The Voice That Calls You Home.

Book Review.
Raynor, Andrea. The Voice That Calls You Home. Inspiration for life’s journeys. Atria Books. 2009
A.R.- a hospice Chaplin ordained with the Methodist denomination. Andrea is a cancer survivor. Has an M. Div. from Harvard Divinity School. She lives in Rye, New York.
Comment. Henry.
This a very touching and personal autobiography of Andrea’s experiences as a hospice Chaplin whose services included a lengthy stint serving a Ground 0 after the 9/11 disaster. Her personal experience as a cancer survivor gives added material about handling personal trauma. There is great ‘latitude of interpretation’ of how she believes God’s voice can and should be heard. She seems to have no problem with hearing God’s voice through séances and channelling and the more religiously accepted mediums of communicating with God. Such latitude would not be acceptable as evangelical. A helpful resource for anyone dealing with people who have terminal health experiences and/or their care-givers.
Quotes from Intro: “How do we hear God’s voice?” “It is never comforting to compare one person’s pain with someone else’s.” “God’s absence is only an illusion.”
Being in the presence of a dying soul is holy ground. Lack of wisdom and compassion can result in serious ‘miss-judgements’. Close care-givers (spouses) should always be given the opportunity to extent end of life services of love, e.g. initial preparation of body.
“The events that happen to us and those we love have no bearing on God’s love for us.” There are no easy answers for those who have lost loved ones. It is very possible that we will have a ‘chance’ meeting with God by meeting someone else’s need. Premonitions of impending death are not unusual.
Ten chapters are taken up with Andrea’s experiences as a Chaplin at Ground 0 after 9/11. These experiences are quite different from her normal ministry. They are attempts to give reverence and dignity to the remains of unidentified victims of a horrific tragedy. These were very difficult times with heart-rending stories.
“To walk with the dying is to glimpse what it means to go home.” (151)
Andrea’s family was into doing séances and communicating with the deceased. She describes her father as “foremost a Christian man with a deep connection to Christ”. (166) Relying on psychic’s information, like channelling, was another way of hearing God’s voice. (Wow!!) Here is the context of where she is coming from. “I believe in- the transcendence of the spirit, the reunion of souls, guidance from spiritual masters, communion with the dead, and the possibility of reincarnation. In short, I believe in Mystery.” (253)
Four chapters are devoted to her cancer experience. This has been a significant part of her ‘expanded’ theatre of ministry. This gave her added material for sharing her ‘inspiration for life’s journey’.
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