Classics Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups|Richard J. Foster|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348695341s/210237.jpg|1523548]. I was immediately attracted to Laubach's honest, transparent prose, and I ordered a copy of the book. Once I received the book, however, I put it off for several months. I think this was partly because I feared how the book would challenge me, and partly because I wanted a good stretch of focused time to really dig into it once I started. That time came on a business trip to the US, when I decided to use Letters by a Modern Mystic as my daily devotional reading. I'm still in the midst of that business trip, and I'm reading through the book for the second time.
For me, Laubach has been challenging in good and difficult ways. I really love his open transparency about his joys and struggles. Having worked overseas now for over a decade, I definitely relate to much of what he writes about the struggle to be a Christ-like example to people in an unfamiliar part of the world. I resonate with his struggle between self-centeredness and the desire to be thoroughly selfless and giving toward his neighbors. I also understand his awe of nature vistas, such as sunsets.
Never did I so feel the need of a silent typewriter as at this moment, for every stroke clashes with the marvelous silence of the hills tonight. I am still under the spell of that hush and of that sunset. . . . I suppose there have been equally beautiful scenes since the world was created, but not more beautiful for me. . . . And as I talked and tasted the sweetness of the luscious light, and told God that this was for me the masterpiece of His creation, he told me through my own voice: "Ah, child, this is but the symbol of beauties and wonders which I mean to give you when you are willing and ready. . . . This is what all life can have if you are willing. I ache with longings with poor little people cannot even suspect, to open up wider and ever wider universes of glory to you all." (43)
The letter of 10 February 1931 was stands out to me as one of the most poignant in the book.
We are so eager to judge people by their past, and it is not fair. We are what we are now, not an hour ago, and what we are planning, not what we are vainly trying to forget. (62)
What I struggle with in Letters is the emphasis on micromanaged individual spirituality. I suppose that's what attracts me to and confuses me about mysticism wherever I've encountered it. I'm drawn to the disciplines, even knowing my own failures before I start, while I'm also repulsed by the thought of a minute-by-minute spirituality. Laubach assures me that theh joys of the small successes far outweigh the disappointment of frequent failure. But still I struggle on the brink of beginning the "Game with Minutes" discipline.
But I have responded to Laubach's challenge, though not yet attempting the full game with minutes. I took Laubach's advice about saying short prayers for everyone around me throughout the day. And as he promised, I have found the practice very encouraging, and I trust that God is reaching out in love to those people around me that I mention in an ongoing dialogue with God.
I will continue wrestling with Letters by a Modern Mystic, grateful for the gentle teaching of Laubach, and eager to be more disciplined and loving.
benrogerswpg's review
5.0
This book was a deeply inspiring and thought-provoking book that provides practical guidance on how to deepen your relationship with Jesus.
Laubach's writing is personal and introspective, and his letters detail his spiritual journey and his efforts to connect more fully with God.
This book is not only a great resource for those looking to restart their faith journey, but also for anyone who wants to gain new insights on how to connect with a higher power.
It is evident that the author has a wealth of theological knowledge, and his advice and teachings are both illuminating and accessible.
I particularly enjoyed the practical tips and advice provided throughout the book, which I found to be extremely helpful.
I could see myself returning to this book again and rereading it to gain new insights and deepen my own spiritual practice.
I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to grow their faith or gain new perspectives on their relationship with Jesus.
It was recommended to me by my church, and I am so glad that I picked it up.
4.8/5
karynhansen's review against another edition
4.0
allybaldwin5's review
5.0
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
5.0
The gist of this book is Frank Laubach's attempt to make God a constant part of his every day life by thinking about him constantly while doing other things that might, otherwise, be mundane tasks.
Impossible, some might say, and Laubach did, indeed, find it challenging.
The beauty of these letter excerpts is his honesty in speaking of his failures in this challenge. But, then, when he did succeed, the results were extraordinary.
This little book comes at a perfect time in my life. I had just finished reading The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard (and Willard speaks of Laubach a number of times), and had already discovered the immediate presence of God in my life, everywhere I am, at all times. This has had a tremendous impact on my daily life.
When I remember to think about it.
So here comes Frank Laubach's letter excerpts, showing me the value of working to think about it more often. Every minute if I can manage. The very thought of thinking about God's presence every minute of every day is probably daunting to some people. Some would even object and say that you wouldn't get anything useful done at all. You might be "so heavenly minded that you'd be no earthly good," I've heard it said.
Laubach begs to differ. He believed that doing so would actually help one get more accomplished, and that one would be much happier in the process.
Forty-seven pages. I read it while waiting during my wife's knee-replacement surgery. I will read it again, you can be sure. And again, probably.
katherineharris's review against another edition
5.0
sarafloerke's review
4.0
He convinced me...I'm trying it.