Mr. Burlingame is acquainted with sorrow, having lost his six-month-old son to a lung disease. Although he is a scientist by profession, Mr. Burlingame is uniquely suited to put words to the pain of deep grief. My Broken Heart Sings includes poems that take us through the silent anguish of the night and the flow of tears. There are poems titled "Psalms for Suffering Hearts" and "The Gospel of Grief," as well as many others. He exposes the rawness of his struggle. Through each poem, the message comes through clearly: Call on the Lord. I read this little volume when I was going through my own time of deep sorrow, and I was greatly blessed by this work.

A second volume, Who Me, Pray?, was written for anyone who is uncomfortable praying aloud. I wish I had this work when I initially returned to the Lord many decades ago. My ear was unfamiliar with the rhythm and ease of public prayer. He reminds us that prayer is conversation with God and draws an analogy to a son asking his father to use the family car. He uses the pattern of the Lord's Prayer as a way for us to structure our own prayers. He next offers some example prayers for certain situations and provides Scripture passages to study in our own school of prayer.

Reading these two volumes was like the balm of having a deep chat with a trusted friend. I plan to give copies of them to friends in need.

Product review by Christine Field, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2010