Dying Religions

This book is a guide to death and the mysterious world beyond. The rituals, meditations, and exercises are designed to bring you on a journey of discovery through the most profound of all human transitions. Filled with insight and practical guidance, it shows you how to honor family and friends in spirit and discover the life-affirming aspects of every state of existence.

John Wyatt focuses on the ars moriendi—quite simply the art of dying well and dying faithfully. He offers clear direction, warm reassurance and rock-solid confidence in the One who has conquered death. We cannot choreograph our own death, but we can die well. This is a book for those who are facing death. It is also for their relatives, friends, and caretakers.

What is there about a dying church that brings glory to God? Mark Clifton's convicting answer is "nothing". Because a local church is intended to represent the work of God in a community, when that church "loses it saltiness", not only is God's work pictured as irrelevant in that community, but also dishonor and disrepute may well become associated with God's name as a result.

When she was pregnant with her second child, Stephanie Arnold had a sudden and overwhelming premonition that she would die during the delivery. Although she tried to tell the medical team and her family what was going to happen, neither the doctors nor her loved ones gave her warnings credence. One member of the medical team who did take her concerns seriously enough made the fateful decision to order extra units of blood “just in case”. Then, during the delivery, Stephanie suffered a rare amniotic fluid embolism.

Ten percent of people whose hearts stop and then restart report near-death experiences. Stories of lights, tunnels and reunion with late loved ones have been relayed - and dismissed - since ancient times. But when Dr Bruce Greyson's patients started describing events that he simply could not dismiss, he began to investigate. In After, he shares the scientific revelations of four decades of research into the dying process. He has become increasingly convinced that dying is less an ending than a transition, the threshold between one form of consciousness and another.

Contrary to popular belief, death is not a moment in time, such as when the heart stops beating, respiration ceases, or the brain stops functioning. Death, rather, is a process - a process that can be interrupted well after it has begun. Innovative techniques, such as drastically reducing the patient's body temperature, have proven to be effective in revitalizing both the body and mind, but studies show they are only employed in approximately half of the hospitals throughout the United States and Europe.

In this practical and compassionate guide, death doula educator Anne-Marie Keppel incorporates ancient and modern techniques, mindfulness practices, and herbal support to show how anyone can care for the dying, whether at home, in hospice, or even in the ICU. She demystifies the dying process by explaining what the body goes through during end of life and presents practices for emotional soothing and other ways to reduce stress and anxiety during the active dying process.

Sharing his more than three decades of research into the afterlife and paranormal phenomena, award-winning documentary filmmaker Daniel Drasin shows that the continuity of human consciousness beyond the physical body and after death constitutes a legitimate area of scientific inquiry and that it can be objectively demonstrated. Drasin begins by revealing how our belief in materialism—through its effects on our social norms, taboos, and even language—has deeply constrained our civilization’s understanding of the nature of space, time, life, death, and consciousness.

When Amy Nappa was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV-B uterine cancer, her life and that of her husband's, Mike, changed forever. But they weren't the only ones whose lives were touched by Amy's courageous journey into the waiting arms of her loving Savior. What started out as a private Facebook group intended to keep family and close friends apprised of Amy's medical condition grew to include hundreds, with thousands more reading publicly about Amy daily on social media.

Have the Scriptures been twisted to keep you in bondage? The real Jesus wants to set you free. Addressing some of the controversial teachings about “striving,” “daily dying to self,” and more, Rebecca Davis untwists Scriptures by looking at word meaning, context, and the heart of God for His people. You can learn what the Bible really says about striving, what the Bible really teaches instead of dying to self, and what the Bible has to say about life, knowing that if you follow and love the Lord He does not require you to try to engage in ongoing death.

Is there a way to walk into the final chapters of life with peace and confidence, and with support and wisdom? We all are living an earthly story with a beginning, middle, and end. While aspects of our story's closing hold mystery, we do not have to feel lost as we move toward it. We instead can lean on the support and wisdom of others who know the path ahead. In Anticipating Heaven, Dr. Pyle offers that same practical advice and spiritual comfort to you and your loved ones as you navigate a serious illness.

If you caught a glimpse of heaven, would you choose to comeback to life?

Investigative journalist Judy Bachrach has collected accounts of those who died and then returned to life with lucid, vivid memories of what occurred while they were dead, and the conclusions are astonishing. Clinical death - the moment when the heart stops beating and brain stem activity ceases - is not necessarily the end of consciousness, as a number of doctors are now beginning to concede.

Alone and brain-addled, the Rev. Ezra Pounders walks along a country road in the dead of night. He's wearing dark clothing, but he's confident the Lord will protect him. Two seconds later, a fast-moving pickup truck tops the hill and knocks him ten feet into the air. On his death bed, Preacher Pounders wrestles with one gnawing regret. He never preached one last sermon. The one he really wanted to preach - but the one that would have cost his job. The one that would shake religion's foundation to its core - but the one the world deserves to hear. Now his all-important message may die with ...

Thomas G. Long, one of America's most trusted and thoughtful pulpit voices, provides a much needed theological and cultural critique of today's Christian funeral. Long begins by describing how the Christian funeral developed historically, theologically, and liturgically and then discusses recent cultural trends in funeral practices, including the rise in number of cremations and memorial services.

This expanded edition of the popular Maximizing Your Potential book is organized to keep you focused on your goals to discover and release your potential, refire your passion for life, and move you forward into your destiny. Potential is like soil--it must be worked and fed to produce fruit. Maximize your potential today!

I don’t remember hearing any snorts or whinnies. I don’t remember smelling the sweat streaming off the newly unsaddled backs or seeing the dust kicked up by the drumming hooves. The only thing I remember was me, my essence, my soul, popping out of my body several seconds before it was caught up in a stampede.

Death is an inevitable part of our lives, yet most societies have struggled to come to terms with it. Today, we continue to grapple with the enduring questions - What is Death? Why do we fear it? What happens after death? Is it an end or a doorway to something beyond?

A priest and a dying atheist engage in a final dialogue. Reason vs. faith, and in the end...

End-of-life doula Anna Lyons and funeral director Louise Winter have joined forces to share a collection of the heartbreaking, surprising and uplifting stories of the ordinary and extraordinary lives they encounter every single day. From working with the living, the dying, the dead and the grieving, Anna and Louise reveal the lessons they’ve learned about life, death, love and loss. Together they’ve created a profound but practical guide to rethinking the one thing that’s guaranteed to happen to us all.

In today's Church, we see the world beginning to filter in as people bend to the pressures of this life. But in the Scriptures, Jesus calls us to do something radical—to come and die. As we die to our flesh, we will live with the eternal reward found only in Him. But what does that kind of death look like? In Come and Die, Pastor Joshua West explores the Scriptures and extrapolates verses to show just what Christ means when He tells His followers to "take up your cross and follow Me". Are you brave enough to accept His call, or will you continue to live this shallow life?