general

As I read this book, I thought, "This man had a lifetime of learning to live, think, breath and walk in the presence of God." However, at the end of the book, in the biographical section, I learned that Kelly really only began to live the life he describes the last few years of his life. It was not that it took him that long to achieve such spiritual levels, but rather, he apparently was busy with life and never tried.

I found this encouraging--that a life filled with God's presence does not have to take decades to find. Rather, it can begin to be experienced little by little day to day and in a relatively brief time, moment by moment as Kelly describes.

This is a great book. Kelly is not pretentious in any way. He plainly and simply gives clues of how to live a Christ-filled life in today's busy society.

Call it a "classic" if you like, but to me, this book is a thing of beauty. There are few books that compare to it.

I once gave it as a graduation gift to a seminary student. She later commented that there were lots of things she agreed with. What?! There is no agrument or proposition here! You let it take you, lead you places. You immerse, wrap yourself in its beauty.

The 1941 edition with an intro/bio by Douglas Steere (also reprinted in 70s or 80s) is MUCH MUCH preferred to the Richard Foster edition. He not only adds his own intro, but does editing of the original. Blasphemy. Skip his "version" and find an original.

Thomas Kelly helps awaken our longing for a life lived in God's presence. He beckons us away from the distractions and sensual bombarments of popular culture, and points us a simple place of abiding faith.