Treasure in the Wilderness
Desert Spirituality for Uncertain Times
- Prayer & Spiritual Formation
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
This exciting resource on desert spirituality is quite unlike any other: at once a physical journey to outstanding deserts of the planet and an odyssey of the soul. A journey of discovery takes us across five continents as we venture to places few pilgrims reach: the Gazan desert, the Sahara, the Australian outback, the Athos wilderness and the Ordos Desert of China, and the Syrian desert, among others. Evocative descriptions by early travelers and by the author immerse us into a diversity of wilderness landscapes, stimulating the senses and the imagination. Physicality leads to spirituality as we listen to compelling voices that speak to us poignantly across space and time--including spiritual writers long-forgotten or not well-known. These unearth for us the treasure we seek: we uncover the distinctive charism of each desert, offering us different and challenging ways of looking at the world and at the spiritual life. We discover the unpredictable desert to contain unexpected, priceless treasures of transformative wisdom that speak uncannily into our own contemporary spiritual search. We see how these gems can energize and inspire our discipleship or spiritual practice. As we embark on this spiritual quest, we may never be the same again!
Endorsements (4)
“This truly excellent book is indeed a treasure to be delighted in and shared with others. The author skilfully weaves together the strands of evocative descriptions of the various deserts of the world, the lives and teachings of those who have eked out a life of prayer in such seemingly inhospitable places, and reflections on how their example might be applied in our own day. Here is rich fruit for the picking.”
“This is a profound, timely read, cover-to-cover. Andrew Mayes illuminates the most desolate places of our world—and of our lives—with the brilliance of a very seasoned guide. His lyrical writing style and his posture of watchfulness and deep listening teems with hope. Fear not, the deserts in life are the route.”
“Treasures of wisdom and transformation are all the way through this insightful, scholarly, challenging, exciting book. In the arid deserts of our contemporary lives and the troubles of our global village Mayes’s words are treasures and gifts of wisdom and hope. An excellent resource for formation programs, including the training of spiritual directors.”
“This is a veritable adventure—a spiritual odyssey—for anyone in search of the treasure of a vision uplifted and a life empowered. Mind and spirit are constantly expanded through engaging with the alluring challenges of the silence and stillness of our global deserts, a journey that will leave no part of us untouched.”
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