Book Review: "Senior Spirituality" by Harold R. Nelson

CHICAGO, IL (July 3, 2004) - It is always much more exciting to read a book when you know the author. Harold Nelson has not only been a friend for over fifty years, he has been a brother and somewhat of a spiritual son. He was a college student at Kansas State when I was the pastor of his home church at Marquette, Kansas, in the late forties. He often came home on weekends and would attend the morning worship. Little did I realize that some day that young man would distinguish himself as a chaplain and become the president of the Association of Professional Chaplains.

Shortly after we moved on to Galesburg, Illinois, Harold stopped to spend a night with us on his way to Chicago. After dinner he asked to see the church. Harold was full of questions that evening and seemed unusually interested in spiritual things. Finally, I asked him, "What's happened? Are you the same guy that I used to know back in Marquette, Kansas?"

"Pastor," he answered, "I know I should have written before to let you know that my life has changed. I am on my way to North Park to enroll in the seminary." He said that something had suddenly hit him one Sunday morning in church that convinced him that he should become a preacher.

After graduating from the seminary Harold spent a short time in the pastorate and then felt called to chaplaincy. He took additional courses to prepare himself, which continued throughout the rest of his life. He was chaplain at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago and in charge of the clinical pastoral training program. Many Covenant pastors were trained under Harold and a number became chaplains themselves. Later in life he moved on to Tucson and headed up the chaplaincy program at one of the largest hospitals in the Southwest.

Senior Spirituality reflects decades of the author's research and experience. He lists more than 150 sources of books and articles that he has read, seeking answers to the relationship of soul, mind, and body to health. However, most of the material for the book reflects his own spiritual journey and his deep search for greater meaning to life as well as death. Harold sets the tone for the book in the first chapter when he writes, "Spirituality is like the wind, and although it cannot be seen, it is nevertheless felt. Spirituality is felt when love, joy, and peace are expressed between human beings. It is also the energy and power that undergird life. Spirituality energizes all living things; it is the twinkle in the eyes and the glow or radiance that lights up a personality."

What a contrast to the idea of spirituality that I grew up with as a boy! Those who were considered to be spiritual in my country church were the grim ones who had very little sparkle and were quite intent on seeing to it that all fun would be kept to a minimum.

I was impressed by the chapter on "Spirituality, Imagination, and Healing." "Imagery is one of the world's oldest and greatest healing resources and it has always had a profound affect on health," Harold writes. "Images affect the emotions, and can trigger changes in biochemistry, blood pressure, brain waves, and blood sugar levels. Images may shape life, and they may also determine death. Images communicate with tissues and organs, even cells, to effect a change." As a chaplain, the author has seen the value of a healthy relationship with God and the patients' focus on a good image of themselves.

But the greatest contribution that the book provides is the preparation for death, the transformation of life into the after-life, and the grief process for those who remain. There is no doubt about the author's belief in heaven. He has witnessed many instances of patients who have had near-death experiences and have come back to relate the beauty of the next life. Near-death experiences are more common than we realize. The book relates that a 1990 Gallup Poll revealed that more than 22 million people in the U.S. have had such an experience. "In my own case," Harold writes, "I see entrance into afterlife as the beginning of the greatest adventure of a life-time. Afterlife is just around the corner for each of us. Now is a good time to acquaint ourselves and firm up our beliefs about the mysteries of afterlife."

Harold Nelson has been a suffering servant for at least one third of his life and has had several brushes with death. Diagnosed with severe diabetes in 1976, he, with the help of his ever-faithful wife, Marguerite, has fought a terrific battle. He has been legally blind for several years and reads with the aid of a high powered magnifying glass. When he writes, his words are in huge letters (much like the Apostle Paul said of his letters when he wrote with his own hand). He must have filled scores and scores of yellow pads in writing this book! I recommend this book for reading and study to anyone! Thanks, Harold, for sharing your soul with all of us.

Reviewed by Glenn L. Lindell, a retired Covenant minister living in Overland Park, Kansas. This review appeared in the May 2004 issue of The Covenant Companion.

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