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Desire often means more than the quest for sexual connection.

Genuine intimacy requires a prior search for wholeness and personal growth.

No love story is immune from a crucible or the trials that surface in most relationships.

In our search for meaning, we look to free ourselves and wonder what we want to be free for.

On average, adults make approximately 35,000 daily decisions, largely based upon desires and, we hope, values as well. “Desire is boundless, infusing every aspect of our lives,” writes Jay Stringer in Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow. “It is the energy force that awakens our curiosity, the fire that fuels our ambition, the longing that propels us toward something more.”1

Research shows that desires do change across the lifespan. While a growth motive encourages younger adults to find purpose and life direction, older adults flourish when living authentically, having found purpose and mastery of skills.2

In addition to our age and life stage, desires can be shaped by what others want us to believe or have. Think advertising. Haven’t we all fallen at some point for the latest tech gadget, beauty product, or useful kitchen appliance? On a deeper level, Stringer posits that we have five core longings, explained in his book.

Progressing through life, we excavate. At some point, there’s a longing to heal childhood wounds and make........

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