Spiritual Survival Guide: How to Find God When You are Sick

Scripture goes to work in this inspiring mixture of practical advice, biblical wisdom, and true-life stories, as the founder and the executive director of the Institute of Faith and Health guide patients and their loved ones through the despair of serious illness to a place of deep spiritual strength.

Chronic or life-threatening illnesses exact not only a physical toll, but an emotional and spiritual one as well. Dr. Charles Shields, a prominent pastor who came face-to-face with pain, anger, and fear during his own catastrophic “dance” with cancer, and writer Cynthia Ferrell draw on Shields’s experiences and those of others to offer a spiritual lifeline to the chronically ill and those who love them.

Shields and Ferrell explore with unflinching honesty the explosions of emotions that engulf seriously ill patients, tackling such profound issues as hopelessness, depression, and the fear of death. Interweaving insightful, emotionally charged passages from the Scriptures, moving first-person stories, and uncomplicated, step-by-step meditations, they demonstrate how Christian faith can play an active role in redirecting thoughts and energy toward achieving physical healing and spiritual wholeness. Filled with practical suggestions for taking advantage of community resources, creating a “healing place” in a home or hospital room, and preparing physically and emotionally for difficult or painful medical treatments, Spiritual Survival Guide will help millions navigate the darkness surrounding illness and emerge with their faith forever strengthened.

Cynthia Ferrell is a writer specializing in the areas of faith and science, and Executive Director of the Institute of Faith and Health, a nonprofit organization that augments medical treatment with increased spiritual strength. The late
Charles Shields was the Founder of the Institute and the pastor of Brentwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, California.