ABSTRACT

Witness the wonder of divine power when faith in God overcomes human frailty!Broken Bodies, Healing Hearts: Reflections of a Hospital Chaplain provides chaplains, doctors, nurses, psychologists, and counselors with insight into the experiences of individual hospital patients. You'll learn of the suffering that they endure, and what patients and caretakers can learn about themselves and God through their ordeals. This is a wonderful collection of descriptive, personal, and heartfelt essays, each derived from a visit with a particular patient. These episodes demonstrate the wonder of divine strength manifested in human frailty. You'll see the spiritual aspects of both significant and common events, inspiring you to contemplate and appreciate all of your life experiences. Broken Bodies, Healing Hearts will help you unravel daily questions and problems and encourage you to seek God's eminent presence in all of your experiences.This intriguing collection demonstrates what it means to be human and what it means to be made in God's likeness. You will explore the heartwrenching struggles of unique individuals, such as:

  • Jimmy Meyer, a three-year-old toddler with a terminal brain tumor, who takes each day for whatever it could offer him. His simple trust teaches us all to grow in our faith and seek the child within ourselves
  • Mr. Nelson, who after suffering a heart attack and facing the possibility of death, recounts how the experience served to turn his life from one of anger and resentment to one of peace and freedom, reminding us all of the healing power of grace when we are willing to receive it
  • Martha Claxton, a fifty-eight-year-old woman battling leukemia. In finally letting go she experiences God's eternal security, inviting each of us to surrender our lives to the One who knows our every need
  • Ms. May, a thirty-eight-year-old with Down's Syndrome, who touches all those whom she comes in contact with. Her ability to live fully in the present moment reminds us that whatever is happening now is worth our undivided attention

    Enlightening and moving, Broken Bodies, Healing Hearts reveals the presence of God in the lives of patients, chaplains, and all those who care for others. You will discover the connection between human vulnerability and spiritual growth.

chapter 1|4 pages

And a Child Shall Lead Them

chapter 2|5 pages

Beyond Pity

chapter 3|3 pages

Redeemed by Grace

chapter 4|4 pages

Divine Identity

chapter 5|3 pages

Learning to Be

chapter 6|6 pages

Homecoming

chapter 8|5 pages

Fertile Ground

chapter 10|4 pages

Not Religious, but Real

chapter 11|5 pages

The Man Without a Nose

chapter 12|4 pages

Called to Wait

chapter 13|3 pages

Recollection

chapter 14|7 pages

Faces of Grief

chapter 15|2 pages

Mutual Healing

chapter 16|6 pages

Free to Die

chapter 17|5 pages

Light Shines in the Darkness

chapter 18|5 pages

Good-bye, Grandmère

chapter 19|4 pages

Addicted to Pain

chapter 20|7 pages

A Time for Everything

chapter 21|5 pages

God's Poster Child

chapter 22|5 pages

A Longing for Companionship

chapter 23|6 pages

Living in Love

chapter 25|6 pages

Always in Process

chapter 26|5 pages

At a Distance

chapter 27|6 pages

Another Side of Me

chapter 28|4 pages

To Be in Relationship Again

chapter 29|4 pages

Necessary Friction

chapter 30|4 pages

Empty Before God

chapter 31|4 pages

Comfort in Death and in Life

chapter 32|4 pages

Home for the Holiday

chapter 33|6 pages

Everybody's Savior

chapter 34|2 pages

And God Was in It All

chapter 35|4 pages

Pink Pajamas in Heaven