Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Gari Meacham is a writer, speaker, and teacher.  Her passion for the word of God has made her a popular speaker throughout the country.  Gari currently resides in Houston, Texas where she regularly speaks and teaches at her home church, Second Baptist Church of Houston, one of the largest churches in the country. 

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Spirit Hunger Workbook

ZONDERVAN

Contents

Invitation...............................................................5How to Use This Workbook.................................................7SESSION ONE HIDING, CONTROLLING, AND MOCHA LATTES.......................11SESSION TWO ENGAGING GOD: FROM LONGING TO PRAYER........................39SESSION THREE WHISPERS AND SCREAMS: HOW DO WE PRAY?.....................73SESSION FOUR THE GUTS TO BELIEVE........................................107SESSION FIVE LISTENING POSTURES.........................................137SESSION SIX WHO'S IN CHARGE?............................................173BONUS SESSION SEVEN THE LOOK OF A DISCIPLE..............................201Acknowledgments..........................................................205Notes....................................................................207

Chapter One

HIDING, CONTROLLING, AND MOCHA LATTES

Have you ever felt a gnawing inside, a tug of emotion that lingers with a sense of emptiness even though life seems full? Sometimes it grabs me at night when my mind finally settles after a full day; other times I wake with it—a hope that today will fulfill my heart's desire for something I can't quite name. This gnawing tug of possibility is our Spirit Hunger, the place inside us that longs to connect with God.

I wandered around for years wondering what that yearning was. Why I could achieve certain goals and still feel empty. Why I could be surrounded by people and still feel alone. Even after falling head over heels in love with my Savior Jesus, that wrenching desire can still overtake me like waves crashing on a rocky beach.

After running from, numbing, ignoring, stuffing, and analyzing this desire till I'm blue in the face, I've come to recognize the hunger pains of my spirit—the way it woos me back to the true filling it desires, an authentic and continual dining with God.

VIDEO TEACHING (19 minutes)

Watch the video. The main points are included here for you. Jot down additional notes if you wish.

The tone in many of the psalms is that of desperation, yet often we find ourselves committed but not desperate.

We long for things that make us uniquely women: nurturing; affirmation; to be noticed and heard—but there is a longing at the core of women's lives that bullies itself in front of all other longings: the longing to be in control.

This need for control came from the first woman, Eve. (Genesis 3:6)

What happened in the garden is referred to as a sin issue, but it was also a control issue.

Control has a muzzle. The muzzle to control is trust.

God taught women trust after their exodus from Egypt. In the wilderness they were only able to gather a day's worth of what they needed to sustain their families. They had to trust that God would provide tomorrow what he had today.

Our spirits long to trust God, not control him.

GROUP DISCUSSION (approx. 25 minutes)

Discuss the following questions related to the video you just watched.

1. What's the difference between a committed Christian and a desperate Christian?

2. Donald Miller, author of the book Blue like Jazz, says "The opposite of love is not hate; it's control." How does this definition change your view of control?

3. How were the events in the Garden of Eden not just a sin issue, but a control issue? (See Genesis 3:6.)

4. Gari mentioned the following descriptions in her list "How to Know If You Have Issues with Control." Can you think of others to add to the list?

• Won't let anyone help in the kitchen or around the house, but then complains that if she doesn't do the chores, they won't be done right.

• Uses nagging as a tool because if she doesn't nag, people won't budge.

• Claims she wants a strong husband who leads, but criticizes when he tries to.

• Exhausts herself trying to make everyone happy.

• Tells other people how to drive, how to do things, and generally makes all the decisions and choices in the household. decisions and choices in the household.

5. How is trusting God a muzzle to control?

6. If our spirits long to trust God—not control him—how can we let go of control and practice trust?

PERSONAL STUDY

DAY ONE SWEET OR SASSY?

I've never been a coffee drinker. I know that's one step short of sacrilegious in a country that has a Starbucks on every corner, but a few years ago I found a drink that rivals anything I've ever wanted to suck through a straw—sweet tea. It may sound silly, but when I'm crawling into bed at night I actually get excited to drink a big tea the next day. I don't have many habits; as a matter of fact, God has taken me through some achy times exposing behaviors and compulsions that have teased my heart away from him. Thankfully, the sweet tea seems to be okay.

As I think about my physical longing for sweet tea, I'm reminded of what psychologists have known for centuries: Certain longings are universal to humanity. They begin when we are born and carry through our lives until we take our last breath. Much more important than sweet tea (although I may beg to differ some mornings) is our longing for nurture, attention, and affirmation. We long for filling and purpose; we long for intimacy—to be treasured and valued; and sitting at the top of the list is our longing to authentically connect with God.

Although these sound beautiful, like dainty flowers in a vase, we often have no clue what to do with these longings when they beg for attention they don't receive.

How did things get so messed up? When did the longings in our lives turn to hauntings? Why do these longings get tangled with counterfeit fillings?

I believe the answer to these questions can be found in the very first woman to walk the earth—Eve. I've always heard the story of Adam and Eve referred to as the fall of man, but I'd like to call it the devastation of woman, because what happened that day in the garden changed the face of women's hearts and longings forever.

* Please turn to Genesis 3 and read verses 1-6. Write out verse 6 below.

The Bible says that after Eve ate of the fruit, she gave it to her husband and he ate too. There's no time frame given for how quickly he ate, but I have a hunch it wasn't immediate. The truth is Adam knew better, but I think Eve wore him down. Maybe it went something like this: "Adam, try this fruit that I've eaten; it's great!" If he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, I think she went for the nagging approach, "Adam (said with a bit of a whine), you really need to eat this. I'm serious. Eat!" If that didn't work, I think she coyly began to cry, "Why don't you want to do like I've done? Don't you want to share this special moment with me?"

Whether he ate to get her to be quiet, or he just didn't have the spine to stand up to her, control has now bullied its way onto the list of our longings. Prior to the "devastation of woman," the word control had never been uttered. Now it's screaming from the treetops.

* To this day, it seems that women battle for control and men battle being cowards. Do you see any "control" issues lurking in your life? (Just so you know, it can come in the form of nagging, trying to make everyone happy, being bossy, or frantically trying to keep all your ducks in a row!)

I spent many years believing I didn't...