In this hope-filled and profoundly simple book, Nouwen offers a radically fresh interpretation of modern ministry. According to Nouwen, ministers are called to identify the suffering in their own hearts and make that the starting point of their service. For Nouwen, ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional, somewhat aloof role and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering as those they serve. In other words, we heal from our wounds.