Christy Brunke - When Losses Become Legacies: Memoirs on Grief, God, and Glory

B runke and Cowan have dared to engage our souls at the place where believers and doubters meet at the same agonizing intersectionsuffering. Their writing urges us to look for the irreplaceable presence of Jesus on the difficult journey we each will eventually walk through in our seasons of personal pain and loss. Their words and stories are compelling and filled with hope as we find our footing on the solid rock.

Tim Simpson, pastor of congregational care, Greenridge Baptist Church, Boyds, Maryland, and former president of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware

Each of us is called to steward time, faith, blessings, and sorrow. The personal and heartfelt testimonies in When Losses Become Legacies beautifully exemplify how to turn ashes into beauty on the difficult paths each of us must walk. Through poignant stories and steady reliance on God, readers will see how to let their lights shine in the darkness for the illumination of all.

Sandra Byrd, bestselling, award-winning author of The One Year Experiencing Gods Love Devotional

Brunke and Cowan invite us to journey with them, bearing witness to grief and loss they have known. The testimonies are beautiful and sorrowful, inspirational and encouraging. Their losseslegaciesare built on a great cloud of witnesses, spurring us to run the race life sets before us. Ultimately, Brunke and Cowan bring readers the lasting hope and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Nive Christodoss, licensed clinical professional counselor and certified clinical trauma professional

Written from the pens of tender hearts that wisely seek to redeem every loss in the light of eternal hope found only in Jesus Christ. I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking hope in what may feel like a hopeless situation.

Dr. John C. Palmieri, pastor and coach at New Life Community Church, Chicago

While reading this book, a Bible passage came to me over and over: A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Prov. 25:11 NKJV). The sensitivity and wisdom Brunke and Cowan bring to this jewel box of a book do indeed set gold in silver. Through true-life stories ranging from postpartum depression to grief associated with the loss of a relationship, a loved one, a dream, and beyond, these authors weave the silver and gold of hope and healing through Jesus Christ into otherwise dark and dismal landscapes. I recommend this book to anyone who has found themselves in a dark valley and in need of light.

Linda Brooks Davis, award-winning author of The Calling of Ella McFarland

Brunke and Cowan guide readers through a deep labyrinth of lifes grief and gloom, up toward a horizon of hopeJesus empty tomb. When Losses Become Legacies offers a touching anthology of tragedies, delivering a peace that passes understanding.

Eric T. Eichinger, senior pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church, Clearwater, Florida, and award-winning author of The Final Race and Lord of Legends: Jesus Redemption Quest

Do you remember a moment in life where it seemed that you couldnt breathe, that the hurt was overwhelming, when the emotional pain was strikingly real? Most of us tend to hide in those moments, and perhaps hide from those moments for the rest of our lives. Kristina Cowan and Christy Brunke explore those areas we try to avoid in When Losses Become Legacies. Through their gentle and kind-spirited authorship, they reveal in seasons of loss how God brings to life things that are hidden. A type of resurrection awaits you in these pages.

Dr. Mollie Bond, professor, nonprofit professional, and author of Hopelessly Hopeful During Separation

R edemptive Edge Press

Monrovia, MD

redemptiveedgepress.com

When Losses Become Legacies: Memoirs on Grief, God, and Glory

First edition

Copyright 2022, by Christy Brunke and Kristina Cowan

Requests for information should be sent to:

• christy@redemptiveedgepress.com

• kristina@redemptiveedgepress.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022900288

ISBN: 979-8-9854841-0-6

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Redemptive Edge Press.

Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1995 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Book cover design by Melissa Williams Design

Developmental editing by Christy Brunke and Kristina Cowan

Copy editing by Thomas Wayne Carter

Interior formatting by Christy Brunke and Kristina Cowan

O n the stage of life, suffering invariably enters, often donning the costume we call loss. Loss of health. Loss of a marriage. Loss of a loved one.

If we let it, suffering ushers us closer to our Savior. The fleeting pain has the power to bestow an enduring reward: legacy.

As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:17, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

In this life or the next, the Lord will restore. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Pet. 5:10).

The suffering and the restoration both have their place in our stories. After all, Jesus, in whose footsteps we seek to follow, endured the cross for the joy set before him (Heb. 12:2).