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Starred Review. Wessells spends his days praying and singing worship songs for head trauma patients in comas, something he admits may seem frivolous. He makes the case that these people and their families are among "the least of these" for whom Jesus cares deeply. And his stories are powerful. He talks about a young man who made a decision to follow Christ while in a comatose state. He tells of sharing his faith with Christine Busalacchi before her father got permission to remove her feeding tube and she starved to death—how the girl neurologists described as being "in a persistent vegetative state" had waved to him, smiled and responded to praise music. But more importantly, Wessells discusses the difficult questions that a ministry like his uncovers. Why are some lives cut short? Why do some patients recover, while others' bodies shrivel as their minds slowly lose control? Wessells reassures readers that it's okay to ask questions and not have answers—and that, no matter what, God's love abounds. These are lessons he learned not only through his ministry but also through the loss of his young son to cancer. This is a rare book that offers hope and comfort without ignoring or sugarcoating the painful realities that families of head trauma patients face.
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Review
Wessells spends his days praying and singing worship songs for head trauma patients in comas, something he admits may seem frivolous. He makes the case that these people and their families are among 'the least of these' for whom Jesus cares deeply. And his stories are powerful. He talks about a young man who made a decision to follow Christ while in a comatose state. He tells of sharing his faith with Christine Busalacchi before her father got permission to remove her feeding tube and she starved to death---how the girl neurologists described as being 'in a persistent vegetative state' had waved to him, smiled and responded to praise music. But more importantly, Wessells discusses the difficult questions that a ministry like his uncovers. Why are some lives cut short? Why do some patients recover, while others' bodies shrivel as their minds slowly lose control? Wessells reassures readers that it's okay to ask questions and not have answers---and that, no matter what, God's love abounds. These are lessons he learned not only through his ministry but also through the loss of his young son to cancer. This is a rare book that offers hope and comfort without ignoring or sugarcoating the painful realities that families of head trauma patients face.
- Hardcover: 144 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan (January 18, 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0310257662
- ISBN-13: 978-0310257660
- Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 7.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
Conversations with the Voiceless: Finding God's Love in Life's Hardest Questions
Sensitive reflections on discovering God in life's challenges Author John Wessells and his wife, Gail, are cofounders of Precious Oil Ministries, an outreach to head-injury patients and their families. Through their ministry---and after losing a young son to cancer---the Wessells have learned to ask very difficult questions about life, love, health, suffering, tragedy, and God. In his work with the comatose, Wessells has found that the voiceless have some crucial, direct, and clarifying things to tell us about our questions. Often during his life on earth, Jesus avoided giving answers and instead offered love. The voiceless ones---the poor, the suffering, infants, prisoners, and the terminally ill---speak for God. Their words to us, like Christ's, are often impractical, inconvenient, and unpredictable. Yet above all, they are a relief. This book is about asking the unanswerable questions and letting them draw you closer to your Lord and Savior.
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