Getting Out of the Comfort Zone: Ayanna (The Seminarians, Book 1)

By Barbara James

Description:

Ayanna Pagdell, a young military officer and seminary student, had things all figured out. She was going to take her required unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at her local hospital and go on with her career in ministry. But she wasn’t prepared for the emotional intensity of being confronted with her baggage: the things she ignored and the relationships that made her cynical. She wasn’t prepared for meeting Todd Sills, an emergency medical technician and nursing student who made her question what she really wanted in life.

Sparks fly, but there are some problems, too. Ayanna is a chaplain in the Army Reserves who intends to become a minister. Todd is lapsed and dealing with his own stuff: the death of his younger brother and his antiwar activism.

This academic year, they might discover that their attraction is far more important than their differences.

Book Takeaway:

Sometimes our similarities are more important than our differences.

Why the author wrote this book:

I was interested in exploring the ministry experience from my time as a hospital chaplain, how chaplaincy can address questions of faith, healing, and trauma.