No one wants to think about
the death of a loved one. Knowing that an individual is not ready
spiritually to cross from this life to the next can be a source of
turmoil to anyone who believes that salvation through Christ is the
only way to reach heaven after death. Melody Rossi knows the
difficulty of dealing not only with a loved one's physical illness,
but also the spiritual threat to the dying person. By following the
leading of the Holy Spirit in multiple ways and covering her loved
ones with prayer, Rossi witnessed the spiritual births of her mother,
father and step-mother. In Sharing Christ with the
Dying, Rossi shares her
personal story as well as gives guidance on matters such as: how to
show the love of Christ by serving, how to hold on to hope, how to
recognize and respond in the moments of spiritual openness, and what
to expect spiritually and physically from a dying individual.
Reading Sharing
Christ with the Dying by
Melody Rossi helped me to understand more about how to talk to my
loved ones about spiritual matters. Having walked this journey
multiple times, Rossi seemed like a wise, experienced friend who
offered compassion, encouragement and Biblical-based reasons to hope.
I come from a background with a lot of emphasis on verbal witnessing
and somehow I learned it was my responsibility to save a soul. I had
the mindset that if I could do everything just right, then my loved
ones would turn to Jesus. However, I've come to see that I'll never
be perfect and Rossi made a statement that resonated with me, “It
is not your
responsibility to save that soul. That is the job of the Holy Spirit,
and anything done apart from Him will fail (pg 34).” The theme of
this book really is about coming alongside what God is already doing
and working with Him to lead another person to know Christ. Each
unsaved person's journey will be different, but Rossi gives some
broad tips that can apply to many situations. Additionally, there is
a section of questions for the reader to answer to help him or her
identify a path of service and to better understand the backgrounds
and needs of the dying person.
I highly recommend Sharing
Christ with the Dying by
Melody Rossi to anyone who has a dying loved one that does not know
Christ. There is so much information that I'm getting ready to read
it through again and I know I'll be keeping it to refer back to in
the future.
Read an excerpt from Sharing Christ with the Dying on the publisher's website.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book
free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing
this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part
255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials
in Advertising."
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