Retired Air Force Chaplain Lt. Col. Jeffrey Neuberger sent me this hilarious short story. I think it's worthy of Readers Digest!
"While in Iraq at the combat hospital, I would offer a noon communion service in the chapel. The patient affairs office would announce the service on the public address system.
One day, I called and asked them to say that 'the liturgical communion service will be held in the hospital chapel at 12 p.m. today.' I waited for a few moments, and then the young woman made this announcement:
'The lethargical communion service will be offered in the hospital chapel at 12 p.m. today.'
Everyone must have been 'lethargical' that day, as no one showed up for the service!"
Nancy B. Kennedy
Praise for Miracles & Moments of Grace"This book is filled with women who are heroes in the lives of others. Mothers experience undeniable miracles that bring them to the pinnacle of hope and happiness. Even in the struggles of motherhood, our lives are touched by miracles and grace."
—Colleen Swindoll-Thompson, author, speaker and director of special needs ministries for Insight for Living "Miracles & Moments of Grace is an absolute treasure of wisdom. The beautiful voices that speak from the pages of this book remind us that there is meaning, purpose and joy in motherhood. This is a lovely book I would recommend to new moms, seasoned moms, moms-to-be, or anyone who wants to feel the majesty and grace of family life." —April Perry, co-founder of The Power of Moms website, and co-author of Deliberate Motherhood "Miracles & Moments of Grace pulls you in from the very first page, as Nancy shares moving stories from real-life moms who were able to see God's hand in their lives through the sweet, memorable moments and the tender, heartbreaking moments. For anyone who has embarked on the journey of the high calling of motherhood, this book will touch your heart." —Tracie Miles, writer and speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries and author of Stressed-Less Living "Nancy Kennedy has done a beautiful job collecting stories of hope, love, hardship, joy, worry... or as we could simply say, motherhood."
—Mary Jenkins, The Power of Moms Miracles & Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Moms
 Praise for Miracles & Moments of GraceThis book looks beyond immediate medical needs to the spiritual care given by top doctors. It is a fresh revelation of the personal lives of doctors who have faith; a glimpse into their private world and the amazing God they choose to trust.
—David Levy, MD, neurosurgeon and author of Gray Matter: A neurosurgeon discovers the power of prayer...one patient at a time. I believe that every doctor has at least one gripping story to tell. In this book, Nancy Kennedy chronicles dozens of these stories. Get ready to smile, to weep, and to praise God. —Robert Orr, MD, CM, senior fellow with The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity and author of Medical Ethics and the Faith Factor These stories of doctors’ tender encounters with anxious and fearful patients shed light on the immense privilege of the doctor-patient relationship. After sharing in the experiences of these inspiring and faith-filled physicians, your doctor’s exam room will never seem a cold place again. —Walt Larimore, MD, medical director for Mission Medical Clinic and best-selling author of Bryson City Tales and Hazel Creek Praise for Miracles & Moments of GraceBravo-Zulu!
--Mission Capodanno From Iqbal, the boy who lived through the southeast Asian tsunami aboard a Navy hospital ship, to the barracks in Lebanon where 241 Marines were killed in a 1983 suicide bombing to the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Kennedy relates 50 stories, recounted with humor and tenderness. -- Publishers Weekly These candid accounts of remarkable luck and bloody catastrophe from dozens of noncombatant military men and women are moving and painful to read. Their stories have the brevity and terse eloquence of real and lived experience. -- Library Journal This remarkable collection of first-person stories clearly shows the extent of God's love for us. God has protected, healed, provided strength, and shown his love through miracles. This book is a must read for anyone looking for the real source of strength and truth in life! -- Lt. Gen. Paul K. Carlton Jr., USAF, Retired; Professor of Surgery, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Surgeon General of the Air Force (1999-2002) Chaplains serve as a reminder of the holy, a bridge to the magnificent Holy Presence that defeats the horrors of war. These amazing stories reveal the drama of human tragedy magnified in military service and the ever-present, redeeming God in the midst of it all. -- Chaplain Maj. Gen. Lorraine K. Potter, USAF, Retired; Chief of the Air Force Chaplain Service (2001-2004) I encourage those who care about soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to read this profoundly stirring book. Ms. Kennedy has done a masterful job of weaving together these fascinating stories. I am reminded that God is present in unexpected ways in so many places. -- Chaplain Col. Edward T. Brogan, USAF, Retired; Director of the Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel My Books in the MediaChicken Soup TitlesArchives
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Miracles and Moments of GraceThe big momentFebruary 23, 2011 
The author gets a gift-wrapped copy!
I had a really odd reaction to seeing the book. I thought I would be excited about the big reveal, but instead I was terrified! After a quick glance and a few photos, I hastily packed it back up in the box and went on with getting dinner ready. What was that all about?!? People often say that publishing a book is akin to childbirth, seeing your "baby" safely into the wider world. I didn't experience it that way at all, and I've been through childbirth, so I know! (There was no putting my son "back in the box," that's for sure!) After I took the book out of the box again the next day, I came to realize that I just wanted to savor the moment of arrival without any reservations. I wanted the moment to be unsullied by my ever-critical brain. Having published hundreds of articles over the years, I understood that pretty quickly I was going to see something I didn't like -- a mistake, a typo, something I could have said better. Sure enough, once I looked closely, I fixated on something I didn't like. A single typo. But, you know... I have to live with it. There is no perfection this side of heaven. I'm so pleased with this book -- and eager for all my chaplains to be pleased as well. I hope I have done them proud. That's what matters to me. It's not my baby; it's theirs. West Coast gets first lookFebruary 15, 2011
A friend of mine living in Oregon -- my long-ago college roommate -- says she got her copy of Miracles and Moments of Grace yesterday. I think she's the very first!
From what I understand, the distributor has a warehouse in Oregon, so that's why the West Coast is getting copies first. So, when does the author get to see her own book?!? It's a big moment for an author, when the UPS guy drops that box of books on the front porch. I'll hear that THUD no matter where I am in the house, guaranteed! 60,000 prayersFebruary 9, 2011 
Chaplain Geoffrey Whitaker
That chaplain was Capt. Geoffrey Whitaker, garrison chaplain at Contingency Operating Base Marez, Iraq, with the Regimental Fires Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). Chaplain Whitaker was a Navy SEAL in 2003 when he suffered a traumatic head injury after a fall from a helicopter in a speed rope accident that crushed his skull. Even though he received immediate care and life-saving brain surgery, doctors pegged his chance for survival at only 10 percent and an even smaller chance of recovery if he did survive. But the doctors weren't counting on the power of prayer to raise those percentages. Whitaker made a complete recovery, returning to full duty within a year. After his recovery, though, Whitaker went back through the cards and expressions of care people had sent, and he realized that upwards of 60,000 people around the world had prayed for him. That number, more than beating the odds of recovery, changed his life. The impact of the outpouring led him to swap his SEAL career for the military chaplaincy. After I was able to track down Chaplain Whitaker, the doctor who had contacted me was able to correspond via e-mail with him. I was so pleased to be a link in the network of people who care for each other's well-being. The Four Chaplains MemorialFebruary 4, 2011 
Air Force Chaplain Capt. Christopher Reeder (l) and Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, Captain, Chaplain Corps, USN, Retired (r)
The event commemorated the four interfaith chaplains who went down with the USAT Dorchester in WWII, after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat. The chaplains -- two Protestant, one Jewish and one Catholic -- selflessly helped others into the too-few life boats and when life jackets ran out, they took theirs off and handed them to those in need. They were among the 672 men who lost their lives that night. You can read Dan Kurzman's terrific account of that act of heroism, a book titled The Four Immortal Chaplains. There were many eyewitnesses to the events of that night who all agreed on the basic facts of the chaplains' actions. The event yesterday marking the 68th anniversary of the tragic event featured Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff as keynote speaker. Chaplain Resnicoff is one of the fifty-five chaplains I interviewed for Miracles and Moments of Grace. He told me his harrowing story of being present at the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with Chaplain Resnicoff, and with another one of my chaplains, U.S. Air Force Chaplain Christopher Reeder, and his wife Jennifer. Chaplain Reeder told me the wonderful story of meeting Jennifer while he was deployed to Afghanistan. For more photos from the event, head on over to my new Miracles and Moments of Grace facebook page. |
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