Lois Farag, professor of early church history at Luther Seminary, is the author of “Balance of the Heart: Desert Spirituality for Twenty-First-Century Christians,” published in 2012 by Wipf and Stock Publishers. The book invites readers to learn from the desert fathers and mothers in the pursuit of loving God with our whole heart, soul, and mind.
In “Balance of the Heart,” Farag provides an overview of desert monasticism, including a look at the life of Saint Anthony the Great. She then explores the sayings of the desert fathers and mothers regarding different topics, including Scripture, prayer, discernment, and humility. Through this introduction to the desert monastics, Farag argues, readers “will discover a wisdom that transcends the fourth-century setting and can benefit twenty-first-century Christians.”
John Chryssavgis, author of “In the Heart of the Desert,” writes, “The desert fathers and mothers took to the margins of society to refocus our attention on what really matters. They expressed radical lifestyles so their experiences could bear fruit. They renounced everything in order to learn how to love everyone. And they went to extremes to restore the balance of the heart. This book is another reminder of their relevance and importance in every age, especially ours.”