title: Stories from the Edge: A Theology of Grief
author:  Greg Garrett 
description: This is not a book about the stages of grief, or the 10 steps to overcoming it. In fact, it's more about suffering in general than bereavement in particular. Garrett (<I>The Gospel According to Hollywood</I>) draws on a summer he spent doing clinical pastoral education&mdash;a kind of boot camp for hospital chaplains&mdash;to discuss the age-old theodicy questions. The book challenges certain myths that American Christians have swallowed about God&mdash;e.g., that God is a transactional ATM who is obligated to dispense good things to the faithful, or that it's Satan, not God, who makes rotten things happen. Some of these myths are eloquently debunked, while others&mdash;such as Americans' persistent faith in consumerism and their ability to buy health and happiness&mdash;deserve more ink. Garrett scores points with the powerful stories of the hospital patients he prayed alongside of as well as his own autobiographical discussions of dealing with severe depression. Christians who are looking for theologically nuanced ways of thinking about suffering can learn much from this brief book. <I>(Sept.)</I> <BR>Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: Chapter One
  Garrett McKay opened the oven door and checked the three pans of lasagna bubbling with
  delicious goodness. Rich smells from a variety of melted cheeses mixed in with spicy tomatoes filled
  the kitchen. The scent of thick slabs of buttery garlic toast would soon be joining the riot of aromas.
  As Garrett closed the oven door, he thought back to the night Tristen had snuck into the hacienda.
  Relief had filled him when the big Brazilian had taken Tristen away. He was not the one for Tristen
  and wouldn’t have wanted to hurt the small man for anything in the world. Garrett believed to the
  depths of his soul that somewhere out there was the love of his life. He just had to be patient.
  Tolliver Holiday took a sip of his brandy old fashioned and continued to enjoy the view on the
  other side of the room. The county sheriff, Steve Titan, along with his brother, Dean, and Cade Miller
  were sitting together at a table drinking beer and discussing something that had all three of them
  throw