Dr. Benjamin T. Mast - Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel during Alzheimers Disease

What is a Christian to think when a loved one who has been faithful to Gods commands and steeped in his Word behaves in ways that are strange to family and even to self? Do we fear ourselves that we may lose our memory, our mind, such that all spiritual that we value dissolves into apparent oblivion? Ben Mast has provided us with much-needed perspective and encouragement about the ongoing interaction among God, family, and those who begin to forget.

DAN G. BLAZER, MD, MPH, PhD, JP Gibbons Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

My mother, one the godliest people to ever walk on this earth, died from Alzheimers. The debilitating effects of this disease were almost more than we could bear. A book like this would have been worth its weight in gold! I cannot commend highly enough what a gift it will be to families everywhere.

DANIEL L. AKIN, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC

We forget God always remembers. Thank you, Ben, for this profound reminder.

JOLENE BRACKEY, national speaker on Alzheimers Disease, author of Creating Moments of Joy

With pastoral tenderness and gospel confidence, Mast shepherds the readers to see how Alzheimers Disease cannot and will not have the final say as our faithful God will not forget us. Second Forgetting is a gift to the church as it serves as an essential resource to equip the body of Christ to care for one another with the gospel during times of deep suffering.

ROBERT K. CHEONG, Pastor of Care, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY

One of the greatest fears of growing old is the ever-increasing possibility of developing Alzheimers or another dementia, raising the lament, Who am I if I cant remember who I am? Using Scripture and inspiring testimonies of dementia-afflicted people he has known and helped, Dr. Mast shows the reader how to respond to the experience of dementia as Gods beloved children.

JANE M. THIBAULT, PhD, Clinical Professor Emerita, Clinical Gerontologist, University of Louisville, School of Medicine

Second Forgetting isnt simply scientific theories regarding the brain, Alzheimers, and memory loss, but the deep, prayerful, and careful counsel of a pastor. Dr. Mast is not only a seasoned scholar but a soul physician. My hope is that his prescription would lead to a healthier, holier and more hopeful church. Buy this book.

DANIEL MONTGOMERY, Pastor of Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY; author of Faithmapping and PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace

When memory is compromised we lose touch with connections to people and also with God. Benjamin Mast takes us into the inside of memory loss and helps us understand from within what it is like to experience such a tragic, disabling disease. Caregivers who read this book will respond more empathically and effectively to people who struggle to remember.

RONALD J. NYDAM, PhD, DMin, Professor of Pastoral Care, Calvin Theological Seminary; Author of Adoptees Come of Age: Living Within Two Families

Dr. Mast leads the reader through Second Forgetting to Second Remembering as he reminds us that all people have infinite value and that God remembers each person no matter the circumstances. This book contains a powerful message of hope, written especially for those of the Christian faith, but it also contains eternal truths helpful for individuals of all faiths. This message is a must for those of us dedicated to a better way of communicating and relating to the person with dementia.

VIRGINIA BELL, MSW, co-author of The Best Friends Approach books

An expert in the field of Alzheimers, Mast has woven together the latest research with a gospel-centered orientation and the compassion of a caregiver to produce a biblically informed and practical guide for those in the early stages of the disease and those who love or minister to those afflicted. A welcome and needed resource!

ERIC JOHNSON, Professor of Pastoral Care, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Director of the Society for Christian Psychology

ZONDERVAN

Second Forgetting

Copyright 2014 by Benjamin T. Mast

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub ISBN: 978-0-310-51388-9 Copyright July 2014

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mast, Benjamin T.

Second forgetting : remembering the power of the gospel during Alzheimer's disease / Dr. Benjamin Mast.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-310-51387-2 (softcover)

1. Alzheimer's diseasePatientsReligious life. 2. CaregiversReligious life. 3. Alzheimer's diseaseReligious aspectsChristianity. 4. CaringReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4910.6.A55M37 2014

259'.4196831dc23

2014001199

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: IMAGO

Cover photography: Shutterstock

Interior design and composition: Greg Johnson/Textbook Perfect

This book is dedicated to those who feel forgotten... and was written to remind you that you are not.

CONTENTS

by Scotty Smith

D AD, ITS ME, SCOTTY... YOUR YOUNGEST SON.

I never thought Id have to say those words words pregnant with pain and sadness. I was still learning to accept the fact that my dad no longer recognized me. He had forgotten my face. He had forgotten my name. And this forgetting was far more difficult than I had expected. I just couldnt wrap my head and heart around it. Nothing had prepared me for this new chapter in life, learning to love and care for a father who could no longer remember his own son.

I shouldnt have been surprised, though. After all, there is dementia and Alzheimers on both sides of my family. So there is a very real possibility that I too will one day forget the people I love most in this world. Walking through Alzheimers with my father made me think about that and wonder: is there anything I can do to, in faith and not fear, to prepare for this possibility?

I wish Bens book had been published a decade earlier, but even so, I am so thankful to have it now. Benjamin Mast is a man who is trained as a scientist and clinician, and who loves the gospel. What a gift, what a treasure, what a compendium of hope and wisdom Ive found Second Forgetting to be! As a pastor, I now have a medically sensitive, gospel-saturated book to share with those under my care, one that I can recommend to a wide audience of family and friends, to anyone who might be impacted by the issue of memory loss. In addition, I now have an incredible tool to prepare me for the unknown challenges I may one day face should I begin to suffer from significant memory impairment.

During the later stages of my dads illness, there was one verse of Scripture that I pondered more than any other, Isaiah 49:15: Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! As I read this book, Ben brought this text alive for me in several profound ways. On one hand, he gave me fresh insight into the incredibly good news that God is compassionate and does not forget those he loves. No matter