A Hunger For God

There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: "This much, O God, I want you." Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives - whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God - and Him alone - is the only thing that will bring victory. Do you have that hunger for Him? As John Piper puts it: "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great." If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God. Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

Using the imagery of the psalms as a backdrop, author Calvin Miller explores our hunger for intimacy with our Holy God. Insisting that the pathway to God's holiness is through a journey into our own selves, Miller yet maintains that our end is not to know ourselves but to know Christ. Our hunger for the Holy leads us to a table for two in a quiet wilderness. Here, Miller says, we meet as "ardent lovers in the lonely desert of the human heart. There, he speaks as much as we do, and even when both of us say nothing, we are rapt in a welded oneness." In Miller's inimitable style, he graciously invites us to satisfy our hunger for the holiness of God as we meditate on the psalms and are challenged to know the God of the universe in a personal, intimate relationship.

Combining the best of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions, Kirvan explores the lives and writings of ten great mystics from Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century to Thomas Merton today.

A wrenchingly honest, eloquent memoir “about true nourishment that comes not from [eating] but from engaging on a spiritual path."—Los Angeles Times In this brave and perceptive account of compulsion and the healing process, Bullitt-Jonas describes a childhood darkened by the repressive shadows of her alcoholic father and her emotionally reclusive mother, whose demands for excellence, poise, and self-control drove Bullitt-Jonas to develop an insatiable hunger. What began with pilfering extra slices of bread at her parents' dinner table turned into binges with cream pies and pancakes, sometimes gaining as much as eleven pounds in four days. When the family urged her father into treatment, the author recognized her own addiction and embarked on the path to recovery by discovering the spiritual hunger beneath her craving for food.

Expect more in your relationship with God! If true relationship is defined by ongoing personal interaction, then a relationship with God must be more than merely theological knowledge. Australian revivalist Ben Hughes provokes readers to hunger for more in their relationship with God. Bens life has been marked by many supernatural encounters with God. By exploring both Biblical and modern-day examples, Ben explains what lead to his life-changing encounters with God, and how easy it is for you to enter into the same realms of Holy Spirit intimacy! Each chapter releases a new wave of spiritual awakening! Discover how you can: Partner with the Armies of the Lord encamped around you. Keep applying fresh oil to the fire of your heart. Respond to divine invitations of signs, wonders, and miracles. Position yourself for Heavenly commissioning. You were created for relationship with God! Learn to walk in the fullness of this relationship, and experience the power of intimacy!

Uncommon is a battle cry for women to step out of the ordinary and live differently. It's a blueprint for a life full of passion and purpose. And it has the power to change everything. Carey Scott, author, speaker, and certified Biblical Life Coach, invites you to journey alongside her as she introduces you to women from the Word who chose to live uncommon lives even in the toughest circumstances. From stepping into scandalous situations to breaking cultural norms to risking the departure of a comfortable life, you will discover hope and motivation to live God’s way in a world that screams, “Tuck your faith away! Just be normal like everyone else!” Now more than ever, it's time to step into something new. . .something life-changing and life-giving. God is asking you to shine Him into a world that needs to know there is a better way to live. And when you say yes to becoming uncommon, it's a radical act of obedience to the One who created you to be extraordinary. Uncommon offers personal stories, insights, life lessons, questions for further reflection, and biblical support written especially for women. With authenticity, vulnerability, humor, refreshing boldness and anchored in the Beatitudes, Uncommon will empower you to rise up. . .to reject the common. . .to embrace your calling. . . and to live in a way that points others to God. Buckle up, friend. It's time to be uncommon.

"Formerly published as In Search of Dignity (Regal Books, 1983)"

How Our Hunger Leads Us Closer to Jesus Many Christians—especially those who have grown up in the church—seem to be living "good" lives, free from extreme hardship and scandalous sin. Yet even this good life leaves them longing. Regardless of our backgrounds and circumstances, all of us have a deep hunger that only Jesus can satisfy. In this book, Amy DiMarcangelo invites readers to feast at the table of grace, where they will find God's vast glory and intimate care, his strength made perfect in weakness, and his gifts of joy and comfort to his children. Even the most hungry Christians will be encouraged that they "may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Encouragement for Christian Women: Written to help both new and mature Christians embrace their need for Christ and find satisfaction in him alone Biblical: Unfolds the unsearchable glories of God through his word Discussion Questions and Recommended Books: Provides an opportunity for group study and further reflection Published in partnership with the Gospel Coalition