The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Death

Practices Christian Living
#1

About 25 years ago I read Jeremy Taylor’s Holy Living (1650) and Holy Dying (1651), and was pretty blown away. This book and a few others set me on a habit (now an obsession) of thinking every day about my death. I went from thinking about it once a day for a while to later contemplating it several times a day to later returning to the subject of death whenever my mind wasn’t preoccupied with something else to now having it run like a utility software program in the background of whatever else is going on. It’s now woven into how I think about everything I do.

Too much death?

Tom

#2

I don’t know, but you have me curious now. I’ve never read those books – should I? I already do think about death a lot. :sunglasses:

Sonia

#3

Taylor was a big influence upon Wesley. Good read. His stuff is readable online too.

:sunglasses:

#4

Hmmm… depends what you mean by dwelling on death :confused: I think we should focus on life, now and in the age to come.

#5

We have been set free to live without fear of death, so we can love others, including our enemies, to the fullest extent. We should be aware of our mortality as an encouragement to not waste any of the limited time we have. Having said all that, it does seem unusual to dwell on one’s death so frequently.
Tom, does this spiritual exercise help or distract you in your discipleship/mission?