Thirst: Coming Home to the Voice That Calls You Beloved

Thirst names a wound many carry but few can see: the restless compulsion to earn our worth through performing, pleasing, carrying or rebelling - a cup, cracked in us early, that cannot hold the love poured into it. At its heart lies Bishop Trevor Walters's pioneering work on External Affirmation Syndrome which Thirst brings into conversation with the Church's ancient wisdom on the healing of desire. Drawing on pastoral theology and his own research with clergy, Ryan Cook traces the way home along the Church's ancient path of healing, where the Father's word - "You are my beloved" - is slowly received through prayer, the sacraments, community and a rhythm of life. Written for pastors, leaders and those who care for them, but for anyone weary of proving themselves, it offers not less desire but its true spring: a life lived from a full cup, at rest in a love that was never earned.

Praise for Thirst
This is a timely message speaking deeply into the soul of those who thirst for a healthier, happier and more integrated life. Ryan Cook is someone who thinks deeply, has studied diligently, and is engaged practically on the front-lines of pastoral ministry. I particularly appreciate his combination of radical candour with resilient hope that broken vessels like you and me can still be fixed.
-Pete Greig, 24-7 Prayer International // Waverley Abbey

I cannot wait to give this book to every leader I counsel on the topic of parental wounds and burnout ... One is gripped by every page. He has taken the baton from me and put in a faster lap than I.
-Rt Revd Dr Trevor Walters, Author of EAS Syndrome

I began reading with professor-eyes, but quickly found myself reading as Gloria - considering my own life. This is a healing text. Fr Ryan Cook builds on Trevor's work with a depth of pastoral theology and personal relatedness that opens the heart of the reader to hear God say, 'You are my beloved.'
-Dr Gloria Woodland, Associate Professor of Chaplaincy Studies & Spiritual Care, Trinity Western University

Pastor, leader, influencer, disciple of Jesus - Thirst is one of those books you don't realise how much you needed until you read it. Read it - and let it read you. Discover the true source of the inner drives, motives, strengths, and longings the world (and even church culture) often celebrates ... but may actually be our kryptonite. Far more than a book that diagnoses, Thirst will awaken in you a deeper longing for the true Well who alone satisfies our deepest thirst. (I only wish I'd had this book 36 years ago.)
-Revd Monica Prescott, Lead Pastor, City Life Church

Father Ryan is a gifted writer and skilful thinker combining a priestly heart for others with a gentle longing to see others walk in the fulness of love. The text is crisp and clear; the handling of integrated sources is masterful. The interpretation of biblical narrative is sublime. The book is a gift to those looking for understanding of their own self and a must for those who support and counsel the clergy. The practical holiness that builds through Thirst is achievable, realistic and open to all.
-Revd Andrew Axon, Lead for Revitalise (Diocese of Portsmouth)

From one restless-hearted-Performer to another, this book is a gift to the whole Church....This book is a must-read for anyone in ordained ministry and for those who are considering a call to holy orders. More than that, it is a timely invitation for every Christian leader to consider the spring from which they draw. The Church needs more leaders, in pulpits and pews alike, who genuinely thirst after God.
-The Revd Dr Porter C. Taylor