A New Normal: A Journey From Loss to Joy

By Jim Mann

After a sudden death in his family, Pastor Jim Mann found himself unprepared to handle the unfamiliar issue of grief. An idyllic childhood made grief an unfamiliar foe. Years of seminary and pastoral ministry hadn t prepared him. So the Lord led him on his own journey through grief. Daily, he read the Bible, prayed, cried, and journaled his thoughts. This book is the result. Grief will touch us all at some point, and it comes in many forms, great and small: loss of loved ones, loss of a dream, a broken marriage, accidents and disasters even the loss of a beloved pet or a move to a new town. When we experience loss, life changes and will never be normal again; it can t be . . . life is different now. But God will lead you to a new normal. The key is dealing with your grief head-on owning it. As you bring God into the process, seeking answers and relating your fears, struggles, and even anger to Him, He promises to walk you through the grieving process. This honest and insightful month-long journal is intended to help the reader work through grief in a healthy, healing way. You can emerge from the process in a stronger relationship with God and prepared to get on with life. Not only will you be stronger after the journey, you will be better prepared to help others who may need you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ambassador International
• Release date: Dec 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781935507819

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Broken

Imago Dei

Be Imitators of God

Helplessness

A New Normal

The Master Weaver

Schadenfreude

Psalm 126

Fairness Doctrine

Demons

Treasure

Mother

Remember

Shine

Shaded Gray

Shadow of Death

Florilegium

Absurdity

Blessed

The Bell Tolls

In Vain?

Childlike Prayer

Strong as Death

This Shall Be a Sign?

Trumped

Praises

Emotional Lottery

Thy Will Be Done

Get on with Life

On Heaven

On Eternity

Crossing the Bar

Ich Glaube an Gott

Sorrow, Joy, and Hope

Mom’s Birthday

On Love

Crash

In

The Setting Sun

Scars

Final Thoughts

Afterword

A New Normal

A Journey from Loss to Joy

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© 2012 by Dr. Jim Mann

All rights reserved

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Printed in the United States of America

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ISBN: 9781935507871

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Cover Design & Page Layout by Matthew Mulder and David Siglin

Author Photo by Carol Carter

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The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights

reserved worldwide.

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Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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AMBASSADOR INTERNATIONAL

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www.ambassador-international.com

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The colophon is a trademark of Ambassador

Dedication

For Mom —

Servata fines cineri, soli de gloria

Foreword

THE TRUTH IS SIMPLE; DEATH is a transition. It is a transition not just for those who move from Earth to Heaven but also for those who live on. Death challenges us like nothing else, that is why Hebrews 2:14 says Jesus came to deliver us who were subject to the fear of death. Death demands of our faith; it makes us answer the questions: Do we believe in the face of what we see? Do we believe in the face of what we feel?

Dr. Jim Mann confronts these questions and others head-on. Jim takes us on his personal journey as he walks through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. His honesty and transparency are refreshing. We see what he sees and feel what he feels but, most importantly, we learn what he learned. This book gives you practical ways to master the moments of grief, to begin to embrace God and wrap yourself in the truth of His Word. The insights are powerful yet simple, they provide the first steps to fulfill 1 Corinthians 15:55, O death where, where is thy sting? and Romans 8:38 and 39, For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life…shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jim has done a great job. I encourage you to start the journey today.

—Pastor Gerald Brooks, D.D.

Grace Outreach Center

Plano, TX

Preface

MY MOTHER DIED SUDDENLY SEVERAL years ago. The Lord was gracious and merciful to walk me through the grieving process. This little book you are reading was an important part of my healing.

I was wholly unprepared for her death. Until that time, I had little acquaintance with sorrow. My grandparents’ deaths at very old ages were really the only grief I had experienced. My childhood had been like an episode of Leave it to Beaver or the Cosby Show. I’d been afforded a great education, married my college sweetheart, had my dream job, had two wonderful children . . . nothing in life had prepared me for grief.

Then, at the age of 64, my mom got sick. After a few weeks in the hospital, she looked like