After a week of hearing ghostly noises, a man is visited in his home by the spirit of his mother, dead for three decades. She reproaches him for his dissolute life and begs him to have Masses said in her name. Then she lays her hand on his sleeve, leaving an indelible burn mark, and departs... A Lutheran minister, no believer in Purgatory, is the puzzled recipient of repeated visitations from "demons" who come to him seeking prayer, consolation, and refuge in his little German church. But pity for the poor spirits overcomes the man's skepticism, and he marvels at what kind of departed souls could belong to Christ and yet suffer still... Hungry Souls recounts these stories and many others trustworthy, Church-verified accounts of earthly visitations from the dead in Purgatory. Accompanying these accounts are images from the "Museum of Purgatory" in Rome, which contains relics of encounters with the Holy Souls, including numerous evidences of hand prints burned into clothing and books; burn marks that cannot be explained by natural means or duplicated by artificial ones. Riveting!

Originally published: New York: Free Press; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan Canada; New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, c1994. With new foreword.

"Eight encouragements for growing an appetite for God's word"--

Every person¿no matter how famous or obscure, no matter how rich or poor they might be¿has (at some point) felt empty inside.Every person is hungry in a way that relationships, children, and friends cannot fill.Every person feels hopeless at some point. Are you prepared to help them? Maybe it is you who feels empty or hopeless yourself.The answer to every question can be found in God's Word. This book is written to help you explore that dark chasm between you and perfect contentment, and to help you tackle life's toughest questions. I am convinced that it is God's desire for every believer to be involved in the ministry of restoration. My prayer is that you will read this book and become a more effective soul-winner and life-changer¿feasting on the fruit of the Holy Spirit and feeding hungry souls.

Sara Hagerty masterfully draws from her own story of spiritual and physical barrenness to birth in readers a new longing for God. With exquisite storytelling and reflection, Hagerty guides readers to a tender place that God is holding just for them—a place where he shapes the bitterness of lost expectations into deep, new places of knowing Him. In the age of fingertip access to answers and a limitless supply of ambitions, where do we find the God who was birthed in dirt and straw? Sara Hagerty found him when life stopped working for her. She found him when she was a young adult mired in spiritual busyness and when she was a new bride with doubts about whether her fledgling marriage would survive. She found him alone in the night as she cradled her longing for babies who did not come. She found him as she kissed the faces of children on another continent who had lived years without a mommy’s touch. In Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet, Hagerty masterfully draws from the narrative of her life to craft a mosaic of a God who leans into broken stories. Here readers see a God who is present in every changing circumstance. Most significantly, they see a God who is present in every unchanging circumstance as well Whatever lost expectations readers are facing—in family, career, singleness, or marriage—Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet will bring them closer to a God who longs for them to know him more. What does it look like to know God’s nearness when life breaks? What does it mean to receive his life when earthly life remains barren? How can God turn the bitterness of unmet desire into new flavors of joy? With exquisite storytelling and reflection, Hagerty brings readers back to hope, back to healing, back to a place that God is holding for them alone—a place where the unseen is more real than what the eye can perceive. A place where every bitter thing is sweet.

Encouragement to Treasure the Bible and Grow in Your Desire for God's Life-Giving Word In our never-satisfied world, our souls hunger for more, and it's tempting to reach for the wrong "food" to satisfy our needs. Thankfully, Jesus is the bread of life who offers us himself through the life-giving and sustainable feast of Scripture (John 6:35). But how often do we sit at Christ's table, truly hungry for his word? Help for the Hungry Soul offers 8 encouragements to spur an appetite for God's word. Through searching questions, practical ideas, and moving testimonies, author Kristen Wetherell will help readers to reflect on their journey with their Bible and uncover how it is possible to treasure God's word. For those feeling discouraged or guilty about a waning desire for Scripture, Wetherell will spark excitement in their spiritual life—ultimately encouraging them to put God and his word at the center of it all. Encourages Readers to Love God's word: Teaches why readers should treasure the Bible to spark enthusiasm for reading Scripture Interactive Elements: This practical book provides reflection questions, habit trackers, and scriptural interaction to spur appetite for the word Contains Anecdotal Stories: Each chapter ends with an individual's unique testimony related to their personal journey with the Bible

A smorgasbord of ideas, stories, and practical suggestions on how to be spiritual companions to young people, sharing the richness of our faith while riding along on the awesome—and often surprising—journeys of those in our spiritual care.