David Crumm: The Benjamin Pratt interview on ”˜Short Stuff from a Tall Guy’
"You hold in your hands a human heart," writes Day1 radio host Peter Wallace in the preface to Benjamin Pratt's new book, [Short Stuff from a Tall Guy : Wisdom Gleaned from Life's Daily Journey](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939880904/ref=aslitl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1939880904&linkCode=as2&tag=reathespi-20&linkId=BNHAZ62Q5OFZKX2G) 
"As I read it," Peter continues, "I couldn't help but feel that I was having a heart-to-heart conversation with this beloved brother, Ben Pratt. Ben reveals himself within and between these lines in a multitude of wise ways-and in so doing, helps each of us see ourselves more clearly as fallible human beings yearning for meaning and love and grace and purpose in life. Sometimes finding it, oftentimes losing it, but always grateful for it when we experience it."
In her foreword to the new book, popular Buddhist writer Geri Larkin points to the courageous compassion that Ben Pratt tries to foster among his readers.
"At a time when crime stories are topping best-seller lists, here is a book that offers an entirely different experience," Geri writes. "Each story, anecdote and poem offers an antidote to the negative messages we get pummeled by on a daily basis by popular media."
Instead, Geri writes, Ben "invites us instead to pause, to notice, and then appreciate the more heroic aspects of each other-our ability to sympathize, to provide comfort, to openly mourn loss, to genuinely and openly love everyone."
At ReadTheSpirit, we highly recommend this book for anyone who already is a fan of works by Peter and Geri-or books by writers such as Barbara Mahany, Judith Valente, Robert Wick, Richard Rohr, Shirley Showalter and the Knuths. If any of those writers already is among your favorites, we guarantee you'll recognize Ben's latest book as a brother in that family of writers. Beyond the book's value for individual readers, Ben Pratt is a popular speaker and retreat leader and many of the stories in this new collection will spark lively discussion in your class or small group.
(To learn more about Ben, visit his author page within our online magazine-or his author page within Amazon. To order his book, click on the cover image with this interview.)
_ ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm interviewed Ben Pratt. Here are ... _
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR INTERVIEW
WITH BENJAMIN PRATT ON
'SHORT STUFF FROM A TALL GUY'
DAVID: In recent years, Ben, you've written weekly columns that have been widely shared across our own website, the website of the Day1 radio network-and other online newsletters, too. You've heard from countless men and women about the ways your true stories touch their lives. What's at work here? How are you able to take small stories from your own life and connect with so many readers?
BEN: That amazes me and it always pleases me to hear from readers. Apparently, by sharing these stories from my own daily journeys, I encourage people to think about meaningful experiences in their own lives and their relationships with other people.
Earlier in my life, I served as a pastor and wrote primarily for preaching. Usually, I got responses like: "Good job, pastor." Short comments like that. But, I still remember a day when someone told me, "Listening to you preach today, I thought you must have been in our house this week." That kind of response shows a much richer, deeper connection with people. I want to be speaking and writing in ways that connect with people where they're living.
My effort now is to put my own musings and experiences into words so that I can help trigger such thoughts in other people. And the comments I get now, after a new column is published, often describe that kind of connection. Through what I write, I'm with them where they live.
DAVID: You refer to the stories in this book as "Wisdom Gleaned from Life's Daily Journey." You don't describe these stories in terms that are typical in inspirational books. You don't call these "meditations," for example. They're true stories from your daily life. Why do you describe it that way?
BEN: I don't think of myself as a person who meditates in the formal way. A couple of times I have been part of groups that were training people in meditation, but somehow that never fit into my life. I find thoughts and images and insights coming to me when I'm playing in my garden, or mowing my lawn or even vacuuming the house.
DAVID: In your writing, the images often come before the words, right?
BEN: That's usually how my writing begins. Eventually, those images form into words and the writing evolves.
My prayer life, too, is much more about images, putting myself where other people are and experiencing images. We have to pay attention to what is happening around us in life. We have to keep our eyes and ears open.
DAVID: That's a frequent teaching by Geri Larkin, who wrote the foreword to your book. Geri likes to remind people to "Pay attention!"
'EACH DAY CAN BE A PILGRIMAGE'
BEN: One prayer that I pray each day is known as the Prayer of St. Francis: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace ..." With that prayer to start your day, you're never out of a job. There are always moments in which we can be of service, love, caring, forgiveness, hope.
That way, each day can be a pilgrimage.
DAVID: That's a key theme in your writing-that our most important spiritual experiences usually don't take place inside the walls of a church.
BEN: Within the church, we usually are preaching to the choir. We're evangelizing the already evangelized. I'm much more interested in speaking to people in their daily lives-even though many of the people I encounter may be outside what we might think of as a formal faith community.
I don't want to speak in traditional religious jargon. I want to talk about the real stuff we experience in our daily lives.
DAVID: So, let me pose the question another way: What's a really good day for you?
BEN: (Laughs!) "A really good day?" Oh my! Well, a good day is when I laugh a lot, when I have meaningful interchanges with people: people I know and love-as well as strangers.
'I'M INTERESTED IN THE STORY'
WANT TO GET YOUR FRIENDS EXCITED ABOUT READING THIS BOOK? Click on this thumbnail of a full-color flyer for Ben Pratt's new book. You're free to save, share or print out that flyer and show it to friends. This book is ideal for a series of small-group discussions. Ben is a veteran teacher, speaker and retreat leader.
DAVID: Talk more about meeting strangers. You actually dare to talk to strangers-something most of us don't risk doing on a daily basis.
BEN: Well, you have to be intentional about this, I think. Sometimes I get intentional about the quick encounter with a clerk at a register. I'm very quick to read the name on their name-tag-and I thank them by name. The encounter might be as simple as that.
There are many ways to start a conversation. I find tattoos fascinating. People tend to either love tattoos or hate them, but these often are amazing pieces of artwork that tell important stories from people's lives. If someone has an obviously visible tattoo, I'll often ask about it-I'm interested in the story.
These moments make the day delicious.
DAVID: Delicious!? Strangers are scary, aren't they? It's tough to convince people to speak to someone they don't know.
BEN: I don't think that way.
First, I don't think of the people I encounter each day as strangers. I always trust that there is some bridge we can walk across to connect. Sometimes, we need to build the bridge as we're walking across it toward each other. That means we need to listen carefully to the people we encounter.
If we allow the world to move us toward fear of the people all around us each day, then we're in bigger trouble than anything we may fear. I always anticipate a connection-and that lets me meet each new person with a simple smile. And, we go from there. Sometimes, it's just the smile.
DAVID: I like the fact that you ask about small details you notice in the people you meet. I've often found that's a great first step in connecting. Someone who snaps on a lapel pin before leaving the house is hoping that people will see it. If a person has a book under his arm as he's waiting somewhere-he usually will welcome a question about what he's reading.
BEN: I believe that all of us, on one level, want to be noticed. Now, we do have to be careful about over-reaching. (Laughs!) My children sometimes have told me I can overdo this! But, we're talking here about appropriate conversation: Simply saying hello to people. Smiling. Asking a simple question-because you're really interested in their stories.
'AT THE BACK OF THE ORCHESTRA'
DAVID: Readers of this book will quickly discover that you don't make yourself the hero of these stories. For years, you worked as a pastoral counselor. You've been a teacher and retreat leader. But, in these stories, you're not instructing readers. Instead, these stories invite readers to take a moment and think about their own lives-with you as a friend in the process.
BEN: Here's a way to describe it. I know that I never will conduct a symphony. If I'm fortunate, I might be able to serve by playing the triangle at the very back of the orchestra.
I live my life like that. Near where we live, there's a rotating shelter hosted by a number of churches-providing places to come find a warmth, safety and a good meal. I volunteer in that program. I show up and help serve the meals. I'm just one of the people in the background of that program. And, when I volunteer, I always find that I learn from the people who come into the shelter-as much as they will ever learn from me.
Small things do make a difference. This is the third book I've written and I've contributed to a couple of other books. And I'm amazed at all the people out there who have written to me to say that I've touched them with my writing.
'WE ARE PEOPLE OF A STORY'
DAVID: Why tell stories? Every week, ReadTheSpirit online magazine publishes a couple dozen new stories by a wide range of writers-often including a new story by you, Ben, if we're lucky that week. We keep doing this, because we think it matters to send these stories into the world. Why are we so drawn to telling stories?
BEN: If we hope to truly know ourselves, and then let others know us, that basically happens through our story. It's important to know our story and to be honest about it. For people of faith, we are people of a story. All of the major religious traditions are rooted in story.
The other night, my wife and I visited some long-time friends for dinner. Before dinner, it was one friend's turn to say a prayer. But, he surprised us. He said: "Instead of a prayer tonight, I'm going to tell you a story about my grandchildren. And, after I tell a story, I want each of you to tell a story from your families."
I'm still thinking about what he did and said. "Instead of a prayer ... I'll tell you a story ..." I think: That's a beautiful way to pray together.
I do know this: Ask people to tell you their story-and you'll never meet a stranger.
(Originally published at www.ReadTheSpirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)
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