My story starts when I turned awkwardly to look at the new score board in the nearby University Arena, someplace where we have regularly attended various athletic events for the past 17 years. Our current season started in August, and we were there. The announcer was introducing the glorious new score board, and the thousands in attendance all looked at it as the lights came on. I was sitting directly under and somewhat to the side of the new score board, and when I stretched my neck to see it I knew right away I had hurt myself.

That was eight months ago, and I have struggled with my neck and the discomfort it has since presented everyday. I have been to all kinds of doctors and trainers, prayed for relief as have others on my behalf, and while I am somewhat better, I have not had complete deliverance from my woes. I simply hurt all the time, just a dull ache that transverses my shoulders and my neck. The pain never goes totally away.

The discomfort climaxed in January when my wife took me to the ER around 1:00 AM one night. They took some X-rays, gave me an injection of morphine, a prescription for valium, and sent us home where I slept for two weeks. As that season came to an end, I found that I had lost all my leg strength, and that I could not stand. My balance was gone, and I was in danger of falling— I did fall five times.

I weigh more than I should, and more than my wife can lift, so she needed help to get me upright or seated. My wife somehow came up with two men to lift me each time I fell. She followed that up with a wheel chair, then a walker as I started to improve, a chair for the shower and a cane. Now I walk almost like I always did.

My plight meant I needed help for the simplest things, and I watched with gratitude and admiration as my wife assumed the responsibility to provide all I needed. That included getting into the shower with me and washing me. This went on for three or four weeks.

We have been married a long time, and I wondered what I would have done without my bride who took care of me with a tender grace—an expression of care that meant I was important. Jesus told us about the difference between a shepherd and a hireling. I get to talk to people about their lives and marriages, and I have experienced the value of a spouse who cares. We have one daughter who lives on the island near us, and she told me that she thought she was losing her dad, that I was on my deathbed. My wife told me she too believed that I was dying.

God was gracious, and has restored me almost back to where I was before they lit up that scoreboard. While I now expect full restoration, I experienced some significant learning in this incident.

I learned how valuable, wonderful and good it is to have someone who cares for you when you are down, when there is a crisis and you need help. I urge you not to wait until crisis comes, but to begin to express that caring for your spouse starting right now and by so doing, to build a relationship that will reward both of you all day everyday.

James W. Goll and Julia Loren, Shifting Shadows of Supernatural Experiences: A Manual for Experiencing God (Shippensburg: Destiny Image, 2007), 244 pages, ISBN 9780768424973.

James W. Goll and Julia Loren did not simply write another book on supernatural experiences. Emerging out of their own lives and academic study, this book has been written for those who want to know more about the different kinds of supernatural experiences they can encounter. James and Julia believe that anyone who seeks God can meet him in powerful and tangible ways.

It is essential to read any book which deals with supernatural phenomena with appropriate skepticism and discernment. At the same time, we need to remain humble and open minded to see how we can experience God’s gifts and presence in our lives. This book implies that every believer can have supernatural experiences like visions, trances, even out-of-body experiences. But is this true? Or are these experiences only for certain believers?

The authors seek to answer many questions about spiritual experiences. What are the types of spiritual experiences that are common to humankind? How can you tell if an experience comes from the Holy Spirit or from somewhere else? What is a figment of our imagination? What arises from our minds and psychological or emotional states? Or what, perhaps, may originated in the demonic realm? What do you do with those experiences? (15). For the most part, the writers have answered these questions. However, discussing the interaction of the demonic within the realm of supernatural experiences—it is mentioned only a few times throughout the book—seems incomplete.

This book can serve as a starting point to develop an experiential theology. From this book one can learn how to articulate personal supernatural experiences and compare them with biblical examples. This book clearly deals with pneumatological (study of the Holy Spirit), and ecclesiastical (church) issues. One example is the recognition that the church is a pneumatic community, and that we should test supernatural experiences in a communal setting. As Jim Goll states, “In a world of imperfect people, God-given revelation can be mixed with competing information from sources that are not from God. People functioning as prophetic mouthpieces or visionaries are imperfect instruments, though vital to the Church today” (218). This underscores the need to develop a process of communal discernment that allows the Spirit of God to validate or disregard supernatural encounters.

This fascinating book will inspire, confirm and uplift those who are interested in learning about supernatural experiences given by the Holy Spirit. Some readers may find accounts similar to their own experiences, and others may be introduced to personal encounters with the Holy Spirit unlike anything they have known before. Although one has to be careful not to generalize supernatural experiences, this book can serve as a tool to develop a theology of supernatural experiences. It was thought provoking yet spiritual, indicating that God has much in store for us.

Reviewed by Rony Reyes