55 Reflections  Readers’ Reviews

 

Insightful, thoughtful, helpful nuggets of wisdom!

Leiton L.

 

Melcher offers unique spiritual insights into familiar Scripture passages.

 

Nancy S.

 

 

Rich Melcher challenges us to dig deep into ourselves, our shared humanity, and to experience life in its many and varied emotions; fear, doubt, exhilaration, sadness, and most importantly, a sense of wonderment and endless discovery.  He reminds us that life is a journey, one that we all share in different ways. Discovery is a constant, if we approach life with open eyes, ears, and most importantly hearts.

 

Greg M.

 

 

Thank you to Richard Melcher for 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic!

I began using this book as part of my morning reading right after my mother died and I was experiencing a crisis of faith. His use of the word Skeptic appealed to me. What I found in his writings was a man not afraid to question biblical text, and equally not afraid to question his own perceptions of biblical text. In his striving he always seemed to grow toward a deeper Christian faith and Catholic spirituality. In addition, his personal accounts of overcoming mental illness have proved invaluable as I’ve struggled to understand and accept the sudden and severe onset of bipolar disorder in my daughter. Ever the optimist, his proactive and artistic approach to growing in his faith have helped to renew my hope and invigorate my own quest to accept the Love of God.

 

Mitch A.

 

 

I have included it in my daily prayer devotional ritual as I awake

each morning. The format, the printing (easy on my old eyes),

but more important, the content, make for an inspirational read.

 

Acklen B.

 

Rich Melcher’s 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic is evidence of the value of spiritual reflection in enriching one’s prayer life.  Because the reflections, shared by a “searching skeptic,” involve the reader and encourage his or her compassion, Melcher’s experiences are most spiritually compelling and touch other searchers.

Rosemary M.

 

I enjoyed reading 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic…especially the writer’s heartfelt honesty and desire to be a better man and to be closer to God.  His belief that all people—whether they are Christian or non-Christian, believer or non-believer—are loved unconditionally by God, is compelling especially in his desire that the Gospel of John be more inclusive for those who seek eternal life after their transition.

Author Rich Melcher weaves his story with his spiritual journey revealing his faith and desired value system which probes deeply into his psyche, Scriptures and his living with Bipolar 1 condition throughout his adult life.  I most enjoyed his powerful, compelling poetry which makes the reader reflect on their own life, value system and spiritual journey.

Sandra M.

 

Rich Melcher names himself “a troubadour,” a vessel of the messages

he shares with us. He listens, he speaks and his shared voice brings us all,

wonderfully, into the circle of his never-ending songs. His radical honesty

and genuine humility are hard-won gifts, put in service to all who will

read these meditations.

Fr. Joseph B.

 

Rich Melcher invites us on his journey of self-discovery through 40 years of reflection,

through interaction with the Scriptures and through his poetry.  He reveals his struggles

with his own fragility brought on by Bipolar I disease and his search for a God self-

revealing not only in God’s written word but in the fabric of his life.  And in so doing,

we are invited to reflect upon God’s presence in the weft and warp of our own lives.

His relentless search for authentic personhood leads him to encounter an all-inclusive God

deep within him who not only loves him but likes him…and all his sisters and brothers.

 

John M.

 

Rich is a great thinker and spends a lot of time meditating

in spirit on ideas before he begins to write.  His love for

writing these 55 Reflections is a medium of trying to touch

areas of human life geared towards building the Kingdom of God.

 

Fr. James A.

 

55 Reflections is unlike anything I’ve read. A collection of short pieces chronicle Rich Melcher’s thoughts on topics ranging from race and Christian spirituality to mental health and poetry. A skilled writer, the reflections shine especially bright in revealing his spiritual insights. “Reflection 41”, for example, explores his experiences of immersion as a white person in African American communities and the profound confusion of resolving one’s racial identity when navigating between racial spaces while experiencing mental illness. In this passage, his prose is punctuated by poetry that compares his struggle for cultural and personal authenticity and wellness to two types of masks. An African mask that reveals one’s true self, and a Western mask that conceals the wearer’s inner being. Though conversational in tone, his writing generously reveals to readers the wisdom his life experiences have yielded. Like a chat with a trusted friend, it’s a book I look forward to returning to for new insights for years to come.

Toby L.

 

Rich writes from the heart (about living with the diagnosis

of bipolar disorder), sharing his personal struggles and triumphs

authentically and with great creativity.

Jim G.

 

Rich writers, in his poem Choices, “…will I run or will I fly, take root,

seek shelter, or water to swim, see sun set or disappear into lofty

cloud?” It makes me think of a fanciful expression of how

much easier it would be to be like nature—fly like a bird,

take root like a daisy or float into a cloud.

Anne L.

 

Warm, compassionate, liberal…

Rich is a great teacher!

Paul G.