Many famous philosophers have claimed that honestly facing one’s own death is required for an authentic life. Out of her vibrant Christian faith Hattie Bryant has authored her own take on this issue. Drawing on the profound depths of Scripture, she evaluates life now in light of both current medical technologies and the biblical vision of resurrection and new creation, which God has in store for the faithful. Her conclusion: We need to plan for our dying, so that we may die—and live—well. This study will not only challenge and deepen your faith, but will equip you with practical wisdom for planning for the end of your life, which is inevitably coming.
J. Richard Middleton, PhD | Author of A New Heaven and a New Earth
Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis | Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan
Not a week goes by when I am not with an individual or a family who could benefit from I'll Have It God's Way. Sooner or later most of us will face the serious illness or impending death of someone we love. Complex healthcare decisions make matters more difficult. Yet, Hattie Bryant offers a way to make such matters not only more manageable but also more meaningful. Her method involves handling matters God’s way, a way of peace rather than perplexity, of planning rather than procrastinating, of faith rather than fear. She writes out of the experience she had as an advocate for her own mother when she was dying. During that time, she learned about the pitfalls we will all face if we expect others to make decisions for us when our own time comes. It might be hard to imagine that thinking about death and dying can put a smile on your face, but that is what happens as you read and work through the workbook designed to help you have it God's way.
Rev. Jim Solomon, M.Div. | Author, The Living Water; Refreshing Your Soul
Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care and Prayer | First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Hattie Bryant has perspective. From the first page of this book you’ll see that life was never supposed to be about “this” life here on earth. Over and over scripture speaks to “another life” for those of us who have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Why then, do so many of us live as though this place was all there is? Hattie does a wonderful job bringing the reader back to what God’s words says about who we are and who we are in light of God’s purpose and plan for us. I’ve had the privilege of spending some time with Hattie. She writes as she lives…with passion, purpose and perspective. You will find great hope in reading this book—on how to live well and how to finish well.
Neil Montgomery | Associate to the Senior Pastor
Congregational Care | Scottsdale Bible Church
Hattie Bryant’s first book on this topic, I’ll Have It My Way, was just what I needed to have an open and honest conversation with my 95 year-old widowed mother about her health and her healthcare. Now for us Christians she dives deeper with this Bible study. In I’ll Have It God’s Way Hattie invites us to embrace the promises of our great God and at the same time she provides solid advice for how to work with modern medicine when we face serious illness and when we are caring for others who are sick and frail. The time has come for churches to take the lead on this difficult topic that is made more complicated in our wealthy post-Christian culture as we engage with the standard practices of modern medicine. While more money is spent on our care, many do not receive the care they long for. Hattie teaches us to create specific and personal instructions that can give us peaceful choices and keep us on God’s best path for us.
Oliver Heath | Elder
Covenant Church, Mobile Alabama
“You saw me before I was born. Everyday of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
Psalm 139:16
God has a master plan for our lives that includes the time when our days are over, and we die. Hattie Bryant writes in her book, I’ll Have It God’s Way, “We will all face death. It is going to be difficult if we don’t get ready, and far easier if we do.” Her newest book is written in study group format that can show us specifically how to avoid the pain, suffering, confusion, and disagreements that can rise when a loved one is facing end-of-life times. Sadly, even Christians often have a multitude of emotions regarding death when we know how the story ends – and we are assured eternity with our God. Hattie shows us it is our responsibility to have a clear plan for exactly how drugs, machines, and other medical devices are used or not at the end of our lives. In doing so family and friends know our wishes; and we are left to live every day of our lives, honoring our Lord until our last breath. God bless Hattie Bryant for writing I’ll Have It God’s Way.
Claudia Cearley, PhD
We all have an appointment, no matter how rich or poor or how healthy or unhealthy we may be. Someday we will all die. It’s hard to fathom; we live in such a death-denying society. The Bible says it is “appointed unto man once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). As a nurse for 40 years, I have seen people accept this fact and prepare for it. Others fight it and deny it. The same God who thoughtfully created us and placed us in this world also has a plan through His Word to assist us as we prepare to leave this world. Hattie Bryant candidly and compellingly confronts this issue in I’ll Have It God’s Way and clearly outlines ways that we can prepare for this by doing it God’s way.
Pam Malloy MN, RN, FPCN, FAAN
I’ll Have It God’s Way is a much-needed book. It is also a brave book, one that I will be recommending to many. Hattie Bryant writes with compassion and insight about the importance of facing the truth that we are not God and we will all die. While we don’t like to think about death, it is good stewardship on our part to make advance directives for our own comfort and peace of mind. Planning also is a kindness to our loved ones. How empowering it is to know that we can be armed with knowledge of the process and make wise decisions for our medical choices, making sure there will be someone to see that our wishes are carried out. This book is written for Christians and it is designed to be used as a group and includes video as well. What an excellent resource for all of us. Thank you, Hattie, for writing this wise yet down-to-earth and biblical guide to inspire us to “live fully now and into our forever!”
Nancie Carmichael, Author
The Unexpected Power of Home plus many other books
See more reviews on Amazon at: I'll Have It God's Way
Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Palliative Medicine, VP, Medical Affairs Hospice & Palliative Care OhioHealth
We live in a death-denying society. No one wants to talk or think about, and certainly not make plans for it. So it makes sense that when it is our turn to die (and we all have an appointment), we are many times not prepared. Hattie Bryant candidly and compellingly confronts this issue in I’ll Have it My Way. While it is vital for people to think about and make plans for what they want before they have been diagnosed with a serious, possibly life-threatening illness, human nature all too often works against our better self. The trend of adult children also caring for aging parents compounds the issue, but Hattie provides a powerful and encouraging companion guide for decision-making that will equip the reader with both a sense of freedom and great peace, too."
Pam Malloy, RN, MN, FPCN Director and Co-Investigator of the ELNEC Project
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
"Finding a way to motivate people like us to think about the choices and decisions that need to be made when we are confronted with a serious life-threatening illness has always been difficult, because it raises the possibility or even probability of dying and death. We would prefer not to think about it, much less talk about it with family, friends, and our physicians. This is painful, emotional stuff. Hattie Bryant, determined to help others avoid the difficulties she and her mother endured as her mother died, has used her communication and organization skills to provide the steps to guide you in this process. An experienced educator, she has had the advice and counsel of many national experts in palliative care, geriatrics, oncology, bioethics, psychology, and spirituality in writing this book for you. Have it your way."
John P. (Jack) Mc Nulty, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
"For thirty years I've worked in a hospital setting, including the first twenty as a social worker in ICU. In that time, I've counseled hundreds of patients and their families as they struggled with decisions concerning their loved one's serious illness or end-of-life care without the benefit of previous planning and communication. Hattie Bryant's own experience as an advocate for her dying mother affords her the opportunity to credibly and passionately present the case for personal responsibility in the healthcare and end-of-life decisions that await us all. Using the valuable thought processes and exercises in this book to guide our personal plans, we can remove the burden of difficult decision-making from our loved ones and focus instead on living our lives fully to the end."
Elizabeth Chaitin, DHCE, MA, MSW
Director of Quality and Ethics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Palliative
and Supportive Institute
"In our fast moving culture, people want control over everything. Yet, the one thing people decline to take control of is their death. We have a society that refuses to admit it is the one thing we all have in common. Therefore empowering people in the process is critical. I’ll Have It My Way is a tool to guide people to considering one’s values, priorities, and preferences for life and death. With the input of experts from all disciplines and specialties, the book reflects the most current literature. Written in a familiar tone, it is as if Hattie is sitting beside the reader and her voice offers support and encouragement. The result is an advance care plan that includes a designation of a trusted person to speak for someone when they can't, instructions for the type of care a person wants, and a description of what is important. And when someone dies, their friends and family will be able to say it was done their way."
Constance Dahlin, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN
Faculty, Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care
"Hattie Bryant has written an important and timely book that approaches a difficult topic with sensitivity born out of her own experience. This isn't just a book to read but one to use to guide discussion and planning. Everyone with an interest in living life to the fullest should read and use this book."
Joseph J. Gallo, MD, MPH
Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
