Dying in Peace: Preparing for Eternity

By Dr.Samuel White III

If you were told that you had a certain amount of time to live, what would you do? If you were aware that a family member, a friend or someone you know was terminally ill, what would you say to them or how would you help them? Dying in Peace : Preparing for Eternity, was written to help you answer these questions. This spiritual workbook will help us prepare for death by addressing our spiritual, psychological, social, and physical concerns. Our dying Savior Jesus Christ uttered seven last phrases from His cross which inspires us to forgive others, transcend our pain for paradise, share our love, pray thru our loneliness, express our passion, experience spiritual fulfillment and deliverance. Dying in Peace, provides important end of life information on how to prepare your funeral or memorial service, Last Will and Testament, Obituary, Patient Advocate, and DNR. Furthermore, it encourages us to perform a Spiritual Self-Assessment, fulfill our Spiritual Bucket List and record our Life Story. This spiritual and practical information can be used by clergy, healthcare professionals and everyone who cares for the terminally ill. Dying in Peace, can be used in a group bible study. Its Christ centered approach to the subject of death is spiritually enlightening and empowering for people of every church, race, class, nationality and level of spirituality. Dying in Peace : Preparing for Eternity, help us face our mortality and enhances our spirituality that we may have peace with God, others and our self.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490872001

Dr.Samuel White III

Dr. Samuel White, III is a native of Rochester New York and son of the late Samuel White jr. and Anna White. Dr. White graduated with honors from Brockport State College with a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to graduate from Harvard Divinity School with a Masters of Theological Studies degree and a Masters of Divinity degree from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. He completed his educational pursuit by achieving a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Drew University. Dr White has lectured at colleges, taught in seminaries, facilitated grief support groups, conducted leadership seminars, has been a hospice chaplain for sixteen years ,and in professional pastoral ministry for thirty two years and is an author of “It is Well with my Soul, Spiritual Care for the Dying” and “My Brother’s Keeper, Church Ministry for Young African American Males.” Both books can be purchased online at Westbow Press, Barnes @ Noble and Amazon.com.

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Copyright © 2015 Dr. Samuel White, III.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7199-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7201-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7200-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015903641

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/31/2015

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 — Peace for the Dying

Chapter 2 — Forgiveness for the Dying

Chapter 3 — Paradise for the Dying

Chapter 4 — Love of the Dying

Chapter 5 — Prayer of the Dying

Chapter 6 — Passion of the dying

Chapter 7 — Fulfillment of the Dying

Chapter 8 — Deliverance for the Dying

Chapter 9 — Last Word of the Dying

Chapter 10 — Practical Preparations for the Dying

Chapter 11 — Destination for the Dying

Chapter 12 — Meditations for the Dying

Notes

Bibliography

About the Author

TO

OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

WHO HAS TAUGHT US

HOW TO LIVE AND DIE IN PEACE

Acknowledgements

First I must acknowledge our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is King of Kings, Lord of Lords and worthy to be praised. I give him all the praise, honor and glory for giving me the patience and determination to complete this work. All praise goes to Him for those who have been comforted, healed, strengthened or saved as result of reading this book.

I want to thank my deceased mother in law Mildred Clifton who died in peace. I can recall when she was dying, I was holding her and I felt the shock of her heart defibulater trying to revive her heart. This shock seemed to shake the lethargy and complacency from my soul. It inspired me to complete this project. I pray that my Mother in Law, Mildred rest in peace.

I am eternally grateful for her daughter and my wife Sandra White. She inspires me with her constant compassion and companionship. She is a wonderful wife who has blessed me with love, peace and joy. Her inner strength and serenity has given me peace in stressful times. It is because of her that I am blessed with two wonderful children Alexandria and Samuel IV. My family gives me so much to live and die for. They have helped me to live in peace and I trust will help me to die in peace.

I am thankful for my mother Anna and my siblings David, Dee Ann, Cherise, Renee’ and Van. My eighty-three year old mother is teaching all of her children how to age gracefully. She is the epitome of a virtuous woman and is full of love, laughter and life. Her sermonic life inspires us to live in peace with God and with others. I am especially grateful for my Brother David and Sister Renee’ for volunteering to read my manuscript. I appreciate their time and encouragement.

I praise God for my Hospice team of home health aides, administrators, secretaries, physicians, chaplains, nurses, dieticians, social workers, volunteers and bereavement counselors. These compassionate people are used by Almighty God to comfort the dying and bring them peace. I especially want to thank Social Worker Lisa Martin, Nurse Patty Foster, Chaplain Lois Vaughn, Chaplain Barry Smith, Rev. Mack and Chaplain Alta Davis for their written recommendations.

Lastly, I dedicate this book for all the members of Friendship Baptist Church, hospice patients and everyone who cares for the terminally ill. It is my hope and prayer that they may be blessed from reading this book and learn to die in peace.

Introduction

If your physician diagnosed you with a terminal illness and said you have less than six months to live, what would you do? Would you live differently? Would you spend more quality time with your family and friends? Would you stop procrastinating, putting off dreams, projects and complete your Bucket List? Would you become more religious and get closer to God? What would you do, if you knew that death was imminent? What would you say or do to ensure that you would die in peace?

The fact is, there are no guarantees that you have the next six months, three months or the next two weeks. There is no guarantee that you will live to see tomorrow. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Death is democratic and serendipitous. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your status is. You could be young, rich, healthy and holy and still die prematurely. Death does not care what your race, religion, class, gender, nationality, or ethnicity is. Death will take who it wants, when it wants, where it wants and how it wants. It does not discriminate or play favorites. I am a witness that the good can die young and the evil can live, long prosperous lives. It does not matter who you are or how you have lived. We will all face life’s common denominator. We will all die. The question is, how do you want to die?

Do you want to die in peace? Do you want to die with a sense of peace and contentment with God, others, yourself and life? Many people want to die in peace but they don’t know how to live in peace. They live recklessly or thoughtlessly as if they are never going to die. They don’t want to think about dying let alone talk about it. But the fact of the matter is, we are all going to die. The question is, how will we die? Will you die in peace or will you die perplexed? Will you die sad and blue? Or will you die with a sense of contentment and joy? How you die is largely determined by how you live.

For some people, death will come suddenly without warning. Tragically, they will not have the opportunity to spiritually prepare themselves. For others, death maybe a long agonizing and painful process. They may contract some terminal illness and be so focused on their bodies that they neglect their souls. A few people will be blessed to live long life and die surrounded by their loved ones. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people will live in denial of death. They will try not to think of it, let alone discuss and prepare for it. They will live as if they have plenty of time. They will act as if they are going to live forever. Some live carelessly without any thought of the spiritual implications of their feelings, thoughts, words, behavior or lifestyle. Some will work themselves right into a grave. They will be so dedicated to making a living, that they will not have lived their life. Others will party and play until death crashes the party. Many will live without any thought of the God who cares for them and wants a relationship with them. This kind of unconscious, unspiritual living is not healthy for our souls. All the partying, working, struggling, hustling, pushing, fighting and running we do, is all in vain. We can’t avoid, reject, deny or run from death. It will inevitably catch up to us, tap us on the shoulder and we must be prepared to meet our Maker.

Therefore, the question is not when will you die? For it is certain that we all will have to die sometime. The question is, are you ready to die or how will you die? You do have a choice. You can choose to die unprepared, uneasy and unready. Or you can choose to be prepared, ready and at peace with death. You can choose to be sad, angry, frustrated, and bitter as you die. Or you can choose to die with joy in your heart, peace in your mind, praise on your lips and a Savior in your soul. You can choose to die with desperation or with divinity. You can choose to die with a sense of fulfillment or with a sense of failure. You can die with love and forgiveness in your heart. Or you can die with anger, bitterness and hatred in your heart. You can die defeated, denying the presence of God and be unfulfilled, unforgiving, and unspiritual. Or you could die triumphantly, acknowledging the presence of God and expressing your faith, hope and love. It is up to you to choose the kind of attitude you want as you confront your death. The existentialist Victor Frankel is right, We cannot choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to our circumstances. You can’t choose when you will die, but you can choose how you will respond to death. You can choose to die in peace.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ showed the world how to die in peace. Jesus Christ died in peace even though his followers abandoned him and his enemies crucified him. In spite of the fact that Jesus experienced a cruel, inhumane, tortuous death, his divinity shined through. All of the pain and agony he went through could not break his divine spirit. All of the trials and tribulations He went through could not take His inner peace. All of the world’s wickedness and darkness could not diminish his light. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, who died in peace, to give the world peace.

Jesus taught us how to die in peace. From his agonizing struggle to accept death in the Garden of Gethsemane, to his victorious words on the cross, we learn how to overcome death. His awesome example, inspires us to accept and transcend death.

The Seven Last Words Jesus uttered from the cross can prepare our souls for eternity. The wisdom in these words comfort and challenge those who are approaching the end of their life. His last words save our souls, heal our broken hearts, strengthen our spirits and give us peace of mind. His final words, help us to make priorities and discover what is really important. They challenge us to make the right choices. Christ taught us to choose forgiveness over vengeance, love over hate, paradise over pain, passion over apathy, faith over fear, spiritual fulfillment over worldly emptiness and divine victory over worldly defeat. Reading, reflecting and practicing the Seven Last Words will grant us a richer, fuller, more meaningful life. In these words, we learn how to live the abundant life and how to die in peace.

Chapter one, is entitled Peace for the Dying. In this chapter, we will examine Jesus’s struggle to accept his impending crucifixion and death. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pleaded with God to remove the cup of his suffering and not die. But once he prayed, thy will be done, he accepted his death and was given peace. Jesus had inner peace when he accepted his impending death. This chapter will encourage us to embrace death and find peace. We will discover that the acceptance of our death gives us peace for the day and faith for tomorrow.

Chapter two, is called Forgiveness for the Dying and it stems from the scripture, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. Despite the bitter betrayal of his disciples, the persecution of the scribes and Pharisees, the brutal crucifixion of the Roman soldiers, Jesus forgave his enemies. Jesus forgave his enemies of all the evil things they had done to him. His words of forgiveness inform us on how important it is to forgive others before we die. If we want peace, if we want to go to heaven we must forgive. It is the bridge to eternity. Forgiveness frees us from our painful past and prepares us for the future. This chapter will teach us what forgiveness is, why we should forgive, and how we can forgive. When we are at peace others, we can have peace with our God.

Chapter three is referred to as, Paradise for the Dying, and it comes from the scripture, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Jesus proclaims paradise in the midst of his pain. He shared a victorious vision even in the jaws of defeat. He accentuated the positive even in negative circumstances. Jesus teaches the dying how to transcend the devastating effects of death. He shows us how to have faith and a positive perspective in the midst of death. This chapter will educate us on what is Paradise, how to go there and on how to have a Paradise perspective. Like our Lord, the dying can proclaim Paradise in the midst of their pain and suffering.

Chapter four is entitled, Love of the Dying, and it stems from the scripture that states, Mother behold thy son, son behold thy mother. Jesus loved his mother and his disciple John. So he conducted ministry at the foot of the cross. He comforted his grieving mother and follower by putting them together. Jesus never stopped loving or doing ministry. Even the threat of death could not stop him from finding ways to show the love of God. Those who are dying can still find creative ways to show their love. Our love to God and others may be impeded by the dying process, but it can’t be stopped. Jesus challenges us to do ministry before we die. This chapter instruct us on how the love of God empowers us to love others. The love of God is so powerful that the threat of death can’t stop it. His love inspires us to be more loving before we die and gives us peace.