From Grief to Glory: A Book of Comfort for Grieving Parents (Bruce III)

“Looking back on the death of my son, I see now the value of trudging through life’s struggles with others who have trod the same path...The comfort they obtained has helped me, and I believe that all who suffer similar losses may discover these saints to be comrades and find in their stories comfort and encouragement.” -- The author

There are few joys to match that which a child brings to a family. And even fewer sorrows that rival the pain of burying a child. James Bruce and his wife, Joni, knew that pain when their infant son died. They found comfort in the words of others who had known similar loss: fellow Christians such as Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, and John Bunyan, who also wept and yet were comforted by the Father of mercies. Their intimate, emotional expressions of pain, peace, and hope – and their prevailing faith – are shared throughout these pages in both the short accounts and the eloquent poetry gathered here. If you or a loved one is walking through the valley of weeping – especially at the loss of a son or daughter – know that you are not alone, and let those who have come before remind you of your heavenly Father’s sovereign grace and the mystery of joy in the midst of suffering.

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Table of Contents:

Part One: The Angel of Death

1. The River Without a Bridge

2. A Father’s Last Embrace

3. The Cruel Destroyer

4. More Epitaphs

Part Two: The Valley of Weeping

5. A Mother’s Moan

6. A Dagger of Ice

7. Not As I Will

8. More Tears

Part Three: The Path to Glory

9. Sleeping in the Bosom of the Almighty

10. Weep Not

11. No More Crying: A Token for Children

12. Lessons in Sorrow

Author  

James W. Bruce III and his wife, Joni, knew their son John Cameron for only 55 days before his death in 1997. This book is one of the legacies of his life. The Bruces and their children live in Oklahoma City, where James works in a family-owned business and serves as an elder in his church. His wife is executive director of the National Parents Network of Oklahoma, a non-profit organization helping families and their children through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit experience.

Endorsements 

"My heart resonates with this book. It instructs and inspires. It comforts and convicts. The pages pulsate with the wisdom and hope of saints down through the ages. They comfort us with the comfort they received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4). This is as it should be." - Susan Hunt, Women in the Church, Consultant, Presbyterian Church in America.

"I can say, from the perspective of a pastor, that this book has significant value for ministering to Christians who have lost children. I have been moved to tears while reading it. The book is useful, among other reasons, simply in reminding us that so many of God’s faithful ministers have suffered in the same way" - James M. Boice, Late pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.

"To be healed from grief and loss is to be led by God gently and gingerly along the path of pain others have trod. James Bruce does this so powerfully and poignantly in his excellent book so full of history and heart." - Joni Eareckson Tada, Best-selling author and founder of Joni and Friends.