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

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!

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.

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.

"Even though I looked alive and vital, the hourglass measuring the aliveness of my soul was swiftly draining to the bottom. I was losing my battle to be myself. I was in my prime. My career was taking off; I was surrounded by loving friends and family. Yet it felt like time was running out." Dr. Robin L. Smith, noted psychologist, ordained minister, motivational speaker, and best-selling author of Lies at the Altar, seemed to have the perfect life, but underneath it all, she felt empty. In this powerful new work, Dr. Robin painstakingly chronicles a time when she felt at the end of her rope, unable to truly see herself or escape the unrelenting craving in her heart. Throughout her life, she had always focused on living up to everyone else’s expectations, doing everything they asked – everything they recommended – in the hopes that by pleasing others she would find fulfillment and success. Instead she found herself spiritually and emotionally starved with a hungry soul begging for change. Through vivid descriptions of the symptoms of her hunger, the gnawing emptiness in her soul, and her courageous journey to discovering herself, Dr. Robin opens a window into her own experiences in order to provide insight into yours. With clarity and empathy she starts you on a path to uncovering the real you – the you that lays beneath all the doubt, superficiality, and life crises. Dr. Robin honestly bares her soul and shares her story – plus stories of other hungry souls including her friends, clients from her psychology practice, family, and celebrities – and in the process, teaches you to recognize, survive, embrace, and conquer your own hunger. She teaches you to step into your own story so you can listen to and learn from the wisdom within.

Based on interviews with youth and youth ministers, this book allows young people to articulate their struggles, beliefs and fears and helps older people to better understand their spiritual needs. It provides useful ideas on how to companion youth in a variety of settings.

A handbook on how to overcome binge eating, emotional eating and food obsession