Sleep, Pray, Heal: A Path to Wholeness and Well-Being
by Donna Fado Ivery
There are many books that may merely be read, a special few should be heard with the heart. Sleep, Pray, Heal is such a book, speaking profoundly about pain and prayer, healing and hope, painting and struggle. That Donna Fado Ivery survived a tragic accident is miraculous, that she is so powerfully using both the words of a writer and the colors of a painter to inspire is truly a miracle. Read her miracle—and yours.
Exquisite! Donna Fado Ivery describes her journey with unrelenting pain, and shares hard and hopeful truths about living with that pain and traveling with the Spirit. She offers the great gift of herself and her spiritual journey, evoking quiet tears and big smiles in this reader. The artistry of the book and the author will speak powerfully to readers living with chronic pain in themselves and others. The book reveals the power of seeking life, crying out to God, and trusting the Spirit, while recognizing and celebrating the small and mighty blessings along the way. It is a very human and spiritual gift – a treasure.
This masterpiece is a poignant, deeply personal guidebook…a treasure-trove of inspiration, good advice, and it is a refreshing testimony to the power of God, who brings light and life to the depths of human suffering.
I will definitely make an order for my Sunday School class.
You will be inspired by her true and beautiful story of triumph and unconditional love as she made her way out of the pit and was healed, and you will want to share her story.
Sleep, Pray, Heal is a beautifully and powerfully written book, where the Rev. Fado Ivery unfolds for us her theological thinking on so many issues of life, including sexism, racism, interracial marriage, suffering and pain, and faith in God. What a gift she has given us!
Award Winner!
Finalist: William Faulkner–William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition 2019 in the category of Nonfiction Book, with entries from six countries.
It is a story of how hard work, artistic expression, and, most of all, deep faith enabled United Methodist minister Donna Fado Ivery to reclaim her life and to offer her story to illuminate the path for others.
Most of all, Sleep, Pray, Heal is a warm, surprisingly humorous, and insightful personal memoir that can enlighten the mind and lighten the heart of any reader.
Sleep, Pray, Heal is a modern sermon on faith — a beautifully articulated, joy-based sermon, full of ups and downs —imbued with an uplifting sense of the miraculous.
A beautiful story rising out of a beautiful life. I read it with joy.
I strongly encourage professionals in healing fields, pastors, and leaders of healing ministries to use and share Sleep, Pray, Heal with those who are seeking wholeness and well-being for themselves and those who are striving to help them.
Sleep, Pray, Heal, Donna Fado Ivery’s exploration of experiencing and overcoming the terrible injuries of a tragic, life-changing accident is a testament to the power of prayer, the invincibility of the human spirit and the mysterious energy of belief.
Each page, each poem, each painting is a prayer – often rising from loss and anguish – but never apart from a profound trust embracing the searching love of God. I was moved and challenged.
I found Sleep, Pray, Heal to be a profound dispatch from the spiritual frontier. Donna has written an account of spiritual depths that is deeply moving and instructive for us all. I do not know when I have encountered personal experience so faithfully and winningly interpreted through biblical and theological reflection and artistic expression.
I must admit that as a non-religious person, Sleep, Pray, Heal is not a book I would have reached for in a bookstore. I am so glad that I read this joyful book. It is inspirational to anyone housed within a body.
This book is a great gift to all who have experienced pain–and who hasn’t? The author’s memoir is vivid and her grasp of spiritual sources shines light through the darkness. Her creative use of art in the quest for healing is unique and impressive.