Book’s Purpose

My book intends to assist family and friends to acknowledge and honor their loved ones when they have died.  Of course expressing such Gratitude and enumerating their beloved’s Qualities and Virtues is appropriate at any time – such as at birthdays, anniversaries, other celebrations like receiving an Award or at Retirement, or on Holidays, etc – but, perhaps lastly, now at their Funeral. For this task, many need encouragement and help in sorting through their memories and organizing their thoughts.

Importantly, for Christians and Lutherans, the PURPOSE of sharing any such kind words during the funeral is NOT to “aggrandize the dead” NOR is this a contemporary form of “ancestor veneration”.  Nor does this supplant Gospel proclamation or a Faith grounded in Grace.  After all, we can’t “preach anyone into heaven” - or “condemn them to Hell,” for that matter.

Uses for my Book

This book is intended to be both devotional and inspirational, as well as a “how to” manual of sorts. 

The book is inspirational and instructive as I speak about grief and address issues of loss.  I do so in my funeral sermons, but also in sharing in the body of the book,  situations and dynamics from my pastoral-counseling and worship-leading experience. 

I am also devotional in my approach to an individual’s Tribute. I provide specific resources for counseling individuals in Tribute writing / “Legacy creation”.  I provide prayers and other resources for presiding at funeral services or for use in personal devotions / meditations.

My “how to” section deals with instructions for composing a funeral Tribute for a loved one.  Such a Tribute, done properly, helps to create a Legacy for the deceased that is honest, warm and memorable, perhaps even humorous.  It is like a “picture collage” in words.

A Church Member’s Recommendation:

“As I read these words, I heard Pastor Miller preaching—it was like a sermon and Bible study at the same time. It strengthened my faith in God, lifted me up in my earthly trials and helped me answer more of my spiritual questions. It gave me comfort and also renewed my faith in eternal life. I realize how writing a tribute can express joy for a life lived, rather than just sadness for a life lost.” — Ruth Roecker, a Christian woman who looks to her faith for answers to her everyday questions.

Target Audience

I have written this book with several audiences in mind, different types of audiences that may similarly appreciate and hopefully benefit from my treatment of this subject ~ NAMELY both Pastors AND Lay People / Lay Ministers.

Ordained clergy and Parish Pastors

I am primarily targeting first-call pastors—maybe they are second-career men and women (thirty-five to fifty-five years of age) or those just off the college-to-seminary tract (twenty-five to thirty years of age).  Each category includes both women and men in several mainline denominations - including our ELCA.

Longer-term pastors may ALSO be interested in (1) instituting this tribute approach in their own ministry and for (2) receiving some sermon outlines, guidance, illustrations, or samples for their own funeral preaching or grief counseling. After all, it can be refreshing or enlightening to see how someone else “does it.”

Laypeople and Church Members

Many laypeople will be interested in this work for various devotional purposes.  This will be like reading an extended sermon on dying and death and may be like a personal counseling session on grief and recovery.  It will be both inspirational and instructive for managing one’s grief.  It can also encourage those who want to write a tribute for a family member or friend by providing a step-by-step catalog of criteria and topics to consider. 

Laity in their twenties or older will benefit from reading this as part of their quest to reflect on their own life, purpose, and direction.  For those asking self-examining questions, it could be a useful measure of whether they are leading lives toward becoming what they really want to be, want to accomplish, and want to be remembered for.

Finally, those involved in Stephen Ministries – as Lay counselors – within their church family will also find this book useful and helpful in reading about another’s experience / Journey of Discovery.