Book Review: No Small Miracles By Norris Burkes

Hospital Chaplain and syndicated columnist Norris Burkes is a gifted story teller and has compiled a gripping selection of personal experiences from his ministry as a hospital chaplain in his book “No Small Miracles.” From the very first page I found myself engaged in the imminent crisis of the Intensive Care Unit and the trauma of the Emergency Room.

Burkes captures the painful struggle of a parent finding God in the ER, the ICU, the pediatric department, or the cancer ward. Norris writes with insight that draws the reader into the presence of the Lord in the hospital setting. Each story has a spiritual application, is personal and heart felt. The stories sometimes reflect doubts, unbelief and anger directed at God. Family members often have to release a loved one, to accept God’s best. This may mean their own inner healing as they recognize the bountiful mercies and benefits of the gift of His grace.

I particularly appreciated Burke’s simple honesty and vulnerability as he shared of his personal involvement with the patient, their families, and the hospital staff. Norris shows an understanding of the unique differences of a family’s reaction in times of crisis.

I enjoyed his candid approach as he exposed his helplessness and his human weaknesses in the chapter “Miracles on the Home Front.” As a Navy vetera
I identified with many of the experiences he related in the chapter “Miracles in Uniform.”

The pathos, suffering, and grief experienced by these “kids of courage” and “parents in pain,” will linger in my mind long after I close the covers of the book. I will long remember, with tear filled eyes, the moving drama of these quiet heroes. Your heart, too, will go out to these parents in their unwavering love, in their joy and sorrow as miracles of healing take place, some physical, some miracles of heartfelt change as they face the need to release a loved one, and to surrender themselves to a loving God. “No Small Miracles” is heartwarming, soul searching, sometimes humorous and certain to have an emotional impact on the reader.

As Reviewed for Midwest Book Review by Richard R. Blaken