The Stranger Pauses to Learn More…
The conversation Tuesday evening with Martin was fascinating – and soon we were talking about the value of commitment to geographical place in ministry – and how the application of important principal helps fuel Martin’s passion and commitment to his ministry org. – and this before we had heard Michael Frost and Glenn Smith! So of course we had to bring Carlos Carretto book, Letters From the Desert into the conversation. This spiritual classic has been continuously in print since 1964. At age 44, Carlo’s left youth ministry to follow God’s call to come to the desert to learn to love – love through solitary retreats, contemplation, and in living in a geographical community. Carlo joined the Little Brothers of Jesus, a ministry founded by Charles de Foucald, who went from a life of privilege, to living with the poor in an effort to tailor his life after Christ’s, who ‘… so diligently searched for the lowest place that it would be very difficult for anyone to tear it from him.’ (p. 93). From that premise, Charles encouraged those in his movement to ‘choose a villiage, a slum, a nomadic town, settle in it and live as all the others live, especially the poorest of the poor.’ (p. 102) so that he could ‘…preach the gospel with [his] life.’ (p. 97).
The next things to cross my path – Michael & Glenn – see Len’s posts for a glimpse of the content.