What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience

From the award-winning author and former New York Times opinion writer and columnist comes a fresh vision for navigating burnout and weariness through ancient Christian practices

From the award-winning author and former New York Times opinion writer and columnist comes a fresh vision for navigating burnout and weariness through ancient Christian practices

'Honest, wise and persistent in imagination, this is a book to refresh the seasoned spiritual traveler. A beautifully crafted weave of both resilience and wonder' Martin Shaw, author of Liturgies of the Wild

How do we cultivate faith that endures?

Early Christians often grappled with a reality we rarely talk about in contemporary life: that God seems to abandon the soul at times, leaving us feeling as if we are alone and left to our own resources. For centuries, times of 'aridity' were seen as necessary – prerequisites for growth and maturity. Yet in our culture fixated on speed and optimisation, we risk losing this deeper sense of the human journey and the resilience that comes with it.

Drawing from her own season of exhaustion and also from the rich well of Christian tradition – particularly the earliest Christian monks – Warren explores the habits and mindsets that anchor us through doubt, difficulty and spiritual dryness. She helps us see that nothing is wasted – that, even in desert seasons, something good is growing, rooted in grace and reaching toward glory.

What Grows in Weary Lands speaks to anyone longing for a life of depth in a distracted age and guides us toward lives of resilience, renewal and flourishing.Read less