Imagining eternity: Daring to dream of life after death

When Michael J Tinker’s father was diagnosed with terminal cancer it took their family by surprise. But in the six short weeks between diagnosis and death, they experienced God drawing close like never before

It was 2021 and Dad was a year into retirement. Aged just 66 and after 38 years in church ministry, he was looking forward to the new adventures that lay ahead: the books to write, the churches to help plant, the time to spend with grandchildren.

He and Mum finally had a house of their own and were especially excited about the office in the converted garage. They were planning and dreaming about the golden years ahead. But those plans and dreams didn’t last long. The back pains Dad had been experiencing were more than back pains, and the reflux that was getting worse pointed to something sinister. After some investigations, my parents were given the news that everyone dreads: Dad had pancreatic cancer and had just a matter of months to live. It ended up being six weeks.