The monk is in the monastery. The monk is also on Wall Street, on Main Street, and down on the farm. Mark Plaiss, The Inner Room: A Journey into Lay Monasticism (Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2003)
God is calling people from every Christian walk and tradition into lives of intentional prayer, simplicity, and holiness. He's rekindling a hunger for the ancient paths and spiritual disciplines of the monastic fathers. The most unique part of this call, however, is that God is not calling these people to enter the monastery, but to live monastic lives at home and at work! This growing movement is called Lay Monasticism. It's a way of shaping your daily life around the patterns and practices of monastic spirituality; joyfully relinquishing yourself to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit through Scripture, quiet contemplation, hidden prayer, and disciplined faith; drawing you ever closer in love to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; and honoring His life through the living sacrifice of your own life. Do you desire this kind of life? Have you felt this kind of call? Are you being drawn to this kind of intentional faith but didn't know how to begin? Are you ready to experience what God has already done in the lives of thousands of others--with men and women who've found their hearts' home? Maybe you're the kind of person God is calling into a life of lay monasticism.