cover image Going Home

Going Home

Diane Arnett, Bill Kemp. Kregel Publications, $10.99 (144pp) ISBN 978-0-8254-2984-2

Kemp, a Methodist pastor, and Arnett, a reporter and cancer survivor, offer this guide to help Christians who have been diagnosed with terminal illness. In ultra-short chapters (kept brief so they can be useful to those who are fatigued by illness), the authors deal with many of the relational issues that the dying may be struggling with: How can I know that I'll go to heaven? Should I be preparing for death or holding out hope for a miracle cure? Why do I feel so alone, even when there are loved ones around me? How do I cope with the physical pain? How can I forgive others and myself? Why have some friends deserted me? How can I best help my loved ones get through this? Kemp and Arnett also address practical concerns such as wills, estate planning, organ donation and funerals; these chapters are helpful in an introductory way, but readers will need additional sources beyond this guide, whose most important contribution is spiritual. The book's final section walks readers through the final stages of life's journey, teaching readers how to pray for forgiveness of sins and thank God for the gift of life. The authors close out the book by providing poetry, prayers and quotations about death and heaven.