Souls in the Hands of a Tender God : Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets

by Rennebohm, Craig

• ISBN13: 9780807000427
• ISBN10: 0807000426
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-05-01
• Publisher: Beacon Press

Summary

Since 1987, Craig Rennebohm has ministered to people on the streets of Seattle who are homeless and struggling with mental illness. In Souls in the Hands of a Tender God, he tells the evocative stories of persons who desperately need psychiatric, psychological, and spiritual support-like Mary, who surrounds herself with huge trash bags for protection from a threatening world; Jerry, whose fits of rage get him barred from every shelter and meal program in Seattle; and others, abandoned and marginalized by their community, who need care and treatment to find their way back to a life of stability and meaning. As Rennebohm reaches out to each one, their stories become parables that explore mental illness and the spiritual heart of care and recovery, helping us understand what it means to be human, on a pilgrimage together toward wholeness. As these stories unfold, we encounter Rennebohm's powerful experiences with a God of kindness and compassion, drawn from his own life and the lives of those he has aided in their struggles with homelessness and with mental illness. Souls in the Hands of a Tender God offers a clear understanding of Spirit, faith, soul, and religion that will prove invaluable to individual conversations and to dialogue among congregations about how we can best serve "the least among us." Souls in the Hands of a Tender God follows the path of healing and the way of companionship to build communities of caring that welcome and include our most fragile and troubled neighbors. With gentleness and grace, solid knowledge and wisdom, Rennebohm lays down the foundations of healing communities in which all may have a home, safely rest, and be well. "Rarely has the lived experience of mental illness been expressed with such clarity and compassion. In deft, concise accounts of his relationships with people who endure mental illnesses and homelessness, Craig Rennebohm shares striking insights into their perceptions and realities. His outreach embodies a spirituality that complements and honors other approaches to homelessness and mental illness, but stands on its own as a great testament of faith. Souls in the Hands of a Tender God is an engrossing read for anyone who seeks to comprehend the needs of our brothers and sisters on the streets. -John N. Lozier, executive director, National Health Care for the Homeless Council "Here is a powerful testimonial to the work of community in healing the broken fragments of our lives. Rennebohm is focused, clear, mindful and exceedingly human in relating the medical to the religious in the care of souls." -Bishop Cabell Tennis "A deeply affecting mosaic of stories, Souls in the Hands of a Tender God unveils the tragedy of homelessness, mental illness, and estrangement, and reveals the power of hospitality and accompaniment in the daunting journey toward home, healing, and belonging. You're unlikely to find a better portrayal of what it means to truly love your neighbor as yourself." -Ken Kraybill, training specialist, National Health Care for the Homeless Council "Like Jesus, Rennebohm uses the stories of 'the least of these'to break the silence about mental illness. He models a ministry of presence through companionship and embraces relationship to heal the soul and reveal God's presence in the midst of our personal darkness." -Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, United Methodist Minister and Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries "Rev. Rennebohm shows us and celebrates the personhood of those with mental illness as he ministers with them on the streets of Seattle. By sharing in his national and international experience, we gain insight into the possibilities of providing hope and help to those with a mental illness t

Table of Contents

Preface	p. IX
A Note on Scriptures	p. XIII
Prologue	p. XV
The Movement of the Spirit	p. 1
At the Doorway	p. 3
Jerry's Song	p. 19
The Potter's Field	p. 29
The Life of the Soul	p. 45
Approaching Mary	p. 47
Companioning Breezy	p. 65
Creating Karl's Circle of Care	p. 87
Grace	p. 105
A Community of Tenderness	p. 127
Do You Know the Legend?	p. 129
Home, Healing, and Wholeness	p. 143
Caring for the Soul of the World	p. 165
Words Are Medicine, Too	p. 177
Epilogue	p. 193
Acknowledgments	p. 195
A Call to Healing Ministry	p. 201
Books	p. 205
Organizations	p. 207
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.