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I have never heard a preacher dare pinpoint the "unpresentable parts" that we treat with special modesty. I would vote for colon and kidney cells, those hidden parts that perform the body's janitorial functions. We pay far more attention to more visible parts such as eyes and hair. Yet as blind and bald people prove, a person can live a rich and rewarding life without functioning eyes and hair follicles. One whose kidneys or colon stop working has, without medical intervention, only hours to live.

For most of his life Albert Einstein had the portraits of two scientists, Newton and Maxwell, hanging on his wall as role models to inspire him. Toward the end of life, however, he took them down and replaced them with portraits of Albert Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi. He needed new role models, he said—not of success, but of humble service.

See also a 1769 letter written by John Newton (author of "Amazing Grace") on Christian humility, St. Benedict's rule on humility and quotations from the Desert Fathers on the topic.

Read about Henri Nouwen's life and death.

Nouwen authored more than 50 books. Here's a list.

Read more about L'Arche communities and their original charter "to create communities which welcome people with a mental handicap, to respond to the distress of those who are too often rejected, and to give them a valid place in society."

Read Brand's devotional about spiritual growth, which ends with a short biography.

Order tapes of Brand's speeches, such as "We are the Image of God."

Brand and Yancey's Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Pain: the Gift Nobody Wants, and In His Image are available from Amazon.com.

Previous Christianity Today articles about humility include:

The Gift of Humility | Christianity has made a difference by surrounding the use of power with humility (Dec. 17, 1999)

Reflections | Quotes on Christian virtues (Aug. 22, 2000)

Christianity Today recently ran "Living with Furious Opposites," from Yancey's latest book, Reaching for the Invisible God.

Yancey's columns for Christianity Today include:

Getting a Life (Oct. 16, 2000)

To Rise, It Stoops (Aug. 29, 2000)

Lessons from Rock Bottom (July 10, 2000)

Chess Master (May 15, 2000)

Would Jesus Worship Here? (Feb.7, 2000)

Doctor's Orders (Dec. 2, 1999)

Getting to Know Me (Oct. 25,1999)

The Encyclopedia of Theological Ignorance (Sept. 6, 1999)

Writing the Trinity (July 12, 1999)

Can Good Come Out of This Evil? (June 14, 1999)

The Last Deist (Apr. 5, 1999)

Why I Can Feel Your Pain (Feb. 8, 1999)

What The Prince of Egypt Won't Tell You (Dec. 7, 1998)

What's a Heaven For? (Oct. 26, 1998)

The Fox and the Writer (Sept. 7, 1998)

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December 4 2000, Vol. 44, No. 14