Thirsty For God

A landmark text on the history of Christian spirituality embarks on the journey afresh. This accessible and engaging history provides an excellent primer on the two-millennium quest for union with God, a "thirst" at the center of Christian life and practice. Holt traces the practice of Christian devotion, prayer, and contemplation from the biblical and influential early periods through the diverse insights of the Reformation and modern eras. Globally framed, the book highlights the local contributions of people from a wide array of traditions and perspectives as unified yet diverse voices giving witness to the thirst for the experience of the divine that is at the heart of the Christian pilgrimage. This new edition not only updates all the chapters and features but also adds more material on the spirituality of Jesus, medieval women mystics, contemporary spirituality, spiritual faith and practice in the digital age, and spirituality in a globalized world. Excerpts and illustrations from primary sources, a glossary, a timeline, new bibliographies, sets of spiritual exercises and discussion questions, and an online resource guide heighten the book's usefulness for students and lay persons alike.

Beginning in the street ministry days of the Jesus Movement, Matthew Gallatin devoted more than 20 years to evangelical Christian ministry. He was a singer/songwriter, worship leader, youth leader, and Calvary Chapel pastor. Nevertheless, he eventually accepted a painful reality: no matter how hard he tried, he was never able to experience the God whom he longed to know. In encountering Orthodox Christianity, he finally found the fullness of the Faith.In Thirsting for God, philosophy professor Gallatin expresses many of the struggles that a Protestant will encounter in coming face to face with Orthodoxy: such things as Protestant relativism, rationalism versus the Orthodox sacramental path to God, and the unity of Scripture and Tradition. He also discusses praying with icons, praying formal prayers, and many other Orthodox traditions.An outstanding book that will help Orthodox readers more deeply appreciate their faith and will give Protestant readers a more thorough understanding of the Church.

How do I know if I'm growing spiritually? In the distractions of daily life, it can be hard to evaluate how we are doing spiritually. But monitoring the pulse of your spiritual health is just as important as monitoring your mental and physical health. No matter where you are in your walk with Christ, bestselling author Don Whitney makes it easy to do a self-check on your spiritual wellbeing. Quickly evaluate your spiritual state by asking yourself these 10 convicting diagnostic questions: Do I thirst for God? Do I still grieve over sin? Am I a quicker forgiver? Am I more loving? Am I sensitive to God's presence? Am I concerned for others? Am I governed by God's Word? Do I delight in the church? Are the spiritual disciplines important to me? Do I yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus? By bringing the lofty idea of "sanctification" into a helpful and convicting spotlight, this concise and insightful book will transform your spiritual life. Now with a new discussion guide for group or personal use to help you dive deeper into each question. "Don Whitney's spiritual feet are blessedly cemented in the wisdom of the Bible. This is as beneficial as it is solid." --J. I. Packer, author and theologian

This accessible and engaging history traces the practice of Christian devotion, prayer, and contemplation from the biblical and influential early periods through the diverse insights of the Reformation and modern eras.

When it comes to our connection with God, we dread "dry seasons," when we feel far from our life-sustaining Creator and redeemer. We want to dwell in lush valleys, not wander in trackless deserts. And yet, during the first three centuries of the church, many men and women purposefully moved into deserts to seek God. They understood something that we have missed: a desert is not a place of vast nothingness, but a place where we can truly experience God's provision, restoration, and intimacy. Through Scripture and personal stories of her own times of waiting and struggle, Allison Allen offers a fresh perspective for women who dare to believe that God is doing something of eternal value in their dry seasons. She shows how God can use these times in our lives to reveal himself to us, to give us rest, to get our attention, to show us our strength, to experience his blessings, and more. Any woman who has been feeling spiritually sapped will welcome this refreshing message of hope.

Lots of devotionals offer short readings for busy women. Rarely do they dive deep enough into God's Word to stick with you and make a real difference in your day, let alone your life. Thirsty isn't like other devotionals. Rather than breeze past a snippet of Scripture and a loosely related anecdote each day, this unique devotional focuses your attention on one short passage of Scripture for an entire week, encouraging you to memorize, understand, and apply its truth to your life. After 12 weeks of these rich, deep dives into God's Word, you'll find your soul restored and your life changed. If you long for a closer relationship with God despite your packed schedule, discover how you can drink deeply from the well of Scripture in just 20 minutes a day.

"What the world most needs today is prayer. It is prayer that will give birth to all the renewals, healings, deep and fruitful transformations we all want for society today.... I am more and more convinced that everything comes from prayer and that, among the calls of the Spirit, this is the first and most urgent one we should respond to." Many have already benefited from Fr. Jacques’ best-selling book on prayer, Time for God. In Thirsting for Prayer, Fr. Jacques revisits some of the themes covered in that book and develops new insights that are both profound and practical. These reflections guide us with simplicity on the path to intimacy with God, helping us to develop an actual taste for personal prayer. This "school of prayer" opens us up to the encounter with God that transforms us from within. View Fr. Jacques Philippe's website and App (www.frjacquesphilippe.com)

Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus’s words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith and counsel for how to trust God’s promises more than our perceptions and to find rest in the faithfulness of God.