Courage and Grace: Help in the Dying Process

By James A. Rousseau Jr.

Your author has written this story with the hope that, maybe, as you near the end of your very short journey called “life,” this book may become a real treasure to you, a sort of best friend, to help you through your difficult times.

May this book become like a golden key, which will come, from time-to-time, and unlock those heavy doors that seem to lock us into our very own internal prison cell.

Perhaps you are familiar with the horrible names of this real-life, internal, prison cell that has entombed so many with its iron bars. As we walk by it, we see the horrible names of “Fear, “Doubt,” “Discouragement,” “Depression,” and “Disappointment” inscribed on its walls.

The primary purpose of this story is to provide the readers with a way, a real, legitimate way, to keep themselves out of this horrific cell that has become the final resting place for so many millions of people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664236479

James A. Rousseau Jr.

James is a retired pastor who ministered in Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas for more than twenty-four years. He possesses three degrees from college and seminary including a Master of Divinity. He has been married to his dearly beloved wife Beverly since June 3, 1978.

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Copyright © 2021 James A. Rousseau, Jr..

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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3648-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3649-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3647-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021911269

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/04/2021

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Part 1: Help In the Dying Process: God’s

Courage and God’s Grace

Chapter One: A Visit From the Hospital

Chapter Two: A Visit from Pride

Chapter Three: A Visit from A Prison Cell

Chapter Four: A Visit from Courage and Grace

Chapter Five: A Visit from the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Chapter Six: A Visit from the River

Part 2: The Saints’ Champions: God’s

Courage and God’s Grace

Chapter One: God’s Courage and Grace

Chapter Two: The Saints Journey to Zion

Chapter Three: Revival

Chapter Four: The Saints Final Spreading of the Gospel

Chapter Five: Saints: Heroes of Faith

Conclusion

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

(Philippians 1:21)

Foreword

T hese are the topics very few people want to talk about: death and dying. Yet, the truth is, that we only know of two people, ever, who have escaped death: Enoch and Elijah. Even the Lord, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, had to pass through death’s door. He did so in order to provide the way out of eternal condemnation and into eternal life, for all those who would believe and receive Him as their personal Savior from their sin.

Mr. Rousseau, once again, weaves the continuing story of God’s sovereignty and love through the characters in his books. Courage and Grace: Help in the Dying Process tells us all about God’s Courage and His Grace in our lives and why these two characters are there to help us to walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He describes how Faith goes with every believer through the dying process and reminds us of God’s love and care for all of His children.

In his wonderful style of word-smithing, Mr. Rousseau, again, uses words to paint an amazing story of God’s love and triumph over sin and it’s result, death. The characters are described in great detail and our imaginations are allowed to see them as they help Christian go from his hospital room, through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, across the River of Death and up to the Pearly Gate of heaven.

Though a fictional story, once again, Mr. Rousseau gives each reader a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and why it is so important for every living human being to hear the Gospel and to trust in Jesus prior to their having to pass through death’s door into eternity.

The Scriptures tell us that physical death isn’t the end of life for human beings. Everyone will have an eternal life. The question is, where will each one spend eternity: with God in heaven through Faith, or apart from God for all eternity in unending anguish and sorrow?

As you read Grace and Courage, may the Lord help you to see how much He loves you and desires for you to be with Him forever.

By His Grace,

Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D.

Introduction

A n author doesn’t pour out the contents of his heart, he doesn’t write because he feels he has the exclusive rights to all the issues that are born and die with life itself. He writes because he has a story to tell. He writes because his heart becomes so impregnated with a story that he feels he must bring it forth. He writes in hopes that the birth of his special story will be exactly what the reader needs during this chapter in the book of his or her own life. He writes to present his story, his heart, to his readers, with the hope that it will be used by God to take the readers through their very own unique journey called life.

My hope is that maybe, just maybe, as you near the end of your very short journey called life, that this book may become a real treasure to you, a sort of best friend, to help you through your difficult times.

May this book become like a golden key, which will come, from time-to-time, and unlock those heavy doors that seem to lock us into our very own prison cells. Indeed, my friend, so many times, when our hearts feel overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, when we are, seemingly, all alone, we find ourselves in our very own, self-made, dark prison cell. Maybe you are in a hospital bed, yet in your heart, invisible to external eyes, you find yourself, without hope, imprisoned in a cell where many saints have breathed their last breaths in this very temporary world.

Perhaps you are familiar with the horrible name of this real-life prison cell that has entombed so many saints with its iron bars. As we pass by it, I beg of you, please, do not linger, or look into it, lest it’s gravitational pull influences your human nature and you become an unsuspecting tenant of its facility.

As we walk by it, we see the horrible names of Fear, Doubt, Discouragement, Depression, and Disappointment inscribed on its walls. My very dear friend, this has been the very cell, a torture cell, where much suffering has been inflicted upon many saints during the final months, weeks, days, and moments of life in this temporal world.

One of the purposes of this story is to provide the reader with a way, a real, legitimate way that they can use to keep themselves out of this horrific cell that has become the final resting place for so many millions of people.

Each and every one of us must, someday, come into fellowship with the physical death experience. It can be precious, or it can be awful, and it is totally determined by how we welcome it into our existence. Your author has given this book a subtitle, Help in the Dying Process.

May this book become like that golden key, attached to a precious silver-chained necklace around your neck. Each time you find the gravitational pull of your