The Good Grief Devotional: 52 Weeks Toward Hope

A wise, honest companion for the journey through grief and loss.

Whether you are struggling with your own loss or walking with a friend or family member who is grieving, you know the journey is not smooth or straightforward. The Good Grief Devotional offers wise, honest companionship to those who are struggling with a divorce, the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or another major life transition.

Pastor Brent D. Christianson's 52 devotions follow the ten stages of grief outlined in Granger Westberg's helpful bestseller Good Grief, originally published in 1968. Millions of people have found comfort and validation for their grief, understanding their feelings and discovering helpful ways to live with loss while moving toward a new reality.

Christianson begins each section of the grief stages with a reflection on that aspect of loss and then considers what the stage means for the reader's self-understanding and relationships with God and others, including creation. Each devotion ends with questions to think about and talk about with another person, healing actions one might take, and a prayer.

The Good Grief Devotional provides inviting, pastoral care, helps readers face the reality of loss, and points toward hope. Readers will return to this devotion and collection of meditations year after year as they progress through their journey.

Brent D. Christianson is a retired pastor (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) who served parishes in Wisconsin and Minnesota for ten years and in campus ministry for twenty-five years. His poetry has been published in books and journals, and he has written studies for the ELCA. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in Northfield, Minnesota. They have three daughters and two grandchildren.