Satisfied: Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption - Book Review

We live in a consumer-driven, debt-ridden, advertisement-saturated culture.  We know that our self-worth does not equate with our net-worth, but do we live like we believe that?  Jeff Manion, pastor, says it is a tragedy that we are rich and utterly unaware of it here in the U.S.A., but the biggest scandal is not how much we have, but how little we think we have, and thus, how much more we expect and demand. 

In his book Satisfied: Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption, Jeff Manion strives to provide biblical direction for living a deep spiritual life in a shallow, materialistic culture. He draws on six Scripture passages, examining how the original audience received them, and then shows how that message can transform how we view our stuff.  He attempts to explore why we hunger for material possessions and how to live the counter cultural lifestyle of contented satisfaction.  Each of the six parts of the book include a few reflection questions and a challenge project for the week.  

This book is incredibly practical, but I would have loved to have seen the author take this topic a little deeper.  He touched on the hunger for material possessions being rooted in healing wounds of the past or filling an empty hole inside, but he didn't flesh it out.  He uses realistic illustrations to make his points, but I don't know if they are hypothetical stories or actual testimonies.  His answers to discovering contentment seemed like common sense to me -- be grateful, don't compare, don't go in debt, save your money, be generous, get rid of stuff, trust God.  But overall, I think it is an excellent book for those who aren't familiar with the message.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan Publishing in exchange for my honest review.