Pastor Tom Hafer, director of spiritual services for Gulf Coast Village, Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Cape Coral, has released his fourth book titled, Soul Man by Xlibris Publishing.
A fiction narrative, Soul Man takes readers on a long journey inward towards peace of mind, body, and soul. Hafer tells the story through the experiences of a hiker, a deeply troubled soul who begins his hike along the Appalachian Trail when he enters the woods in Georgia. Life became too much for him to handle; this would be his last hope to find any peace. Six months and five-million steps later, he emerges from the woods of Maine completely transformed: mind, body, and spirit. His long journey of physical exertion coupled with deep spiritual contemplation for months on end, transformed him into the Soul Man. This hiker became a super
hero of sorts, possessing the wisdom to heal a restless nation.
Since the original release of his first book, Faith & Fitness in 2007, Hafer has been traveling and leading workshops on the spiritual and physical health connection. He offers workshops free of charge, compliments of Volunteers of America (VOA), in support of their efforts to prevent early disabilities for the nation’s seniors. Well Planet (2010) and Aging Grace (2012) were the follow-up titles.
In addition to his pastoral duties at Gulf Coast Village, Hafer is an ordained minister with VOA and hosts a weekly interdenominational worship service at Gulf Coast Village that is streamed live every Sunday at 11 a.m. at VOA.org. Hafer offers free workshops and a weekly motivational blog “Pastor’s Weekly Ramble” on his website, www.tomhafer.com.
Hafer received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida A & M University in Physical Therapy and has been a licensed Physical Therapist in Florida for over 25 years. He attended the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia and received a Masters’ degree in Religion in 2006. Hafer lives with his wife of 26 years on a three-acre gentleman’s farm in Southwest Florida where they grow their own organic produce and citrus, and offer special celebration and wellness events to the local community. The couple has three grown children. The oldest is a Special Education teacher in Lee County, the middle is a U.S. Marine, and their youngest is pursuing her degree to become a Registered Nurse.
To schedule a talk by Hafer, contact him at tom@hafer.com or visit www.tomhafer.com.
Founded more than 25 years ago, Gulf Coast Village is the premier Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Cape Coral, Florida. Residents enjoy active independent living in an unparalleled lifestyle of comfort and convenience with a rich array of services and amenities that are focused on living well. The community also offers the security of knowing there is the full continuum of care when needed including: assisted living, skilled nursing, specialized memory support, home health and outpatient services. Gulf Coast Village is located at 1333 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral, FL 33991. For more information call 239-772-1333 or visit www.GulfCoastVillage.com.