Fertile Soil in a Barren Land

Book excerpt: From the earliest days of the Church, seekers have gone to the desert and found in the barren terrain a richer relationship with God. Following in this tradition, author Renee Miller makes connections between the physical landscape of the desert and the landscape of our souls. Using the rhythm of the natural world as a common thread, the book evokes potent images of the desert and links them to contemporary updates of ancient spiritual practices. For example, a chapter on night in the desert taps into the importance of cultivating silence in our hearts to become more deeply aware of God's presence.