Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

by Kent Nerburn

Kent Nerburn's Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, immerses us in the spirit of one of the most universally inspiring figures in history: St. Francis of Assisi. The Prayer of St. Francis boldly but gently challenges us to resist the forces of evil and negativity with the spirit of goodwill and generosity. And Nerburn shows, in his wonderfully personal and humble way, how we each can live out the prayer's prescription for living in our everyday and less-than-saintly lives. "Where there is hatred, let me sow love...Where there is injury, let me sow pardon..." Expanding upon each line of the St. Francis Prayer, Nerburn shares touching, inspiring stories from his own experience and that of others and reveals how each of us can make a difference for good in ordinary ways without being heroes or saints. Struggling to help a young son comfort his best friend when his mother dies, moved by the courage of war enemies who reconcile, being wrenched out of self-absorbed depression by responding to someone else's tragedy, taking a spirited old lady on a farewell taxi ride through her town-these are the kinds of everyday moments in which Nerburn finds we can live out the spirit of St. Francis.

By incorporating the power and grace of these few lines of practical idealism into our thoughts and deeds, we can begin to ease our own suffering-and the suffering of those with whom we share our lives. And, remarkably, find a way to true peace and happiness by tapping into our basic human goodness. As we open our hearts and embrace his words, St. Francis "touches our deepest humanity and ignites the spark of our divinity."

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.Where there is hatred let me sow love, Where there is injury let me sow pardon, Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, And where there is sadness, joy...

In this beautifully written book, Kent Nerburn leads us into the heart of the St. Francis Prayer and line by line demonstrates how St. Francis's words can resonate in our lives today.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Christianity, Theology

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

I'm a child of the 60's, a son of the north, and a lover of dogs.

Grew up in a crackerbox post-war bungalow outside of Minneapolis with my mother and father, two younger sisters, various dogs and cats, and a neighborhood full of rugrat kids playing outside until called in for the night.

Studied American Studies at the University of Minnesota, Religious Studies and Humanities at Stanford University, received a Ph.D. in Religion and Art in a joint program at Graduate Theological Union and the University of California at Berkeley. Lots of learning, lots of awards. Phi Beta Kappa. Summa cum Laude. Lots of stuff that looks good on paper.

But just as important, an antique restorer's shop in Marburg, Germany; the museums of Florence; a sculpture studio in the back alleys of Pietrasanta, Italy; an Indian reservation in the forests of northern Minnesota; and, perhaps above all, the American road.

Always a watcher, always a wanderer, perhaps too empathetic for my own good, more concerned with the "other" than the "self", always more interested in what people believed than in what they thought. A friend of the ordinary and the life of the streets.

Twenty years as a sculptor -- over-life sized images hand-chiseled from large tree trunks -- efforts to embody emotional and spiritual states in wood. Then, still searching, years helping young people collect memories of the tribal elders on the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation in the Minnesota north. Then writing,

always writing, finding a voice and even a calling, helping Native America tell its story.

A marriage, children, a home on a pine-rimmed lake near the Minnesota-Canadian border.

Book after book, seventeen in all, ever seeking the heartbeat of people's belief. Journeys, consolations, the caring observer, always the teacher, always the learner. Ever mindful of the wise counsel of an Ojibwe elder, "Always teach by stories, because stories lodge deep in the heart."

Through grace and good luck, an important trilogy (Neither Wolf nor Dog, The Wolf at Twilight, and The Girl who Sang to the Buffalo), a film, Minnesota Book Awards, South Dakota book of the year, many "community reads," book sales around the world.

In the end, a reluctant promoter, a quiet worker, a seeker of an authentic American spirituality, more concerned with excellence than quantity. Proud to be referred to as "a guerilla theologian" and honored to be called "the one writer who can respectfully bridge the gap between native and non-Native cultures". But more honored still to hear a twelve-year-old girl at one of my readings whisper to her mom, "He's a really nice man."

At heart, just an ordinary person, grateful to be a father and a husband, more impressed by kindness than by power, doing what I can with the skills that I have to pay my rent for my time on earth. And trying, always trying, to live by Sitting Bull's entreaty: "Come let us put our minds together to see what kind of lives we can create for our children."

And petting every dog that I can.

Reviews

[Monica Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I have lost my way I remember his "Presence of Light". "We are not saints, we are not heroes. Our lives are lived in the quiet corners of the ordinary. We build tiny hearth fires, sometimes barely strong enough to give off warmth. But to the person lost in the darkness, our tiny flame may be the road to safety, the path to salvation. It is not given to us to know who is lost in the darkness that surrounds us or even if our light is seen. We can only know that against even the smallest of lights, darkness cannot stand. A sailor lost at sea can be guided home by a single candle. A person lost in a wood can be led to safety by a flickering flame. It is not an issue of quality or intensity or purity. It is simply an issue of the presence of light."

[Melodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is deceptively short. Not a quick and easy read,nor pages to be blown through. While I have technically finished the book, I am far from done with it. Or rather it isn't done with me.
The author's line by line expansion of St.Francis's prayer includes his personal stories and reflections. Whether you are a devoutly spiritual person or a devout secularist, there is much to be learned from this little book.
I have followed this author for a while and enjoyed his work. I believe this is my favorite.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to sit with this book a little differently than many others I read- to slow down and spend time with the content of each chapter, to listen for understanding rather than comparison. It was worth it.

[Cora Roehm]

I wrote a whole review and it disappeared! & I’m taking it as a good thing. Here’s the prayer of St. Francis, I love it and I hope you will too:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

[Caroline Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple reflection on a timeless prayer, infused with stories and nuggets of wisdom.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most wise and wonderful little books I have ever read. Just halfway through, I can tell already it is one of those books I will frequently re-read and give to others often.
It may stray somewhat from the doctrine of St. Francis. But this is not a book about St. Francis, it is one man's meditation on a particular poem that happens to be written by that saint. It is a modern interpretation of a classic poem with which most of us are so familiar that it has lost its impact. One of Nerburn's most potent points is that St. Francis has not called upon us to epitomize love, pardon, faith, joy, etc., but to sow these blessings: to scatter and plant their seeds. His anecdotes illustrate how this might be done in the context of our everyday lives. Nerburn himself has sown a whole garden in the writing of it.

[John Osman · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this book for a new adventure - an online retreat. And for that purpose it was great. It used a familiar prayer - 14 lines in 14 chapters. In other words, it was not Meister Eckhart.

We had over 70 people on the retreat and, I am sure, not all of them used the book. But the overall feedback from the group was that they loved it. It did not get in the way of personal reflection and provided a starting point from discussion.

There we some comments that the stories - especially the taxi driver story - was a bit outlandish. Some couldn't imagine a person like Kent having some many varied life experiences.

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book which takes the text of St. Francis' Prayer and deconstructs it into short essays commenting on every line, in the course of which Nerburn finds hope, joy, and peace in our turbulent world. There is no need to be Christian or even religious to enjoy this wonderful work of philosophy.

[Alisha B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and inspiring. Nerburn breaks down the prayer, line by line, to make each understandable and relatable. I would have liked a wrap up chapter that brought the whole prayer into focus and distilled it into a main, focused path, and I didn't care for non-christian views sprinkled here and there. There wasn't enough to make it a universal concept, but too many to make it a Christian read.

Overall it was good, and I enjoyed his examples, especially the story of the drummer in the final chapter.

[Karin Snortland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowzer! This quick one-day read is a life-changer. Everyone should read it. I'm on a crusade to get this tiny gem into the hands of everyone I know. Words upon which to model our lives, for sure. My only critique, and it was a definite stumbling block for me, is that I have read multiple sources stating that St Francis did NOT author this prayer. Once I overcame that major distraction, I was able to read with much gratitude for what the author had written.

[Joseph F · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great study into the meanings behind the Saint Francis Prayer. Each chapter studies a line of the prayer with a story that exemplifies how to use Saint Francis words and ideas to navigate the difficult situations we all face in life. I read this book with a group of men I've known for many years, and it was the catalyst for many good conversations about how we could use the prayer to better ourselves as men, as husbands, fathers and professionals. I highly recommend this book.

[Roxanna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace brings the timeless words of St. Francis to life through heartfelt stories and personal reflections. Kent Nerburn’s writing encourages readers to find moments of generosity, courage, and kindness in everyday life. A moving book that uplifts the spirit and inspires meaningful action.

[Matthew Ingalls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I imagined. I expected a lot more on St Francis himself. Instead this is more of a devotional style book that circled around the intersection of Nerburn’s life and Francis’ prayer. Definitely still worth the read.

[Karen Autrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet, short book meditating and discussing each line of the prayer of St. Francis. Whether you are religious or not, I thought it was a beautiful book. It made me want to read Small Graces and Simple Truths by this author as well. In fact I just ordered them.

[Patricia A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so inspired!

This book gave me such a new perspective on The Prayer of St. Francis.
It put one of my favorite meditations into a place where I can recognize its actions in my daily life.

[Jackie Fancher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for a gift...confirmation, graduation, etc. Nerburn shows his heart, as he does with everything of his I have read.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rudimentary Universalism masquerading as Franciscan spirituality. 2 stars because there are still some good lessons to be learned.

[Petre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading. A honest meditation on the prayer of St. Francis with illustrations from the author's life.

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this as a devotion book for a Centering Prayer group. It walks through the Prayer of Saint Francis line by line. The chapters are relatively short and work well as devotions.

[Beth]

Hard to get into an uplifting, spiritual/Christian book when the most inappropriate name is used to identify those with intellectual disabilities. Done.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

St. Francis of Assisi wrote a great little prayer. When I started high school in 1968, my freshman class chose part of that to be our class slogan - "Where there is hatred, let me sow love." You'd think something as pathetic as a class slogan would be long forgotten but, the thing is, we chose well. Our class song was "Hey Jude" (Beatles, of course). We thought about stuff. We kindof had to, living in a big city that had riots every summer, with the bigger kids being drafted as soon as they finished school, with Presidents and Vice Presidents lurching about like so many drunk high school rowdies playacting at being serious and civilized and important....

Well, back to Nerburn's book :-) It is framed around this little prayer of Francis's and while it might seem schlocky or contrived it gives me reason to reread the prayer, and in fact to see it as a poem. That's it - it is a life-affirming poem. Nerburn helps the life-affirming process by giving us a little prose to go with each line of the poem. I like it. It tastes good.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this author because a co-worker shared a story from this book. Whether a Christian or not, Saint Francis is a beloved figure...compassion extended to all forms of life and the natural world. He is a figure that exemplifies the inclusiveness and social justice that can be a focus of religious life, instead of exclusiveness and arrogance that can sometimes accompany a strict adherence to dogma. I found his thoughts on the lines in this prayer interesting, and no matter who you are or what you believe, I think the world would be a better place if everyone tried to live by it's tenets.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book that covers the prayer of St. Francis. It is not his biography nor a story of his life, but has many examples from his life and the life of the author to example the living of the prayer of st Francis. Inspirational, and a good study book for a group as well, it is not a long read but packed with a lot of daily living guidance and examples to follow for a better life.

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

My church picked this for their fall book program. I couldn't finish it. I felt like it just stated the obvious, in an increasingly boring way. I imagine other writers have done a better job of writing about St. Francis' prayer.

[Edward Viljoen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful little book, and an easy, inspiring and thought provoking read. For lovers of St. Francis' prayer, it's an engaging book. I find myself thinking about passages and ideas in the book long after closing it.

[Jeff Schaetzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book with stories, anecdotes, and positive thoughts about based on the Prayer of St. Francis. Breaks it down and adds wonderful things to think about for prayerful reflection. Love Kent Nerbrun.

[Dawn]

This is a simple book that I have been using as part of my morning prayer...on the treadmill :). I truly believe in the message and have bought a few more copies to give as gifts to a few friends.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to read during lent.

[Matt Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Thought-proving. Moving and powerful. I very much enjoyed this book and really hope to make the most of this inspiration and guidance as a part of my life.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely devotional primer for reflecting more fully upon the words and intentions of the Prayer of St. Francis.