From the Author's Preface:
This book -- my book -- is about an unvarnished Jesus, er, "Yeshua the Poet". It's about the "Ragged-Man of Assisi and his Friends. It's a "homeless gospel". It's different, sort of not even a book. Consider it a transmission from me to you...
This precious blue Planet is @risk. Justice needs arms and hands. Love needs a radical liberation from the confines of religion, theology, and a vapid politics. Resplendent in Rags is all the authorization that you need to become a mystic-activist. The world needs your passion. The world needs your working hands. The world needs your deeply engaged mind and heart.
To order your copy, call Robert Daniel Smith, Author: 1-715-531-3515 for details!
the burninghand.com
and Resplendent in Rags
The Wild and Homeless Gospel of the Ragged-Man and Friends
And Field Guide for the Student Mystic-Activist
"Old-School" Order and Payment Method: Call Robert Daniel Smith, Author, at 1-715-531-3515 Central Time...
Years and years ago, as I was hiking in Kings Canyon National Park, on the Mist Falls Trail, a poem came to me, unbidden as it occasionally happens. It began with five words: the burn of Love's hand... That image of a "burning hand" has come to symbolize to me the necessity of living a life of great purpose, a life of solidarity, service, and surrender... This "burning hand" is Love unleashed... is compassion activated... and is a sweet passion for the Planet and Beings who will be alive seven generations from now...
I had already founded and "built" through stumbling error and steady perseverance, a Catholic Worker "Soup" Kitchen that we called "Dorothy's Place Hospitality Center" in Salinas, California, an intentional community "Companions of the Way", and assorted other service projects. From April 7, 1982 until my departure, thirty years later, on a sabbatical which morphed into a permanent move to the Midwest, I lived the Catholic Worker dream, headache, and heartache. (We are now in River Falls, Wisconsin.)
Years of contemplative prayer and reflection found their way onto paper and laptop, and now into a book: Resplendent In Rags "The Wild and Homeless Gospel of the Ragged-Man and Friends"... The deep satisfaction of holding book-in-hands has, perhaps not surprisingly, prompted the potential of summoning of enough energy and time to begin again... and so a new Catholic Worker is being birthed "Iona House"... Much older, hopefully a tad bit wiser, I hold to heart what Dorothy used to say with a wistful fondness, "Beginnings are always exciting"...
You can help build a dream through the purchase of Resplendent In Rags! Other than the costs associated with keeping Resplendent in print, monies generated by the sale of this book will serve the dream of a "farm / retreat / emerging beloved community / in particular service with disadvantaged youth -- and others seeking a life of meaning and purpose"... Going forward, www.theburninghand.com will steadily evolve into your connecting link with Iona House... And, since we can't afford to set up an e-commerce "store" as part of this website, we'll be doing this the old-fashioned way: you can use the Contact Page to arrange for your copy (or copies!) of the book... Or, you can call me directly at 1-715-531-3515 (Central Time in the U.S.) and we'll talk and take care of your purchase order! And since I am not practicing to become an Amazon robot, this will likely prove to be a very human enterprise!
If you are interested in hosting or facilitating a presentation / book talk, likewise, give me a call! Lastly, if you are so inclined, donations above the cost of the book ( $15.00 + 5.5 % sales tax here in Wisconsin) will serve the building of "Iona House":dream... I mean, Jimminy-Christmas and Holy Moly, "What if?" and "Why not?"
and Resplendent in Rags
The Wild and Homeless Gospel of the Ragged-Man and Friends
And Field Guide for the Student Mystic-Activist
"Old-School" Order and Payment Method: Call Robert Daniel Smith, Author, at 1-715-531-3515 Central Time...
Years and years ago, as I was hiking in Kings Canyon National Park, on the Mist Falls Trail, a poem came to me, unbidden as it occasionally happens. It began with five words: the burn of Love's hand... That image of a "burning hand" has come to symbolize to me the necessity of living a life of great purpose, a life of solidarity, service, and surrender... This "burning hand" is Love unleashed... is compassion activated... and is a sweet passion for the Planet and Beings who will be alive seven generations from now...
I had already founded and "built" through stumbling error and steady perseverance, a Catholic Worker "Soup" Kitchen that we called "Dorothy's Place Hospitality Center" in Salinas, California, an intentional community "Companions of the Way", and assorted other service projects. From April 7, 1982 until my departure, thirty years later, on a sabbatical which morphed into a permanent move to the Midwest, I lived the Catholic Worker dream, headache, and heartache. (We are now in River Falls, Wisconsin.)
Years of contemplative prayer and reflection found their way onto paper and laptop, and now into a book: Resplendent In Rags "The Wild and Homeless Gospel of the Ragged-Man and Friends"... The deep satisfaction of holding book-in-hands has, perhaps not surprisingly, prompted the potential of summoning of enough energy and time to begin again... and so a new Catholic Worker is being birthed "Iona House"... Much older, hopefully a tad bit wiser, I hold to heart what Dorothy used to say with a wistful fondness, "Beginnings are always exciting"...
You can help build a dream through the purchase of Resplendent In Rags! Other than the costs associated with keeping Resplendent in print, monies generated by the sale of this book will serve the dream of a "farm / retreat / emerging beloved community / in particular service with disadvantaged youth -- and others seeking a life of meaning and purpose"... Going forward, www.theburninghand.com will steadily evolve into your connecting link with Iona House... And, since we can't afford to set up an e-commerce "store" as part of this website, we'll be doing this the old-fashioned way: you can use the Contact Page to arrange for your copy (or copies!) of the book... Or, you can call me directly at 1-715-531-3515 (Central Time in the U.S.) and we'll talk and take care of your purchase order! And since I am not practicing to become an Amazon robot, this will likely prove to be a very human enterprise!
If you are interested in hosting or facilitating a presentation / book talk, likewise, give me a call! Lastly, if you are so inclined, donations above the cost of the book ( $15.00 + 5.5 % sales tax here in Wisconsin) will serve the building of "Iona House":dream... I mean, Jimminy-Christmas and Holy Moly, "What if?" and "Why not?"
