Robert Page writes with a special kind of freedom and authority about the development of his relationship with God. In an age dominated by spin, the cult of celebrity, materialism, skepticism and cynicism, he speaks without fear for his professional standing is neither learned academic nor theologian. He is a self-confessed Ordinary Joe whose life has taken some extraordinary turns.

He addresses subjects which have relevance for all of us, whatever our beliefs. They include the acceptance of personal responsibility; why we need to do more than eliminate what is undesirable from our speech and actions; how we must embrace a policy of rigorous self-honesty if we are to progress in our spiritual lives; why we can do no other than to love our neighbor and God exactly as we love ourselves and our many unrecognized encounters with God and His sometimes surprising agents of personal growth.

Learning from experience and cultivating the ability to live with doubt and uncertainty are, for the author, the essential equipment of the spiritual mountaineer.

As a young man Robert Page tried unsuccessfully to conform to what was expected of him. He failed, dropping unexpectedly out of medical school. Lacking in purpose he drifted through a variety of dead-end jobs. Along the way he married, fathered four children... and lapsed into alcoholism. In April 1977, aged 42 and with permanent brain damage and death real possibilities, he had an extraordinary conversion experience. From then on his recovery from alcoholism and the deepening of his spiritual life were one. In The Presence he finds a distinctive voice with which to articulate the fruits of that life. He lives in Nottingham UK.