We all have a desperate need for God - not just for following him or being committed to him, but to be intimately connected to him.

We long for purpose, for affirmation, for attention, for nurture. But Gari Meacham writes that we fall short of being desperate for God, or we miss the longed-for romance with God we hear about in scripture. We're uncertain how to distinguish our longings from our fears. When, says Meacham, did our longings turn to hauntings? And when did we buy into the counterfeit yearnings for control, and the insecurity, perfectionism and other attitudes that quench...