Gray Matter: A Neurosurgeon Discovers the Power of Prayer . . . One Patient at a Time - Paperback

by David Levy (Author), Joel Kilpatrick (With)

A perfect blend of medical drama and spiritual insight, Gray Matter is a fascinating account of Dr. David Levy's decision to begin asking his patients if he could pray for them before surgery. Some are thrilled. Some are skeptical. Some are hostile, and some are quite literally transformed by the request.
Each chapter focuses on a specific case, opening with a detailed description of the patient's diagnosis and the procedure that will need to be performed, followed by the prayer "request." From there, readers get to look over Dr. Levy's shoulder as he performs the operation, and then we wait--right alongside Dr. Levy, the patients, and their families--to see the final results.
Dr. Levy's musings on what successful and unsuccessful surgical results imply about God, faith, and the power of prayer are honest and insightful. As we watch him come to his ultimate conclusion that no matter what the results of the procedure are, "God is good," we cannot help but be truly moved and inspired.

Back Jacket

What happens when prayer and surgery mix? When highly respected neurosurgeon Dr. David Levy decided to ask his patients whether he could pray with them prior to surgery, he had no idea what to expect. What if the surgery went poorly--who would be to blame? What if it went well--would God or science get the credit? And how would introducing prayer into the surgical process change his patients' and colleagues' opinion of him as a surgeon? While some patients found comfort in Levy's request, others were skeptical or even downright hostile. But in the end, everyone--even the good doctor himself--was transformed by the experience.

A perfect blend of pulse-racing medical drama and profound spiritual insight, Gray Matter not only provides a fascinating glimpse into the elite field of neurosurgery as we watch Levy perform some of the most challenging surgical procedures in medicine today, it also provides a refreshingly candid and revealing glimpse into the heart and mind of a neurosurgeon--those divinely fallible beings we sometimes expect to play God. Levy's musings on what successful and unsuccessful surgical results imply about faith, forgiveness, and the power of prayer are at once unexpected and insightful. And as he arrives at his ultimate conclusion that regardless of the results "God is good," one cannot help but be truly moved and inspired.

Author Biography

David Levy, MD practices neurosurgery in San Diego, California. His articles have been published in a variety of neurosurgical journals, and he is an accomplished and engaging speaker and presenter. In his off time, David enjoys helping those less fortunate who live in California and in other parts of the world.

Joel Kilpatrick is an award-winning journalist and author whose work has been featured in Time magazine, the Washington Post, USA Today, CBS Radio, the Dallas Morning News and many other newspapers and magazines. He lives in southern California with his wife and children.