Spirit Hunger

by Gari Meacham

We all have a desperate need for God--not just for following him or being committed to him, but to be intimately connected to him.

We long for purpose, for affirmation, for attention, for nurture. But Gari Meacham writes that we fall short of being desperate for God, or we miss the longed-for romance with God we hear about in scripture.  We're uncertain how to distinguish our longings from our fears.  When, says Meacham, did our longings turn to hauntings? And when did we buy into the counterfeit yearnings for control, and the insecurity, perfectionism and other attitudes that quench Spirit Hunger?

The answer to Spirit Hunger is to engage God like never before. In this book Meacham shows through her story and the stories of others how to turn worry into belief, problems and heartaches into a life of intimate prayer, and sighs for intimacy into closeness with God.  She discusses her discoveries about prayer including why asking is sometimes hard, how we can notice and track God's movements as we seek his answers, and why it’s sometimes such a struggle to believe after we've prayed.

Meacham writes, "With the authenticity of my own life stories--marriage to a professional baseball player, struggles with severe food bondage, and a father who was a quadriplegic--I came to the crisp realization that my prayer life and my belief needed to match. Spirit Hunger provides a clear path towards matching these heart cries--leading away from crumbs and counterfeit, to a hungering for God."

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2012

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating 2.5. Unfortunately I didn't really like this book. I felt like the message kept getting mixed up in the author's story telling. Most of the time I wasn't very clear on the message she was trying to convey in the first place. Also, I would've liked to see a lot more biblical examples instead of cute stories. On the up side, Meacham has a very pretty writing style. I think she would do well to write a fiction novel.

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's personality shines in this very personal book written by Gari Meacham. Learning how to draw closer to the Lord by reading about another persons journey is what this book is all about. The subtitle to the book is Our Deep Longing To Connect With God.

I enjoyed the examples of other Christian's and their journey to a closer relationship with the Lord. I thought the author did an excellent job using personal illustrations to expound on her topics. She used scripture to perfection. Not over use but only when it will help make her point about the topic.

I gave this book 4/5 stars. The information given was informative and helpful. The personal stories were meaningful and some were even filled with humor. I wish there had been more on finding your purpose as a Christian rather then so much on what Christians long for. Overall it was a good book that I would recommend to a friend.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, very enjoyable. This is the second book by Gari that I’ve read. So much of her writing is like reading about my own struggles. Fortunately, her past struggles are paired with realizable solutions. For my journey ahead, I am looking forward to keeping this book close by. :)

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Gari's book. Too often we can walk through life as mere bystander going about our little quiet life in our own little way. Gari's book reminds us that God calls us to participate and we can do this by listening to the grumblings in our heart and allowing the Spirit to satisfy our hunger for more.

The book is broken into 3 sections: The heart that longs, the heart that seeks and the heart that moves and illustrates her perspectives with sound Biblical teaching and stories from her own life.

I particularly appreciated the chapters on prayer especially Chapter 9 on the postures for effective hearing from God. Too often prayer can become a monologue of requests, however, God wants to communicate and share what's on His heart so we need to establish the correct postures to listen.

Filled with practical teaching that challenges and is written with such infectious passion for encouraging all readers to set sail allowing the Spirit to take charge of our hearts.

Highly recommended.

[Jolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for paperback prose version of "Spirit Hunger" (202 pages Published October 9th 2012 by Zondervan) by Gari Meacham: I did not enjoy this book when I started it but by the end I found much to appreciate. Gari's writing style seemed poetic and hard for me to connect with initially. However as I read, and also listened to Gari speak as our ladies' Bible study watched the corresponding DVDs, the content really started to come through loud and clear. I don't know if Gari's delivery changed or I just stopped focusing on the delivery but the message really spoke to my heart. I have found many valuable nuggets that will enhance my relationship with God.

Review for kindle digital workbook version of "Spirit Hunger" to use with companion DVD: We watched Gari Meacham's Spirit Hunger DVD and used this workbook over the last four months (started on 9/17/16) in our ladies' Bible Study at church. I very much enjoyed Gari's presentations on the DVD and found the workbook to be an important component of the study that allowed a deeper dive into the prayer topic presented on each DVD segment. The daily assignments took awhile to complete (at least 30 minutes each day) but they really added to the overall study experience. The workbook definitely went more in-depth then Gari did in just the DVD. I definitely recommend using the workbook if you are doing the DVD study.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was moving as well as informative, the scriptures throughout really make the content of this book stand out. Gari beautifully paints a picture of God's love and grace that eagerly await all of those who choose Him. Her varying testimonies and experiences were a range from endearing to heart breaking all while she boldly declares how good God is, and oh man is He good. I wouldn't say this book was "life changing" but it was definitely worth the read and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see things in a new/different light that is shined upon by our heavenly Father. I could have probably read it in the course of one setting, or even within a day or two, but I'm glad I took my time to read and meditate on this book. Plus, she reminded me a lot of my own mom, which made me smile.

[Kristina Kaldenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed aspects of this book and thought the overall message was good, but it just missed the mark for me. I felt the author spent too much effort into being a good storyteller/writer than the actual message of the book. The writing seemed a little flowery at some points, not really necessary.

I got confused by all of the personal stories she threw in. Sometimes they made sense, but other times, they didn't fit the point she was trying to make. Sometimes it came off like she just wanted to brag.

I will take away some things from this book, but not as many as I would have liked.

[Leslie Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting and encouraging book, which can supplement to to our search (longing) for spiritual fulfillment -filling our deep longing to connect with God -starting with our heart and understanding through prayers.

[Jesusis Mysavior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the right time

I am in a deeper walk with the Lord and I was compelled to read this book. God used this book in a huge way. I am so grateful that Gari shared what she has learned through experience with the Lord. Thanks Gari

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Gari speak at the annual women in baseball luncheon during spring training. I could hear her voice and her heart is so much of this book.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. Couldn’t stop reading it. So good for my heart.

[Kally · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like many of the other low star reviews, I think the author's prose is pretty and engaging. She also does bring up some interesting points. However, it felt very scattered and some of the things she said or the way she said them made me cringe. Definitely spoken from a place of blind privilege. Also, I felt a little misled as to what the book was about. I thought it was an examination of the search for God in our lives and instead I got preached at by a suburban white lady at youth night.

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

And once more, a book I read at God’s timing right to my heart. I’ve been feeling a little bit stuck in the rut but right in the first chapter, my heart was moved… Yes, this is exactly it, this is the problem… a ‘Spirit Hunger’, an emptiness, a longing for something…

Gari Meacham took me on a journey to experience God, to trust in Him more and more in all things. She shared from her personal experience from the beginning of her journey with God when she first placed her trust in Him, in seeking Him throughout her life all the ups and downs, her struggles and victories in Christ. She didn’t appear to hold anything back and I really appreciated this as it opened her up as someone whom opinions I could trust.

The other thing I really appreciated in this book is how she continuously referred to the Scripture! It was noticeable that there were verses running throughout the book to support her points or give examples but rather than annoying, I found them to be tremendously helpful and built upon that trust that her faith and her thoughts are Scripture-based.

I needed this book to propel me forward – I finished reading the book on Saturday and was truly touched and longed for that engagement with God that the next morning (Sunday), I bawled my eyes out at church. The sermon of the day, of course, asks how passionate are we about God? If one could cry in the presence of a celeb, then what do you feel in the presence of the Glory of God?

Note: Just to quickly mention that there were significantly lack of capitalisation but as it was a galley, hopefully these will be amended prior to publication. These bits distracted me most!

Thank you Zondervan & NetGalley for the privilege to read & review

[Ebony S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of good points. But it didn't hold my attention. The title makes me think of a refreshing book in insite on how to seek God. I didn't get that and it seemed all over the place. Some of her wordding and word play was like poetry. I felt like I wanted her to write a non fiction or romantic novel and it would be an amazing read.

[Karen Mizener · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing must-read for anyone who is hurting. Who isn't hurting?? Gari wrote with her whole heart and soul and she, with God's help put on those pages words to make you weep and humble you to giving thanks to our wonderful Savior!!

[Sare Öztürk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version

[Lolita Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read, I enjoyed the journey!! My spirit's hunger was definitely fed.

[Kim Zimmerman]

loved the life illustrations of hunger, and the how to... i will use much of this book as a teaching tool

[Bruce Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author shares from personal experiences insights into prayer and a desire to connect with God. Relates to women in many ways and challenges all of us to a deeper relationship with God.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Bible study group read this book together. We didn't agree with every idea, but agreed it was great food for thought. We had excellent discussions each week.

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more autobiographical than anticipated and I was hoping for an overall perspective of connecting with God in New ways.

[Kyna Saul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid truths that we should never grow tired of reading about and hearing