Remote working even makes it possible to volunteer more. Here are five important ways to still share the Gospel as we work remotely.

Sometimes‚ we just don’t get the answers we seek. But please understand that God has not abandoned you. Talk to him from your sick bed. Talk to him if you are visiting an inpatient. Keep the communication channels open&;#33;

Sometimes‚ we just don’t get the answers we seek. But please understand that God has not abandoned you. Talk to him from your sick bed. Talk to him if you are visiting an inpatient. Keep the communication channels open&;#33;

I recently lost a dear friend to cancer. She’d struggled with treatments and recurrence for years‚ and when her doctor finally said the heavy word “hospice‚” she and her family were neither surprised nor despairing. As Christians‚ they drew comfort from the assurance she’d be with the Lord after she took her last breath (Rom. 14:8; 2 Cor. 4:17–18). And yet‚ although my friend embarked on her hospice journey with full acceptance‚ none of her family was prepared for the tumult of emotions her final days incited. They trembled and choked back tears when she bolted upright in agitation. When she no longer responded to their voices‚ they nursed the ache of loss. Throughout‚ they struggled to reconcile the grim realities of death with the mother‚ sister‚ and wife they so cherished. Families with loved ones in hospice all too frequently weather such storms. As the wages of our sin (Rom. 6:23)‚ death is by nature harrowing‚ even when anticipated. We weren’t meant for death‚ and those of us who encounter it often struggle with lingering grief‚ confusion‚ and regret afterward‚ especially when it steals away someone we dearly love. With a million and a half people in the U.S. receiving hospice care annually‚ many families will walk this troubling road‚ suffering doubts and heartache along the way. How do we shepherd caregivers and families as they aim to love the dying&;#63; How do we walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death‚ reminding them all the while of the Good Shepherd whose love covers them when the light dwindles (Ps. 23:4)&;#63; What Hospice Is Misunderstandings about hospice abound and contribute to the pain families bear. Many people equate hospice with “giving up” on a loved one. Others confuse it with physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Still more have an accurate idea of hospice but can’t bring themselves to say goodbye to someone they can’t fathom living without. To clarify‚ hospice care seeks to minimize pain and suffering at the end of life among those with terminal illnesses. A multidisciplinary team‚ usually comprised of physicians‚ nurses‚ social workers‚ chaplains‚ and health aides‚ provides medical care as well as spiritual and social support with a focus on symptom control and quality of life‚ rather than on cure. Although we often associate hospice with cancer‚ the most common qualifying diagnoses are severe dementia‚ emphysema‚ and heart failure. Hospice care seeks to minimize pain and suffering at the end of life among those with terminal illnesses. For people with a life expectancy of months‚ hospice services often begin as regular home visits from nurses‚ social workers‚ and home health aides to ensure patients are stable and comfortable. As the illness advances‚ support increases‚ and eventually the dying require continuous care at the bedside and frequent doses of medications to ameliorate pain‚ anxiety‚ and air hunger. In the home‚ this care often falls to loved ones‚ which can be emotionally traumatic. In such circumstances‚ a hospice house‚ where staff nurses monitor patients 24/7‚ may be a better alternative. People can only receive hospice services if they have a life expectancy of six months or less. Such patients‚ after consultations with doctors they trust‚ accept that further interventions for a cure would be futile (e.g.‚ a cancer has metastasized to other organs and treatment options have run out). In hospice‚ medical care continues‚ but that care shifts to focus on lessening symptoms rather than eradicating the disease. Studies suggest that rather than indicating caregivers have “given up” on patients‚ this shift in care can actually increase the life expectancy of terminally ill patients for up to three months. In our highly technological medical system‚ accepting the inevitability of death has a clear‚ measurable benefit. It also has a biblical precedent. Although Scripture directs us to honor life (Ex. 20:13)‚ it also reminds us our times are in God’s hand (Ps. 31:15). Like the grass of the field‚ we wither and fade (Isa. 40:7–8); until Christ returns all of us will succumb to death (Rom. 5:12). When we deny our mortality and chase after treatments that don’t promise cure‚ we dismiss God’s grace in Christ and the power of his resurrection. Christ has transformed death‚ swallowing it up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54) such that‚ as the Heidelberg Catechism aptly states‚ it’s no longer “a payment for our sins‚ but only a dying to sins and an entering into eternal life.” What Hospice Isn’t While hospice reflects biblical teaching‚ the same can’t be said for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Families facing hospice for a loved one may confuse these practices‚ especially given the terminology of “Medical Aid in Dying‚” or MAiD‚ now adopted in Canada and used in the U.S. with increasing frequency. While in hospice‚ death occurs secondary to an underlying illness‚ in MAiD‚ terminally ill patients seek medical means to deliberately end their lives. In euthanasia‚ for example‚ a healthcare provider administers a lethal dose of medication––often an injection––on a patient’s request. Similarly‚ in PAS‚ doctors prescribe a dose of pills for a patient to take on his or her own. In both cases‚ the “aid in dying” isn’t symptom support but rather a lethal dose of medication. As the legalization of PAS has steadily increased in the U.S. over the past 20 years‚ it’s crucial to understand its distinction from hospice. In hospice‚ the aim is to alleviate suffering from futile or excessively burdensome measures. People can “graduate” from hospice; if a patient unexpectedly improves and is no longer deemed terminal‚ clinicians rejoice and hospice services are discontinued. PAS‚ by contrast‚ involves the active taking of another life with the explicit goal to end it‚ and it violates God’s Word (Ex. 20:13).  What to Expect The knowledge that hospice care aligns with biblical teachings can provide solace to families. Yet even with this consolation‚ watching a loved one die can be crushing. Many families embark on this journey with confidence‚ only to find the unsettling details of dying overwhelm them. The following common changes may occur when death is near‚ which may trouble those at the bedside: As a dying person’s organs shut down‚ breathing reflexively becomes rapid to remove excess acid from the bloodstream. As such breathlessness worsens anxiety and fatigue‚ nurses will administer a narcotic (usually morphine) or a sedative to help slow the breathing. Intestines shut down as death nears. People will have no appetite‚ and although loved ones may worry about starvation‚ forcing them to eat or drink leads to vomiting or abdominal cramping. In the setting of dehydration close to death‚ the mouth and lips dry and crack. Hospice care workers provide moist mouth swabs to counteract the discomfort. Agitation‚ delirium‚ and hallucinations are common near death and can be especially upsetting to witness. In the mildest cases‚ patients will see people from their past‚ which may alarm onlookers. In the most distressing‚ the dying will suddenly panic or lash out at others with cruel insults. Clinicians give medications to calm patients and avoid such outbursts‚ but when they do occur‚ delirious patients’ words can deeply hurt those they love. In such moments‚ we can reassure families that death affects the mind as well as the body and that their loved ones are unaware of their actions. Agitation near death reflects the disease‚ not the patient’s true thoughts and feelings. People gradually lose consciousness as death nears. However‚ in the days to hours before death‚ some suddenly awaken and carry on clear‚ coherent conversations. Called “terminal lucidity‚” this phenomenon is poorly understood but well documented and can confuse loved ones who mistake the sudden clarity for clinical improvement. A good approach is to treat these moments as gifts from the Lord‚ offering loved ones a final glimpse of the person they’ve treasured. Even when the dying are unresponsive‚ evidence suggests they can still hear‚ with their brains responding to sounds as distinctly as do awake‚ healthy individuals. This can provide families with enormous comfort‚ as it means their loved one may still hear and understand their words. Encourage families to speak to their loved one‚ to read Scripture‚ to pray aloud‚ and to sing hymns and favorite songs. Such connection can provide much-needed closure and solace to the living‚ and minister lovingly to the dying. In the last 24 hours‚ the skin turns mottled and bluish‚ especially in the hands and feet. This is normal and signals the circulatory system shutting down. The last few hours of life are often marked by dysregulated breathing. People will breathe deeply and rapidly for several breaths‚ then not breathe at all for up to two minutes. Secretions pooling in the airways also create an unsettling rattling sound with each breath. Additionally‚ relaxation of the vocal cords can produce a sound similar to moaning‚ even in the absence of discomfort. While these changes are upsetting to witness‚ at this point patients are unaware of their surroundings and unlikely to experience suffering. Hope Endures In addition to the troubling realities outlined above‚ families of hospice patients may wrestle with questions about the faith and salvation of their loved one. If a loved one isn’t a believer‚ relatives may urge nurses to withhold sedatives‚ clinging to hope for a deathbed conversion. If a loved one has proclaimed faith‚ moments of agitation may raise doubts about the sincerity of that profession. While their heartache is understandable‚ to withhold medication and incur unnecessary suffering is neither loving nor compassionate. As solace‚ we can point families to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43)‚ whom Jesus invited into his kingdom as he was dying. We can reassure them that the Holy Spirit can work in someone’s heart regardless of their capacity for language or cognition‚ and the Lord can bring all he wills to himself (Eph. 1:3–7). The good news of the gospel declares that salvation depends not on us but on God’s grace––and he can turn every heart he wills from stone into flesh (Ezek. 36:26). Above all‚ when families walk alongside a loved one in hospice‚ they show him or her‚ as well as surrounding caregivers‚ the character of Christ. When families walk alongside a loved one in hospice‚ they show him or her‚ as well as surrounding caregivers‚ the face of Christ. To abide with another through death is to love in the sacrificial‚ soul-weary way our pierced Savior loved us first (Matt. 26:38; John 13:34–35; 1 John 4:19). It’s to weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15) and to bear another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). It’s to offer a loved one a tangible reminder––perhaps with a hymn heard through the shadows‚ perhaps with a gentle touch––that God’s love endures forever (Ps. 107:1) and that‚ in Christ‚ nothing––not even death––can pry his beloved away from his grasp (Rom. 8:38–39).

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. I asked Joshua Chatraw—the Beeson Divinity School Billy Graham chair for evangelism and cultural engagement and author or coauthor of various books including The Augustine Way and Surprised by Doubt—about what’s on his bedside table‚ favorite fiction‚ favorite biographies‚ and much more. What’s on your nightstand right now&;#63; I’m taking this question quite literally. Here is what I see on my nightstand. Coming to Faith Through Dawkins edited by Denis Alexander and Alister McGrath. Alister suggested I have a look at this book because we have a common interest in narrative apologetics. He mentioned this book isn’t exactly narrative apologetics‚ but it includes a series of essays by people whose journey to faith was marked by taking Richard Dawkins seriously enough to reflect more deeply on the question of God. Journeys of the Mind by Peter Brown is the autobiography of the world-renowned scholar of late antiquity and Augustine. I’ve learned so much from Brown and to get to learn more about his own life has been a treat and an inspiration. My friend and colleague Jonathan Linebaugh put me onto A Contemporary in Dissent: Johann Georg Hamann as a Radical Enlightener by Oswald Bayer. The book is an introduction to the life and thought of one of the most fascinating thinkers of 18th-century Germany. A contemporary and friend of Immanuel Kant‚ even introducing Kant to the work of both Hume and Rousseau‚ Hamann offered an early critique of Kant and Enlightenment rationality. I also see two books on my nightstand that are related to a topic I have become interested in for the last several years. The books are Pauline Theology as a Way of Life by Joshua Jipp and Christianity as a Way of Life by Kevin Hector. Both are in some sense downstream from Pierre Hadot’s Philosophy as a Way of Life. The idea is that as ancient philosophy was not simply a bunch of ideas or mainly an abstract epistemological project but rather an orientation marked by a set of spiritual practices‚ Christianity is more than simply ideas or doctrines one mentally assents to. Christianity is a way to inhabit the world that can be compared to other ways of life—ancient and modern. Jonathan Pennington’s work in both The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing and Jesus the Great Philosopher also masterfully illuminates Jesus’s teachings in this way. Buried beneath the pile is Resurrection and Moral Order by Oliver O’Donovan. I read O’Donovan’s classic work several years back‚ but recently I found myself revisiting it in light of recent conversations about natural law and special revelation. It seems to me that O’Donovan offers us a great deal of wisdom in this discussion‚ refusing to choose between either “an ethic that is revealed and has no ontological grounding” or “an ethic that is based on creation and so is naturally known.” Instead‚ he charts a course for how the gospel of the resurrection offers‚ dare I say it‚ a third way. Every Moment Holy‚ Volume III by Douglas Kaine McKelvey is filled with ancient and modern prayers. I’ve come back to this series again and again for use in my personal and family devotional life. What are your favorite fiction books&;#63; The Great Divorce and That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis. In The Great Divorce‚ Lewis puts forward a creative supposal of heaven and hell. Lewis warns readers from thinking his fictional account is actually how it is. Instead‚ he is out to prime our imaginations about eternal reality. My favorite part is when the Scottish minister and poet George MacDonald makes an appearance. Listen to the Audible version and get MacDonald’s Scottish accent included. That Hideous Strength picks up the key theme found in the lectures turned book The Abolition of Man but in a different genre—namely‚ as the third volume in Lewis’s science fiction trilogy. Along the way‚ he critiques British academic culture in the middle of the 20th century‚ a critique that has some lasting relevance. I read The Wingfeather Saga (four volumes) by Andrew Peterson to my kids a few years back. They really liked them‚ but I think I liked them even more. If you like Lewis‚ think Narnia for the 21st century. I’ve recommended this to kids‚ parents‚ seminary students‚ and pastors—and they all pretty much love this series. What biographies or autobiographies have most influenced you and why&;#63; My favorite is Augustine of Hippo by Peter Brown. Written by a world-class scholar‚ this is my favorite biography‚ about my favorite theologian. It is one of the few biographies by an academic that I want to start again once I finish the last page. Read the two additional chapters in the latest edition and don’t miss the intellectual virtue of a scholar who is willing to revise his earlier conclusions based on new evidence. I also loved The Narnian by Alan Jacobs. I am interested in whatever Jacobs writes‚ but especially when he writes about Lewis. This book masterfully captures what Lewis was up to as a scholar and writer. What are some books you regularly reread and why&;#63; Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is a book I’ve read three times now. I teach a pastoral theology course at Beeson Divinity School and read this book with my students. Robinson helps us inhabit the life and mind of a pastor whose imagination has been captured by the wonder of creation and the words of Scripture. And‚ of course‚ if you know me you won’t be surprised to hear that I regularly come back to Augustine’s Confessions and City of God. I hope to always remain a student of Augustine. The depth of his thought and the strangeness of his world keep me on my toes. His theology and moral psychology continue to shape the way I preach and teach. What books have most profoundly shaped how you serve and lead others for the sake of the gospel&;#63; James K. A. Smith’s Cultural Liturgies series came at the right time for me. In Desiring the Kingdom‚ Jamie helped wake me from my cultural slumber. Tim Keller’s Center Church was like no other church leadership book I had ever read—integrating theology‚ history‚ apologetics‚ and practical wisdom. Charles Taylor’s work (see A Secular Age and The Ethics of Authenticity) has helped me better understand the cultural air we are all breathing today and directed me toward the challenges and opportunities that I’ve been attempting to address in my work. What’s one book you wish every pastor would read&;#63; I wish every pastor had to read Pens&;eacute;es by Blaise Pascal. Pascal‚ the 17th-century polymath who foresaw the implications of the shifts in the early modern social imaginary with prophetic depth and clarity‚ offers pastors profound observations concerning human nature. The work itself was never finished and organized‚ so if you have trouble getting into it‚ try Peter Kreeft’s Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal’s Pens&;eacute;es Edited‚ Outlined‚ and Explained. Kreeft takes the most relevant sections of Pens&;eacute;es and provides commentary. What’s your best piece of writing advice&;#63; Don’t spend time worrying about building a platform. Instead‚ work on having something to say and learning how to say it. This means: Read (widely). Write. Edit. Edit. Edit. Rinse and repeat. Excellent writing is normally the result of many rounds of edits. For me‚ this has meant asking for feedback from a variety of different people during the writing process and then being open to their critiques. It’s hard and sometimes painful work‚ but it’s worth it. Be humble. Be quick to admit when you are wrong or could improve. Be grateful for feedback. What are you learning about life and following Jesus&;#63; I have a greater awareness that life is more wonderful and mysterious than I have the capacity to take in. As my kids get older and I have entered a new season as a professor teaching future ministers‚ I am learning to slow down to attend to and care for the little corner of creation God has called me to cultivate. This means I spend a lot less time online and less time thinking about whatever the trending Christian controversy of the moment happens to be. I spend a lot more time with my family‚ colleagues‚ and students as well as more time trying to make beautiful things and reflecting on God’s grace. I want to walk closer with Jesus for the second half of my life‚ to trust in God more deeply‚ to be a faithful witness to Christ in an age when belief feels harder for many‚ and to mentor those who are called to be ministers of the gospel. I can’t do those final two things well unless I prioritize the first two.

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