A Chaplain’s Battle: Transcending Powerlessness in an Explosive World

In his new book, A Chaplain’s Battle, Army chaplain Michael D. Jaques confronts the sense of powerlessness often experienced by those called to the chaplaincy. A chaplain stands with people in the most challenging moments of their life, helping them to find the strength to navigate what are often life and death struggles. Relying on the Apostle Paul’s paradoxical idea of strength through weakness ( But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9, NIV), Jaques postulates that powerlessness is not a curse to be vanquished, but a state of grace to be embraced.

Combining the discussions of a pair of fictional chaplains with interviews with real Army chaplains, Jaques describes a journey toward spiritual maturity through a set of five Attainments. The first Attainment is the acceptance of powerlessness; the fifth, a simple statement: I am changed.

A Chaplain’s Battle is a compelling read for chaplains of every faith and denomination, and the broader field of caregivers at home and around the world.

…I believe ‘A Chaplain’s Battle’ will become a cornerstone in ministry and caregiving. -Chaplain (COL) Terry W. Austin