Curated by J. Dana Trent
All of humanity has one thing in common: we die. If this is an inescapable truth–why do we spend decades mastering skills and trades that change and disappear—all while avoiding investing our time in that one certainty? What if, instead, we gave some of that mastery to our biggest task, asking our questions and embracing that reality wholly? What if we acknowledged that we—and everyone we love—is born dying? Perhaps we might discover our truest and deepest spiritual selves.
As Christians, we are called to grapple with Jesus’s death and our own. From what makes a “good death” to grieving the loss of a loved one, Compassionate Christianity is dedicated to providing tools for your journey. Below is a brief list of to guide you in navigating death, dying, and grief resources. Whether death and bereavement is a close, personal topic for you—or you are new to it, we invite you to embrace time to explore this physical and spiritual truth that affects us all.
Online Resources:
These two resources are designed to offer us support for the death and grief journey, whether it’s effecting us personally and/or those whom we love. Dr. B.J. Miller and Dr. Kate Bowler serve as our experts in this field.
Everything Happens Podcast with Dr. Kate Bowler
The following resources are designed to offer conversation starters about end-of-life care and after-death planning both from a practical, legal, and spiritual point-of-view.
Mindfulness Resources (Secular, Non-Religious):
Apps:
Books:
Near The Exit: Travels With the Not-So-Grim Reaper by Lori Erickson
Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved) by Kate Bowler
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Dessert First: Preparing for Death While Savoring Life by J. Dana Trent with Readers’ Guide