In this wise and hopeful book, reminiscent of
Tuesdays with Morrie, a pastor reveals lessons for living he's learned from the dying.
What would you do with your life, if you knew it was going to end soon? Peter Roebbelen Mercy distills the life lessons he's discovered from sitting at the bedsides of courageous people facing death's certainty. He explores the gifts that people have given him and this wisdom he has gleaned, almost as if he's been the one being counseled, rather than the other way around.
This joyful and instructive book encourages us to live to the fullest in the present, and to love the people around us as never before.
"In this sacred journal, Peter vulnerably shares 'riches stored in secret places'--intimate and holy moments with the dying, illuminating the promise of Psalm 116:15: 'His loved ones are very precious to him, and he does not lightly let them die.'"
--Moira Brown, author and former host of 100 Huntley Street
"To pull life from death is a great calling upon the Christian community. Roebbelen's book does this honestly, beautifully, and with a compelling awareness that can only come from a hand that has held many in the journey towards death. I first read this while holding the hand of my sleeping mother, who is in her own season of dying. Having been absent, in a variety of ways, in the death of my father, I am now deeply grateful for a book that calls us (and shows us the way) to presence and life in the season of dying."
--Greg Pennoyer, Editor of
God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas "An open, thoughtful discussion, not just about death, but the journey of life as we face the inevitability of death. This book calls us to live well so that dying well is possible. Most of all, it is an intimate insight to a pastor's heart--one who has walked openly with people he loved and cared about as they entered the mystery of dying. This is essential reading for anyone entering into the debates of a society fearful of death."
--Dr. Gary V. Nelson, President, Tyndale University College and Seminary
"Accompanying dying people is the most privileged part of pastoral ministry and also the toughest. This book's heartening testimonies demonstrate paradoxical gifts and blessings from the end of life. Discover how a dedicated pastor overcame fear of working with the dying and became an agent of God's healing and hope in the direst of circumstances."
--Rev. Arthur Paul Boers, author of
Living into Focus: Choosing What Matters in an Age of Distractions "How do you help someone to die? Or those left behind? Realizing he had come up against his own limits as a pastor, Peter Roebbelen turns to the experience of those he has seen over the threshold. In their responses, he discovers what he calls the gifts of dying--which, when attended to, can transform the very way we live. Here is an honest account of a believer living at the edge of what we can understand in facing our own shared mortality." --Jerusha McCormack, author of
Grieving, A Beginner's Guide "So often in the presence of death the Christian response is to pray for healing so life will continue. Turning that notion on its head, this book demonstrates that life and healing can actually be part of death both for those who are approaching the end of life on the earth as well as for those who are walking with them. But what is both disarming and helpful is that the author gives us a vulnerable glimpse into his own inner discovery around this complex subject, and in the process, invites readers to confront our own journey as we move toward death."
--Dr. Rod Wilson, former President, Regent College, Vancouver, and co-author of
Keeping Faith in Fundraising
