Sacred Thirst [Paperback]

M. Craig Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

Jesus once said, 'Whoever drinks of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.' So why are Christians still thirsty? We throw ourselves into church work, Bible studies, prayer, missions, fellowship. Yet still we search restlessly for something more. What are we missing? Perhaps the answer is, more of Jesus. Church meetings and programs, ministry, Christian counseling, and home groups are all good, but they are not him. It doesn't matter how devoted we are to these wonderful activities; they are not the same thing as communion with Jesus. Our souls crave him alone. In Sacred Thirst, author and pastor Craig Barnes brings us face-to-face with our desperate longing for God. Like the woman at the well, we have tried to satisfy our parched souls with so many other things---even religious things. But when we get to the bottom of our desire, we find Jesus quietly waiting with his living water---intimate communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This book is filled with unique insights into human experience and the character of God. With his keen understanding of the needs of contemporary Christians, Barnes points to the only way our thirst will ever be satisfied. Drawing from his rich background in the Bible and his tender insights as a pastor, he leads us into a new understanding of ourselves and the uncontrollable but gracious God we seek.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this deep, inspiring book, Barnes plays with biblical images of deserts, flowing streams and living waters, applying them to contemporary life. He says that he wrote the book especially for Christians who find themselves in a spiritual desert with a sense of "soul sadness" or spiritual loneliness, having lost the astonishment and joy of their faith. Barnes, senior pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., notes that in the Old and New Testaments, characters from the patriarchs to Jesus used such desert experiences as metaphors for pilgrimage toward God. Today's Christians can use their spiritual deserts toward that same end, seeking God's flowing streams of mercy to sustain and refresh them as they journey to the Promised Land. Barnes cautions that often Christians mistake their intellectual knowledge, prayers, church attendance and good works as replacements for God; he claims that making idols of these activities creates a sense of dissatisfaction and a longing for more. Often Christians settle for the desert, but Barnes says that "sacred thirst" can call them from barren spirituality to embrace the holy joy of God. Just as Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that he could give her living waters and she would never thirst, so he promises contemporary followers that the Holy Spirit is the living water that restores parched souls. Barnes's powerful and beautifully written book is a balm to the weary pilgrim.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Author

Dr. M. Craig Barnes, senior pastor of The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., is on the Adjunct Faculty of Regent College and on the Board of Trustees of Princeton Seminary. A cancer survivor, he is the author of Yearning: Living Between How It Is and How It Ought to Be and When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change. He was recently listed among Christianity Today’s up-and-coming new leaders. He lives in Bethesda, MD

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310219558
• ISBN-13: 978-0310219552
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

M. Craig Barnes is pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His previous books are Yearning, Hustling God, and When God Interrupts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Some Truth Telling, November 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sacred Thirst (Paperback)

This book tells the hard truth about our thirst, and how it cannot be satisfied by anything or anyone but Jesus, the living water. The author writes as a pastor who clearly understands the human soul and its insatiable thirst for God.

I was hooked after the first few pages that tells the moving story of a little boy giving the eulogy at his mother's funeral. Afterwards, as silence filled the sanctuary and everyone's heart, the pastor-author walked to his pulpit wondering what words could respond to such pathos. This marvelous book is his response to that question, and to my own longing for a word from the Savior.

Barnes speaks God's Word in ways that are both tender and prophetic. His writing style is fresh and engaging.

The chapter "It's Not About You" is particularly helpful and freeing, as it turns the focus away from the self, even the hurting self, and toward the work of a gracious God.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Inspiring, December 12, 2005

By 

E. Barber (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacred Thirst (Paperback)

I'm sure there are Christians out there, who like me, look for relevance and inspiration in their religious study. Craig Barnes is by far the most effective preacher I've seen, and his writings communicate the meanings of scripture in ways that seem to transcend the English language. For me, this book, "Hustling God," and "When God Interrupts" have been instrumental in getting through tough times. Some of the other (5 star) reviewers have said it better than I can. While some of his earlier writings are a bit more "intellectual," I cannot recommend his books enough.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sacred Thirst, February 16, 2007

By 

Ronald C. Harris - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sacred Thirst (Paperback)

Craig Barnes has experience coupled with a willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to lead his life. The benefit is the readers. This book has insight and reality that will hit home with those who have been around the kingdom of heaven on earth for a while. The book is a "keeper." You will want to refer to it from time to time.