Ep 38: When Your World Ends: Grief, Genesis, and God’s Next Beginning with Dawn Mann Sanders

Resilienceemotional healthhealinggriefdealing with lossgrieving
Written By Melie Williams
 

Host: Melie Williams
Guest: Dawn Mann Sanders

After a series of devastating losses—including multiple miscarriages and the sudden death of her husband—Dawn Mann Sanders found herself asking God, “What now?” In this conversation, Dawn walks us through the seven Genesis-shaped steps she uncovered while rebuilding her world with God: staying connected, seizing the moment, reconciling who we thought God was with who He truly is, embracing silence and presence, and entering the kind of rest that looks like peace—not passivity. If you’re grieving a person, a dream, or a life you thought you’d have, this episode offers gentle truth, solid hope, and practical ways to move forward with God.

What you’ll hear

  • A tender origin story: unexpected losses and the honest cry, “What now?”

  • Joy redefined: why obedience can be a doorway to joy when “happy” feels impossible.

  • Genesis as a roadmap: how creation’s order became seven steps for rebuilding.

  • Trust after tragedy: letting your understanding of God grow without pretending the pain is small.

  • How to help the hurting: the holy ministry of silence, presence, and practical care.

  • True rest: entering God’s peace while still doing the work you’re called to do.

  • A blessing for the road: “Your ending just might be God’s next beginning.”

Scripture & ideas mentioned

  • Genesis 1–2 — God’s creative order and entering His rest

  • Job 1:21 — “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away…”

  • The invitation to behold God and notice His movement in the present

About our guest — Dawn Mann Sanders

Dawn is an associate minister at First Baptist Church of Glenarden and serves as Director of the Sermon-Based Life Groups Ministry. Passionate about expository teaching, she helps people rebuild after loss using a Genesis-shaped framework. She’s the author of When Your World Ends.

Resources & links

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Melie Williams
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Ep 37: Faith, Fear, and the Fork in the Road: Resilient Decision Making