Cultivating God’s Presence: Renewing Ancient Practices for Today’s Church

Written for all who want to strengthen their roots in God, this book introduces us to renewed patterns and rhythms for living which cultivate God's presence in our everyday lives. Inspired by the accounts of Celtic monastics, Richard Roberts blends their example with personal experience and biblical insights to create an integrated approach to Christian living, fit for the twenty first century.

Many Christians are on a quest to discover more authentic ways to live the Gospel in their everyday lives. Some feel that their roots in a particular branch of the Church have been immensely valuable but that there are yet more treasures to be unearthed. These treasures will help us become more consistent in our following Jesus and more integrated as people. Other Christians, although serious followers of Jesus, have become disillusioned with their church's approach to the spiritual life; perhaps they are tired of triumphalism and easy answers to life's difficult questions - or, at the other extreme, they are bored with the formality of the services. Many are looking for something more, for renewal, for deeper roots.

This book was written for people who wish to understand more about the Celtic roots of some contemporary forms of Christian spirituality and to explore how we might help develop a more integrated approach to what has become known as New Monasticism. It will help those who are beginning such an exploration, as well as for those further along the path who want to delve deeper. There is no attempt to provide a set of ready-made answers but rather to suggest a framework for understanding what monastic-inspired spirituality might look like today.

The heart of monasticism is adopting a set of practices which interlock and provide an integrated approach to cultivating God's presence and carrying his presence into our everyday lives. These practices are expressed in what is termed a 'Rule of Life'. The idea of a Rule can be off-putting but the meaning of 'Rule' in this case has more to do with patterns of living than a set of regulations. A Rule is a guide to daily life and having such a guide is essential if we truly wish to emulate the example of the Celtic saints. Celtic Christians emphasised an awareness of God's presence, prayer and carrying God's presence with them in pilgrimage - this makes them an inspiring movement and one which we can learn from and emulate.