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Gifts of the spirit have influenced author Turnwald to share his thoughts with fellow Christians. After an experience in the United States Air Force that left him mentally traumatized and in need of rehabilitation, he began to understand that in times of such tribulation, Jesus is the only secure, trusted refuge. He often references the idea of “synapses” or connections that can be made with God. He compares the functions of the physical body to the way that God moves through us and influences us, allowing us to slough off that which is impure and unneeded through meditation and prayer. The synapse brings peace and allows mastery over the mind, which would otherwise be constantly preyed upon by Satan in the attempt to control our will and our choices. “Happiness will be revealed” to those within God’s haven.
Turnwald has significantly enhanced his own spiritual life through the practices and philosophy he espouses. Even a single breath can be a prayer, and the simple act of going to church can engender metanoia (conversion). His use of symbolism is impressive: scripture is a “soil;” Jesus is a “shield;” rejecting church teaching can result in a “chemical imbalance” of the emotions; the sin within us is an “old man or old woman.” One chapter offers many short prayers linked to the wisdom they invoke, and a final section presents quotations from such diverse sources as Helen Keller, Audrey Hepburn, and Lance Armstrong. Since the author is a devout Catholic, his book is constructed within that perspective. For example, he recommends the directing of prayer through Mary and the meditative use of the rosary. But his ideas, essentially intellectual and logical, reach beyond sectarian boundaries. As such, they have salience for anyone who wishes to gain a more thoughtful grasp of the Christian message.