Brief Book Review: The Forgotten Touch

The Forgotten Touch: More Stories of Healing

Author: Nigel W.D. Mumford

Publisher: Seabury Books, paperback, 135 pages, including Acknowledgments, Forward by Russ Parker, Prologue and Epilogue

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

Author

At the time this volume was published, the Rev. Nigel Mumford was born and educated in England, a former marine and now an Episcopal priest, and Director of the Healing Ministries of Christ the King Spiritual Life Centre in Albany, New York. He is also the author of Hand to Hand: From Combat to Healing. On his website, he is described as: an international speaker, author and founder of By His Wounds, Inc. a 501c3 non-profit, organization, focusing on Christian Healing. Nigel is also Priest Associate for Healing, at Galilee Church in Virginia Beach, VA.

Contents

The main body of this volume is divided up into Part One God’s Healing Grace and Part Two Sharing In The Ministry Of Healing. Part One contains eight chapters. Part Two contains four chapters. Each chapter begins with a biblical text. 

Brief Observations

Mumford himself shares autobiographical stories, including how God called him into ordained ministry after having served as a soldier in the British military. He began to focus on praying for healing and healing ministry when his sister, a ballet dancer, was healed of Dystonia. Mumford also tells several stories in the book of others being healed. 

He points out, among other things, that: there are different kinds of healing, it is not always what people expect, it may not be instantaneous, in addition to prayer and faith in God, it also may involve medical personnel, science and technology.

Mumford admits that there are cases where healing doesn’t happen. He addresses five blocks that prevent healing: unforgiveness, inner vows, unworthiness, occult involvement, and negative attitude. 

He goes on to identify ten major ingredients for healing, which are connected with listening, loving, and praying. He also discusses twelve ways to prepare for and introduce a healing ministry in a parish, as well as seven pitfalls to watch out for in a healing, prayer team ministry, and a checklist for a healing service. 

Aside from the sexist language, and a wee bit of questionable biblical, theological and practical presuppositions, some clergy and laity with an interest in healing ministry might find this volume helpful. 

Tree(s) of life

In the first and last books of the Bible, we are told that there is a “tree of life.” In Genesis 3:22-24, after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil; the LORD God is afraid that they will also eat of the tree of life “and live forever.” So God drove them out of Eden. In Revelation 22:1-3, the writer is given a vision of the reversal of the old Eden tree of life. Now, in this vision there is a heavenly river and on both sides of its banks there is the tree of life with 12 kinds of fruit for each month, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Sin will be no more: “Nothing accursed will be found there any more.”

  It is interesting that in Jewish tradition when the festival of Sukkot is celebrated, there are a couple of species of trees that are used for building a Sukkah, and also are believed to have healing properties. The myrtle [hadas] leaves, when made into tea and when the tea is consumed is said to result in a longer life span.

  An element of the willow [aravot] leaves, is believed to produce a kind of aspirin within the stomach acids.
   So, we have here, even in our imperfect ‘fallen’ state, kind of “a foretaste of the feast to come” as we Christians say or sing in our liturgy.