Spotted in an email containing a dozen aphorisms presented with beautiful flower photos: 

“You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be all the world to one person.”

How true this is – and how wonderful it is to be “all the world” to someone who’s otherwise all alone!  

The easiest way to achieve this enviable position is (surprise, surprise) to volunteer some of your free time at the nearest nursing home – especially by visiting with a resident one-on-one, as regularly as possible so she can look forward to your next visit.

(I say “she” because something like 90% of nursing-home residents are women. But there’s no reason to ignore the men, and in fact it would be great if more men would volunteer their time to visit these often equally lonely residents.)

While you’re there, you can perhaps take care of little tasks that she can no longer handle, like watering a favorite plant or hanging up a sweater or blouse that was somehow forgotten in last night’s bedtime scramble or writing letters that her arthritic hands can’t manage.

But even more important, invite her to tell you all about herself – her history, her family, her likes and dislikes, her past and present challenges and victories. Pretend you're a reporter and ask polite follow-up questions. Act like you're her best friend and you soon will be, and in most cases you’ll find yourself feeling like she’s one of your best friends, too.

In the course of these visits, you can of course tell her about yourself, too – especially when you’re having a conversation about this or that, so that you can bond through shared experiences and viewpoints. But be wary of dominating the conversation; a little “I” goes a long way. 

Most important, if you’re a Christian, be open to talking about your faith, and inviting her to talk about hers. Most women of nursing-home age were raised in a church, and many have rock-solid faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are exceptions, and sooner or later you’ll want to present the gospel – and invite your new friend to receive the free gift of eternal life through repentance and trust in Christ Jesus.  

What do you think? Would you like to be all the world to someone in desperate need of someone who cares? If so, call the Activities Director at your neighborhood nursing home today, and find out how to get started! 

Forget everything you've learned about death. 

Forget what Jesus said about the  horrible day when "brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death" (Mark 13:12-13a). That was then, this is now. 

Forget, too, what the apostle Paul said about death being "the wages of sin" (Romans 6:23) and "the last enemy that will be destroyed" (1 Corinthians 15:26) and that it will be 
"swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). What did he know?

And don't even give a thought to what might come next. What difference does it make?  All roads lead to the heaven of your dreams, whatever that may be.

What matters today is having a "good death," my incredibly smart friend Julie told me sorrowfully

So I looked it up. I googled "good death" and, by George, she was right. I got 665,000 hits -- enough to show that it's a subject of serious discussion among academics and healthcare thought leaders, but not enough to indicate that it's a phrase people toss about as just another modern cliche. 

So what is a "good death"? 

An About.com article advises us that a group called the Debate of the Age Health and Care Study Group has defined it thusly: 
 
·  To know when death is coming, and to understand what can be expected [editor's  note: before one breathes one's last, no doubt -- not "what can be expected" after breathing one's last] 

·  To be able to retain control of what happens. 

·  To be afforded dignity and privacy.
 
·  To have control over pain relief and other symptom control.
 
· To have choice and control over where death occurs (at home or elsewhere).
 
· To have access to information and expertise of whatever kind is necessary.

· To have access to any spiritual or emotional support required. 

· To have access to hospice care in any location, not only in hospital. 
 
· To have control over who is present and who shares the end. 
 
· To be able to issue advance directives which ensure wishes are respected. 
 
· To have time to say goodbye, and control over other aspects of timing.
 
· To be able to leave when it is time to go, and not to have life prolonged pointlessly. 

"These ... principles are good ones," the article added, "to incorporate [in] health care services, professional codes and care plans or missions for end of life care organizations and institutions."

Note that if a dying person needs any sort of spiritual or emotional support, well then, by all means provide it! Be like Mother Theresa and help that Buddhist be the best Buddhist he can be!

And for Pete's sake, do not harass the dying with any talk of trusting in some Imaginary Friend. In fact, don't even let anyone with such an intolerant belief system near people striving to achieve a "good death." He or she might have some lunatic idea about "pulling them out of the fire" (Jude 23).

So that's it: In our enlightened culture, death is no longer a penalty, or the enemy, or something to be swallowed up in victory. No siree! As long as a "good death" can be assured, everything will be ok.

Welcome to our brave new world, where a "good death" could well be the prelude to a very bad eternity. (Originally posted 9/11/13)

Picture this: Your grandmother being auctioned off on an ebay-like web site for operators of care homes, the contract for her care being awarded to the lowest bidder.

That’s exactly what’s going on in England these days. You know, England, one of the countries elite Americans want our nation to emulate. Yes, that England – home of the fabulous national healthcare system that we keep hearing about.

Trouble is, our American news media have never bothered to look into how it’s really working out in the UK. To find out, we have to turn to British newspapers like the Daily Mail.   

The truth? It seems that they’re having trouble paying for all that “free” healthcare, which is what happens when you ignore the laws of supply and demand. The result is a new kind of rationing, based not on ability to pay but ability to wait and ability to continue contributing to the system via taxes – the latter being the kiss of death for the elderly.  

I don’t know what the solution is, short of individuals saving their money and/or investing in long-term-care insurance rather than granite countertops and exotic vacations. But as long as we’re trusting the government to take care of us when we can no longer take care of ourselves, we’re not going to do either one.

Which means we may well find ourselves on such a web site one day, being auctioned off to the lowest bidder.  

It's amazing how often the comic strip Pickles manages to capture brilliantly, in just a few frames, the experiences of aging. Although its execution is matchless, it's probably not too difficult for cartoonist Brian Crane to come up with his ideas; they're based on problems we encounter every day once we pass 60. Or even 50. 

But what an excellent way to deal with it -- simply laugh at your errors and omissions! Then thank the Lord that you are still capable of recognizing them, that He is there to protect you, and that if you belong to Him, your brain will be restored to perfection one happy day. 

A new, 12-year Danish study of 1000 healthy joggers aged 20 to 86 tells yet another new tale about how to extend your life: "A light jog a few times a week may help you live longer, a new study from Denmark suggests. In contrast, running too hard may have drawbacks." 

Publishing their findings in the February 2nd Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers found that "those who jogged strenuously were just as likely to die during the study period as those who were sedentary."

So the pendulum of the latest scientific knowledge swings back once again. But never fear: A year or decade or century from now, there'll no doubt be another study ascribing long life to high-speed, pavement-pounding marathoners.  

What's missing from the ever-changing brilliance of modern secular science? Just this singular fact, noted by King David in one of the many psalms he wrote to the Lord: "And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them" (Psalm 139:16b).

This is why secular science's solutions for extending our longevity are doomed to fail. The truth is that we each have a divinely scheduled appointment with death. And nothing can possibly change it -- not even all the medications or diets or exercise regimens the world can possibly dream up.

But here's the best news: You will live forever. The only question is where you'll spend it. 

So if you haven't done so already, why not take some time today to plan your destination for all eternity?