But in the arms of Jesus. She is more fully her and more truly home than she ever could have been here.
All tagged death
What Dying People Want – and Need – to Talk About
I spend a lot of time in hospitals, hospice, and living rooms talking with people about dying. I have noticed that often they worry about things of a spiritual nature.
Reflecting On “Heart-Shaped Pickles”
As church leaders, parents, and invested adults, I know we all see this need for supporting children through times of grief. I want to share a little perspective and some resources that I pray you find helpful.
A Time to Speak, Part 2: Hiddenness
How do we respond to abandonment as ministers and Christian leaders? I don’t like talking about abandonment, and my first instinct is to find excuses.
Three Christian Truths About Death
As spiritual leaders … we are expected to have words that matter as we speak into the lives of those in pain.
Reflection Roundup: Taking Time
Gratitude, simplicity, taking time. How difficult it can be to digest our own advice; how often we remain shielded from the perspectives of others. Pause; breathe.
I Am
We’re in over our heads; light spreads at too slow a pace for one step, it seems. We’re waiting; are you here?
On Death, COVID-19, and Easter
Like my brothers in the prison, suddenly we are all hoping that death won’t have the last word.
How to Preach a Funeral
Now that this is a more intuitive process for me, I share these three practical guidelines for preaching a funeral.
The End Is the Beginning
Even as some churches are dying, the kin-dom of God is not dying. We are not powerful enough to kill the redemptive movement of bringing humanity into fuller relationship with God.
Grief and Hope: Advice for Speaking at Funerals
Humble suggestions after 25 years of conducting funerals while begging for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and simply trying to say what seems most appropriate.
Waiting for Easter
I wonder what Jesus’s followers did in the long hours between the death and resurrection. It was only a couple of days, but it likely felt like an eternity.
Lazarus, Come Out!
As I sit imaginatively with this story, I find myself identifying with Lazarus. I find myself in a season of life with God that feels grave.
Sibyl, Eliot, and Jesus
We preach life after death, denying death its victory, but perhaps we forget that death has always brought life.
A Crowded Sabbath
Sabbath is when our fists unclench and our shoulders soften. This renewed posture melts into place against all worldly resistance as we listen to souls breathe in stillness.
Finding Beauty in the Face of Death
Is it possible to find beauty in the face of death? Can your heart be full of peace even when you know death is knocking on the door?
Life Leaves a Mark
Loving God, we gratefully receive your gift of life. Mysterious Spirit, we welcome the new life you are growing in us.
The Crossroads of Life and Death
The nearness of death fills the room, yet somewhere there is the joy and promise of a new beginning.
A Tribute to Ted Pemberton
May God’s blessing be on his faithful servant and on the family he loved and who loved him with devotion.
Vampire Forensics
The subject of vampirism is a current rage. Where did the idea of a vampire arise? More to our point, do they have anything to say about our own beliefs in God?