Is Healing Possible?

Montreat, North Carolina - November 1, 2016

 And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:2 (NIV)

There has been an amazing amount of “healing talk” this last week.  It has made me think about what I have written and whether or not healing is possible.  

First, I need to tell you about an amazing week of conversation, song and celebration.  Being  with “old” friends can bring you to a wonderful place like Montreat, North Carolina in the fall season.  That was followed by hearing young voices singing in concert and then celebration of Veteran’s day at two elementary schools with grandchildren.

There are two conclusions…The most important ingredient in healing is transformation (not information) and what these blogs/books have emphasized is that transformation is not where we are but where we are going.  We can face growing old, “storms of disease” and wars in ways that we could never imagine.  I experienced that reality this last and momentous week.

Marvin

References

Hage M.L.M.D. 2010. Healing Agents: Christian Perspectives. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Hage M.L.M.D. 2012. Equipping Healing Agents: Sustaining Vocation. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Hage M.L. 2012. God’s Grace.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/10/gods-grace.html

Hage M.L. 2012. Techniques and Transformation. 

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/02/techniques-and-transformation.html

Healing Hospitals

“Guess it's not just all gizmo's and gadget’s.”

Pure Genius,  Pilot October 27, 2016

“Tell us please, what treatment in an emergency is administered by ear?…”

I met his gaze and I did not blink. "Words of comfort," I said to my father.” 

― Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone

This past week we were given a preview of the future of hospital care with the new CBS drama, “Pure Genius”.  The first show introduces the characters and the futuristic “Bunker Hill Hospital”.  This hospital is filled with “gizmos and gadgets” and with information management central to the drama. This hospital seems almost real! 

There are real organizations that recognize and promote “healing hospitals”.  It is what I see in hospitals wanting to connect with real people and real stories.  It is found in the efforts of “Schwartz Rounds” and the Duke Divinity School.  

Maybe the good news is we know the other dimensions of healing even when we are disappointed and frustrated by the technology.  The bad news is that we have not widely shared the real stories.

Marvin

References

Pure Genius Reviews

http://www.tvfanatic.com/2016/10/pure-genius-season-1-episode-1-review-pilot/

https://www.bustle.com/articles/191404-is-the-pure-genius-hospital-real-it-might-exist-before-long

Hage, M. L. (2011). The Mystery of Healing.  

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2011/04/mystery-of-healing.html

Hage, M. L. (2016). Future Healing.
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2016/09/future-healing.html