I Am Forever in God’s Firm Grip (Isaiah 41:13)

Wrestling a Blessing from God explores the effects of a traumatic brain injury, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse in an honest, deeply moving collection of poetry. Emotionally gut-wrenching and haunting, the poems examine the impact of trauma on the poet’s identity, family, and spiritual life. At the same time, a theme of grace transforms the pain into hope. God in his grace allows the author to wrestle with the Spirit, but in the end, God weaves the poet’s anger, weaknesses, and gifts into a song of love.

Theodore McDowell was disabled from the practice of law in 2004 as the result of a traumatic brain injury due to a car accident. The injury led to periods of depression, manic episodes, and substance abuse. Prior to his disability, Mr. McDowell published numerous articles and book chapters on legal subjects. Since the accident, Theodore has published a novel, It’s a Hell of a Thing, a chapbook of poetry entitled Free Fall, and numerous poems in poetry journals and publications. He also has a new book scheduled to be published in 2021: The Aspen Grove. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia and is married with five adult children scattered across the United States.