Starved: Why We Need a Spiritual Diet Change to Move Us from Tired, Anxious, and Overwhelmed to Fulfilled, Whole, and Free

by Amy Seiffert

We’re consuming, we’re filling up, we’re taking in, but at the end of the day, our souls are still starving.

So many of us feel dissatisfied and empty―emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. Our lives are rushed, overflowing, and we’re low on joy, fulfillment, peace, and purpose. In our spare moments, we turn to our phones, social media, and a million other little things, desperate for relief, but over time, these distractions become an unhealthy diet for our souls―uplifting us for a moment but ultimately denying us the nourishment we need. When we overconsume these imposters that promise a temporary boost but actually leave us weak and weary, we become anxious, fearful, and depleted. These addicting substitutes keep us coming back for more, never providing satisfaction.

But there is hope. We don’t have to stay stuck and malnourished. We can become free of shame, disappointment, and anxiety.

In Starved , popular author and teacher Amy Seiffert shows readers how to stop ingesting spiritual junk food and offers simple and replenishing practices like silence, service, and Sabbath that can bring us closer to Jesus. She encourages us to put down our phones, set aside our pride, and let go of the hustle so that we can receive a spiritual diet change that will leave us delightfully content, spiritually healthy, and free to experience the goodness of Jesus.

Genres: Christian, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Religion, Faith

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2023

About the author

Amy has been writing, teaching, and speaking on staff with Cru for over 18 years and is currently the Director of Outward Movement at Brookside Church. She is married to Rob since 2001, and they live in Bowling Green, OH with their three children Robby, Olive, and Judah.

Amy pulls you in with her story telling and down-to-earth insights. Weaving Biblical wisdom through her presentations, Amy takes you for a ride and drops you off back home filled up with truth, love and hope. Relatable, funny, and a bit provocative, Amy has the uncanny ability to articulate what so many are thinking about in their daily lives. She inspires, teaches and humbly relates to the mystery and messiness of life.

Reviews

[Amanda Kollar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing the ARC.

I like Amy Seiffert. Ive had the pleasure of meeting her in person and listening to her speak. I'll return to thoroughly read better and expand on my own life. I liked something I read recently by the author Amy that we are the stones of the path and covered by weeds. We need to pull back those weeds away from us the things that are choking us "anxiety, politics, worry, the devils thoughts in our head that we arent good enough" and we need to lay those at the feet of Jesus. In order for us to shine bright and be able to soak up the glory of God and to get new wisdom and understanding from Him. There's definitely a lot of good scripture I'll be referring back too.

[Kate W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started off well.. Chapter 5 is when it gets woke. Returned it.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Loved It

I absolutely love this book!

Very heartfelt and warm.

Love Amy's writing.

A truly moving book.

I really appreciate her candid writing too. As someone who also has ADD as Amy does, I really appreciate the way she writes about ADD complications, but also the gifts you have as someone with ADD.

Highly recommended reading!
My favorite book of hers.

TW:
Repressed childhood sexual abuse

4.7/5

[Kami Banko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with a friend at a rate of a chapter or two per week followed by discussion. I’m super excited about strengthened friendship from the extra time spent together discussing this study, but certain chapters of this book definitely resonated with us more than others. It’s an easy read, and the chapters are formatted nicely, but sometimes when the chapters started, it wasn’t clear where she was going with it. I feel like she has a lot more life examples to use in the chapters than I would have so maybe that’s why some topics didn’t hit me as hard as others.

[Shayla Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super! I listen to the audio and I really enjoy hearing her tell the story. The most useful parts for me I felt like were the 'practices' given at the end of each chapter to summarize and put into action what was learned in the chapter. This is definitely one I will revisit to glean new insights and fresh encouragement in specific areas. Very practical and useful content.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is confusing. IMHO the cover gave an expectation that readers would learn to surrender anxieties to the Lord and give practical advice on how to do just that. This book jumped around to so many topics that it lacked cohesion. Because it talked about so many topics, there was little depth, intentionality, and impact. It starts off talking about how we are addicted to our phones, then talks about politics, then racial justice, to sabbath, etc. All are great topics — but one chapter about each does not give enough depth to any of the topics she tried to write about. For instance, one chapter about racial justice just skimmed the surface, with a polarizing narrative of white and blacks (as an AAPI, I felt like my narrative in the racial justice chapter was completely left out). Also, I don’t love this type of writing style — cutesy, girl next door, lots of exclamation points! It had potential but I think it lacked direction. It mentioned some helpful tips about how to grow spiritually.

[Kimberly Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Amy! I have been following her on Instagram now for about 2 years. I’m so glad I found her! She has been such an encouragement and light in my life, pointing me always to Jesus. What I love about her is how she shares truth from Gods word in such a loving, compassionate, real way but doesn’t skirt around issues.

Her latest book “Starved” is just that! It’s real and raw, and faces issues head on but In such a loving, relatable way! Amy is so down to earth and seems like the kind of person that you could see yourself hanging out with having coffee and chatting! She really puts herself out there in the book and is vulnerable which helps you to do the same when accessing your own life. If you are debating getting her book, please do so! You won’t regret it and I know it will be bless you, convict you and make you really think about your life as it has for me!

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes you laugh and pricks you with conviction all at once. Amy’s lighthearted and gracious writing style leads the reader through many instances in which we are starving and don’t even realize it. She writes from a “me too” standpoint and shares her own struggles - not as someone who has figured it all out, but who is still walking the daily journey of surrender and feeding on the only true source of satisfaction. Each reader will be able to find themselves in at least one of the starvation scenarios Amy describes.

It’s easy to fall into feasting on the junk, but intentionally is required to look up and grab hold of the richness offered to us through Christ: and this book is a companion on that road.

[Ronja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starved by Amy Seiffert discusses us being spiritually starved, in need of many things like Sabbath, community and things. To be honest, this book started really well and spoke about important topics and related the Scriptures to them. However, the second half of the book was not so good in my opinion. It felt like the author was trying to prove that she was a gifted teacher/writer by telling examples of her own life where people were telling her this. It also felt like she was trying to prove her stance as a woman pastor (which I theologically disagree with) so there was less good content in the second half of the book.

[Martha Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I appreciate about “Starved” is that it takes a holistic and and in-depth look at the ways that we are famished, dehydrated, depleted and invites us to replenish ourselves by looking to the One who claimed that whoever came to Him would not go hungry, and that whoever drank his water, would never thirst again.

And what made this spiritual-living book more special is that Seiffert goes all in, she isn’t afraid of getting deep into the weeds, she doesn’t shy away from sensitive issues including childhood abuse and racial injustice and she does so with an aura of vulnerability, bravery and (a word from her first book) “grace.”

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very beginning of reading this book I knew it would be life changing. Amy Seiffert gives a powerful message but with such a compassion for those of us who have been feeling starved. This was a message that helped me to identify why I was feeling starved and then offered me tools to find the norishment that I need in his word and in Christ himself. Amy writes from experience, she vulnerably shares her own struggles and to remind us were in good company. I feel her heart coming through to us in everyway. This book is worth reading and be ready for your life to be changed 💚. So grateful for this book and this amazing author.

[Debbie McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to hear Amy speak at a ladies event recently and really enjoyed it. I am getting ready to start this as a book study and wanted to listen to the book before it started. This book was challenging to my heart and has really given me a lot to think on. I really think I'm going to learn a lot going thru the book study. I've struggled with Bible study the last 2 years after my mom passed away and I stepped down as a children's pastor so I could be more focused on our family. This book has reminded me of God's consistent love and my choice to love Him back. Thank you Amy for writing this and I'm glad you chose to be the audio voice so we could hear your heart.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author clearly had an agenda with certain chapters, which I found void of Biblical evidence and spiritual discernment. My class had to give it up. I kept reading and found value in certain sections, but overall, too much quoting of figures and not enough of the Word to carry this one.

Really liked the quoting of these verses at the end:

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Truth and Some Agenda

Overall, there is some good encouragement, common sense, and guidance here with lots of Biblical reference. BUT, the author takes quiet a few tangents to put forth opinions & support for quite a few "progressive" agendas which most Conservative Christians, myself included, not only disagreed with but found unnecessary & irrelevant to the purpose the book put forward. I was ready to put it down by chapter 3 but had committed to finishing it. It took months to push through, and I did appreciate a lot of what followed but found those portions bothersome since they didn't seem to really add to the point.

[Alma de Color · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this book for the conversations it led to in the small group we had to discuss it. My life is pretty different than the author's and so some parts felt like they were not quite as easy to connect to. However, I think that slowing down, focusing on big picture and what we truly value is vital in our fast-paced culture of isolation and self-made men and women who are truly starved for healthy community and support. I plan to read it again after a while to see if I connect differently in a season where I have time and space to "digest" more fully. :-)

[Sharde' · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read an ARC of this book. 3.5 stars

Good read on spiritual nourishment and the ways we starve ourselves of it and how we can work to not do that with practices and prayer.
Author shared many excerpts from other reads that changed her life, so also added some further reads to my list from this book.
Appreciated the authors transparency in life, motherhood, etc and even relating the topic to current events, racism, etc.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read - especially because Amy writes with grace and truth surrounding topics that leave us feeling starved. Her topics point to Jesus and her examples and vulnerability welcome the reader into her life and provides a sense of "I'm not alone in this" and offers a feeling of community. Writing with a theologically sound voice laced with grace can be difficult, but Amy's delivery was top notch!

[Tynoshia Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Inspirational Read

I discovered this book through a Jennifer Rothschild Podcast. I had never heard of the author, but I purchases the book. I am glad that I did. This book focuses on key ingredients that is needed for our spiritual well-being. She ends the book on the topic of fasting. She talks about a supportive church community. Hee book even touched on world topics. I am glad I purchased it!

[Lindsey Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book to read straight through. The reader should digest one chapter at a time in order to appreciate Seiffert's eye-opening revelations about why we, as a society, are constantly searching and never fulfilled. While Seiffert writes from the Christian perspective, this is a helpful read for anyone who is struggling with emptiness.

[Tami Hungerford · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s really a 3.75 ⭐️ from me. The book had some “huh?” Parts and wasn’t as biblically rich as I was hoping (or as the subtitle led on) but I am glad I kept reading . I was actually “stuck” listening as it was the only thing downloaded on my hoopla during car rides/or without internet. The Lord wastes nothing. 💜

[Lindsay Cribbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads like a conversation over coffee with a wise friend. Full of practical truths and real life applications. The author’s humility and vulnerability are fresh, authentic and witty! Something for everyone.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy weaves together vulnerable and relatable storytelling with timeless Bible truths. She dives headfirst into topics that are relevant and discusses them with care and conviction and always with her eyes on Jesus.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Amy touches on many relatable topics and truths we need to hear! Such an encouraging read! Loved!! Starved is exactly what my soul needed, and I love her writing style!

[Rachel Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have zero idea how I got this book in my libby library. Did I see a cute cover and add it? Did someone suggest it? I will never know.

While listening, I realized her grandpa and my grandma were siblings. So my 4 stars may be biased 😉. This is a great book to remind us to refocus.

[Andrea Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my church small group. This was an absolutely amazing experience with an extraordinary group of women in which I learned to be more vulnerable and to remain true to myself!

[Leslie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did this study with a group of women at my church. With ages ranging from 30s-60s, we read the book and went over the questions together weekly. Be sure to watch the videos as well. Amy Seiffert also shares simple gestures to help us remember Jesus is the only one who can satisfy our souls.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Amy, for Feeding our Souls with your words

So much of this book is worth sharing. It inspired me, made me cry, and made me smile. I love the breath prayers. There is filling wisdom in this book.

[Trinity Gawron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed- honest, encouraging, and pointing me towards grace and the deep love of God.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started well. Then it went astray. It was heartbreaking to see. As the author grows in Christ may she also grow in discernment. I think with more spiritual growth she can make a strong impact.

[Marisa Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️