Adam God's Beloved

Adam: God's Beloved by Henri J.M. Nouwen, is a beautiful, and moving story about how God transformed Nouwen's thinking and changed his life forever. Nouwen was a pastor, professor, and at one point a pastoral counselor. Although, Nouwen enjoyed teaching he was convinced that God loves us as we are. There is not anything that God requires in exchange for His love. This mindset led Nouwen away from teaching to relocate to a small community named L'Arche Daybreak Community where he lived and worked . The community was established for the handicap and people with disabilities. He was given the task of caring for a severely handicapped young man named Adam. Though awkward at first, Nouwen began to experience a deep work of God in his own life
Which parallels a similar story in the bible about Jesus story. He states, " "The 'Christ event' is much more than something that took place long ago. [Incarnation] occurs every time spirit greets spirit in the body. It is a sacred event happening in the present because it is God's event among people. . . . It is God's ongoing incarnation whenever people meet each other 'in God's name.'" (P. 54). The titles of each chapter reflect the story of Jesus in the bible. In this description of Adam's life Henri helps the readers to see how people can be great gifts to us if we allow them. The first two chapters "Adam's hidden life" and "Adam's Desert", provide detail of Adam's early life; epilepsy, seizures, very loving parents, time in the hospital and finally, his parents long search for a place for Adam to call home. Throughout his life time Adam never spoke a word "Adam was chosen to witness to God's love through his brokenness. ...He had a few distractions, few attachments, and few ambitions to fill his inner space' (P. 30). Adam's parents and friends kept his truth alive, he was God's beloved son, not a client with a disability in need of