by Lanita Bradley Boyd “It’s time to call in hospice,” the doctor says, and family prayers change. Prayers for healing change to prayers for a pain-free, peaceful ending. The family may gather around the patient even more than before, treasuring each moment together. But what about the patient? If you are the person for whom […]
All I Really Need to Know I Learned at a Funeral
by Janet Hommel Mangas Oh, for heaven’s sake! I thought, when Kent Odor told my seminary classmates we were attending a funeral to start off our Pastoral Care in Ministry class. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable around funerals—I’d helped bury more than 2,000 people. Since I had previously worked as a horticulturist and superintendent […]
If I Should Die Before I Wake . . .
by Steven Clark Goad It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (1 Timothy 1:10). Why do we fear the inevitable? I remember my childhood bedtime prayers. Is it wrong to teach a lad to […]
Ministering from the Heart
by Jenny Parker It happened almost 18 years ago, but hearing someone else’s story brings the memories back in an instant. The ache of empty arms longing to hold a baby that is not there, the stillness where there should be laughter and little cries, and the overwhelming feelings of sadness and loss. What started […]
Out from the Shadows: Old Testament Perspectives on Death and the Afterlife
by Doug Redford I’ll never forget the first time I saw a color television. After several years of viewing a black and white TV, to see people and scenery in actual color was incredible. Other developments in media, such as high definition TV, have provided similar “wow” moments to first-time viewers. The difference in clarity […]