What do you think?
Rate this book
Streams in the Wasteland: Finding Spiritual Renewal with the Desert Fathers and Mothers
What if our exhaustion, burnout, and pain are an invitation into a more vibrant faith?
Christianity is fighting for its soul. We've enjoyed the benefits of power and privilege for so long that many of us have forgotten the radical way of Jesus.
But we have been here before. And there is a way through.
Within a few hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity emerged as the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Where once it took courage to be a Christian, now it took courage to be a pagan. The radical way of Jesus was being lost.
Toward the end of the fourth century, a group of men and women began to withdraw from the halls of privilege and power into the desert to rediscover the essence of Jesus Christ. The stories and examples of these desert fathers and mothers are recorded for us. And their lives still speak.
By embracing the disciplines of solitude, silence, and prayer; by pursuing humility, generosity, and unity above all things; and by developing a keen eye for wisdom and laying down their rights; the desert fathers and mothers found a way to live radically, humanly, and beautifully. So can we. Streams in the Wasteland is for all those who thirst for a better way--the radical way of Jesus amid the desert of our age.
Christianity is fighting for its soul. We've enjoyed the benefits of power and privilege for so long that many of us have forgotten the radical way of Jesus.
But we have been here before. And there is a way through.
Within a few hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity emerged as the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Where once it took courage to be a Christian, now it took courage to be a pagan. The radical way of Jesus was being lost.
Toward the end of the fourth century, a group of men and women began to withdraw from the halls of privilege and power into the desert to rediscover the essence of Jesus Christ. The stories and examples of these desert fathers and mothers are recorded for us. And their lives still speak.
By embracing the disciplines of solitude, silence, and prayer; by pursuing humility, generosity, and unity above all things; and by developing a keen eye for wisdom and laying down their rights; the desert fathers and mothers found a way to live radically, humanly, and beautifully. So can we. Streams in the Wasteland is for all those who thirst for a better way--the radical way of Jesus amid the desert of our age.
- GenresChristianNonfiction
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 13, 2022
30 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 31, 2023
This is a beautiful book that takes Biblical truths illustrated through the lives and sayings of the desert fathers and applies them in very relevant and real ways to modern life.
Honestly, nothing more needs to be said. But still, I will speak. I guess I need to reread that chapter on silence. For the most part, I was reading this book a chapter a day. It was uncanny how often the chapter seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear that day. More than once, it paralleled what God was showing me through scripture in my own daily devotions. I have read a lot of books on the early monastics (the desert fathers). Most will provide you with more information, but I don't think I have ever read one that did as great of a job of disseminating their story into a practical way for our own times. God bless Andrew Arndt. Halfway through this year, this is unquestionably the best devotional/inspirational book I've read in '23.
Some quotes:
We cannot and will not be fully human until we are human as Jesus is human.
Whatever good work a man undertakes, if he perseveres in it, he will attain rest. But prayer is warfare to the last breath.
The point of the rules is the flourishing of people, and if we can't see the connection between the two, we'll only misinterpret and misapply the rules.
Sometimes the way forward is backward. Sometimes you have to break a thing down to its most elemental before you can transform it into something better.
Under the innocent banner of a supposedly harmless self-actualization, we torch our world with verbal napalm and like fools wonder why everything is burning down around us.
We don't need a change of location. We need a change of heart.
Honestly, nothing more needs to be said. But still, I will speak. I guess I need to reread that chapter on silence. For the most part, I was reading this book a chapter a day. It was uncanny how often the chapter seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear that day. More than once, it paralleled what God was showing me through scripture in my own daily devotions. I have read a lot of books on the early monastics (the desert fathers). Most will provide you with more information, but I don't think I have ever read one that did as great of a job of disseminating their story into a practical way for our own times. God bless Andrew Arndt. Halfway through this year, this is unquestionably the best devotional/inspirational book I've read in '23.
Some quotes:
We cannot and will not be fully human until we are human as Jesus is human.
Whatever good work a man undertakes, if he perseveres in it, he will attain rest. But prayer is warfare to the last breath.
The point of the rules is the flourishing of people, and if we can't see the connection between the two, we'll only misinterpret and misapply the rules.
Sometimes the way forward is backward. Sometimes you have to break a thing down to its most elemental before you can transform it into something better.
Under the innocent banner of a supposedly harmless self-actualization, we torch our world with verbal napalm and like fools wonder why everything is burning down around us.
We don't need a change of location. We need a change of heart.
January 29, 2024
I devoured this book. I will return to it frequently and it will be at the top of my pile to recommend. Although the author is clearly well studied as well as a gifted writer, that is not the reason I am drawn to this book. Arndt does a wonderful job of simultaneously drawing in the reader while getting out of the way and allowing scripture and wisdom from the dessert fathers and mothers to point us towards good and ancient ways.
I was most surprised to find that this book was largely about community. Having not read a lot about dessert fathers and mothers, I was expecting something which focused mostly on the internal spiritual condition. While this book certainly does address that, it also goes the step farther and draws us back into community.
Beautiful, challenging and accessible read!
I was most surprised to find that this book was largely about community. Having not read a lot about dessert fathers and mothers, I was expecting something which focused mostly on the internal spiritual condition. While this book certainly does address that, it also goes the step farther and draws us back into community.
Beautiful, challenging and accessible read!
February 7, 2024
Any book that attempts to bring the desert monastics closer to us is a book that should be applauded. And this is one such book.
Of course, for some of us, it might not seem obvious why we would want to read about people who seem bizarrely different from us. What does someone who lives in a cave 17 centuries ago have to teach me?
Here, of course is perhaps the value. The fathers and mothers of the desert as we learn in this book, saw the dangers of their society (and dare I say perhaps ours, too) and choose to be different. Not for fame or fortune. But to be different.
Reading about the desert monastics is difficult though, so what this book to us is a low first step. But don’t think that makes the message of the desert mastics any less biting.
Divided into three sections, focussing on God, others and the world this wonderful book gives you plenty of time to think about what it looks like to love God and engage with him through the lens of the desert monastics. it also considers community, which perhaps is a surprising section, because these people did live in the desert in caves! But this doesn’t dull their sense of why community is so important, and perhaps why we need community to save us from the way society break us. Finally, the last section your attention to the world and how we speak and give.
Perhaps the big surprise of this engagement with the fathers and mothers of the desert is not simply their ability to point out what is bad, but as Chris Green notes in the forward, how they perceive, the good is also something we must learn from, for perhaps our understanding of the good is also something that is harming us.
I’d happily recommend this book to anybody interested in a wisdom that may initially seem strange, but the longer you spend with the desert mothers and fathers the more you realize these are the people we need to listen to. So Arndt offers us a gift, a gift of a low first step that may inspire you to just keep climbing with these wonderful teachers.
Of course, for some of us, it might not seem obvious why we would want to read about people who seem bizarrely different from us. What does someone who lives in a cave 17 centuries ago have to teach me?
Here, of course is perhaps the value. The fathers and mothers of the desert as we learn in this book, saw the dangers of their society (and dare I say perhaps ours, too) and choose to be different. Not for fame or fortune. But to be different.
Reading about the desert monastics is difficult though, so what this book to us is a low first step. But don’t think that makes the message of the desert mastics any less biting.
Divided into three sections, focussing on God, others and the world this wonderful book gives you plenty of time to think about what it looks like to love God and engage with him through the lens of the desert monastics. it also considers community, which perhaps is a surprising section, because these people did live in the desert in caves! But this doesn’t dull their sense of why community is so important, and perhaps why we need community to save us from the way society break us. Finally, the last section your attention to the world and how we speak and give.
Perhaps the big surprise of this engagement with the fathers and mothers of the desert is not simply their ability to point out what is bad, but as Chris Green notes in the forward, how they perceive, the good is also something we must learn from, for perhaps our understanding of the good is also something that is harming us.
I’d happily recommend this book to anybody interested in a wisdom that may initially seem strange, but the longer you spend with the desert mothers and fathers the more you realize these are the people we need to listen to. So Arndt offers us a gift, a gift of a low first step that may inspire you to just keep climbing with these wonderful teachers.
July 12, 2025
I really enjoyed this! I think my biggest takeaway from learning about the desert fathers is this: they practiced strict boundaries and disciplines in the way they governed their own personal lives but little to no boundaries in the way they interacted and loved others. They would give everything of themselves to love someone else, even their enemies. This is very counter cultural, but I think they were on to something.
September 14, 2022
Streams in the Wasteland is a book about the ancient Desert Fathers and Mothers... sort of. It's really a book about how the church can rediscover her first love. Arndt doesn't propose new, exciting theories on how to fix a church that is exhausted by deconstruction, incessant scandal, and a perpetual identity crisis. Rather, he points backward to a people that did their best to create intentional community, and live the two greatest commandments as simply as they could.
Of course, we can't just all move out to the wilderness like these saints did. But we can explore spiritual practices that slow our pace, cultivate community, and create space for silence. In fact, it is often in those spaces that we are most fully changed changed.
Streams in the Wasteland is an accessible book full of stories and wisdom for the spiritually dissatisfied. It's a book the church didn't know she needed.
Of course, we can't just all move out to the wilderness like these saints did. But we can explore spiritual practices that slow our pace, cultivate community, and create space for silence. In fact, it is often in those spaces that we are most fully changed changed.
Streams in the Wasteland is an accessible book full of stories and wisdom for the spiritually dissatisfied. It's a book the church didn't know she needed.
September 13, 2022
In an age when the modern Church finds Herself having “lost touch with the most fundamental truths of the divine-human life that God has created for us in Christ Jesus,” Andrew Arndt entreats the reader to embrace the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Arndt artfully weaves these wise sayings and stories forged in the desert wasteland into a narrative that will provoke one’s heart toward passionate pursuit of a radical Jesus-lived life. This book will make you hungry for a life of shalom; marked by the rhythms of solitude, community, and mission; resting on the firm foundation of love. Streams in the Wasteland presents a compelling argument that the ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 4th and 5th century is as transformative today as it was so long ago.
April 7, 2023
Such a wise, generous book!
I'd heard Arndt speak on Solum Podcast, and he is as enjoyable a writer as he is a speaker. This book is as much about living in Christian community as it is about living the contemplative life. And Arndt does an excellent job of connecting teaching from the Desert Fathers and Mothers to biblical principles and then to practical modern-day application.
If you are looking for a complete primer on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, this probably isn't your book. But if you are interested in the concepts of spiritual renewal and in learning about how other Christians in earlier times dealt with surprisingly common issues, this is definitely for you.
I'd heard Arndt speak on Solum Podcast, and he is as enjoyable a writer as he is a speaker. This book is as much about living in Christian community as it is about living the contemplative life. And Arndt does an excellent job of connecting teaching from the Desert Fathers and Mothers to biblical principles and then to practical modern-day application.
If you are looking for a complete primer on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, this probably isn't your book. But if you are interested in the concepts of spiritual renewal and in learning about how other Christians in earlier times dealt with surprisingly common issues, this is definitely for you.
July 7, 2024
If you sense there might be an ancient wisdom that has something to say for us today, Andrew's book is your guide. This book is a timely prophetic word from a shepherd's heart for an encumbered church. Andrew is a trustworthy guide who has found and put into practice ancient Desert wisdom to follow the Jesus way today. There is so much weighing us down today, so much dissipating our souls, so much making us weary and heavy laden. Find renewal by tending the flame of your first Love with these ancient mothers and fathers of the faith.
Read
September 4, 2022"If there is any hope, therefore, for the renewal of our culture, the Desert Fathers and Mothers remind us that it will not come through a church bent on protecting itself from the world. Nor will it come from a moralizing church spouting judgment on the world--and least of all from a church trying to 'take back' the culture from the world. All of these are but manifestations of the blockade and chief contributors to the desolation of our age." (from an uncorrected advance copy)
Arndt is a preacher who is trying to make the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers relevant for our time, their radical turning to simplicity, silence, and non-possessiveness in an age when the formerly threatened Church was finally being made secure by its alliance with Empire. Being a Christian is not about "protecting oneself from the world" at all, nor about gaining power and security, but about entering into a process of life as self-giving, constant offering, prayer. It's a good message to keep in mind during our own apocalyptic times.
The excerpts and reflections from ancient texts were good for pondering and reflection, and Arndt's commentary was homely, folksy and down-to-earth -- sometimes too much so for me. I think I'd rather just read the source material. But I did appreciate this introduction to a subject I hadn't known much about.
There were repeated fulminatings against people who are looking for self-realization or to do their own thing, and exhortations to return to the church, which always knows best. I think this is a bit outdated. Humans have evolved, and we do need to individuate and become ourselves, beyond all institutions and rules. Even divorce may be necessary sometimes, gasp! Of course, we do need to return to community, to find our way back to healthy relationships. But Arndt's attitude to the "self-seekers" was too patronizing and one-sided, I think. He admits he's always been part of a church and found his deepest life meaning there, and it seems hard for him to imagine another way.
Arndt is a preacher who is trying to make the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers relevant for our time, their radical turning to simplicity, silence, and non-possessiveness in an age when the formerly threatened Church was finally being made secure by its alliance with Empire. Being a Christian is not about "protecting oneself from the world" at all, nor about gaining power and security, but about entering into a process of life as self-giving, constant offering, prayer. It's a good message to keep in mind during our own apocalyptic times.
The excerpts and reflections from ancient texts were good for pondering and reflection, and Arndt's commentary was homely, folksy and down-to-earth -- sometimes too much so for me. I think I'd rather just read the source material. But I did appreciate this introduction to a subject I hadn't known much about.
There were repeated fulminatings against people who are looking for self-realization or to do their own thing, and exhortations to return to the church, which always knows best. I think this is a bit outdated. Humans have evolved, and we do need to individuate and become ourselves, beyond all institutions and rules. Even divorce may be necessary sometimes, gasp! Of course, we do need to return to community, to find our way back to healthy relationships. But Arndt's attitude to the "self-seekers" was too patronizing and one-sided, I think. He admits he's always been part of a church and found his deepest life meaning there, and it seems hard for him to imagine another way.
April 7, 2025
Arndt’s book not a bad one, but it is not really an exploration of the Desert Fathers/Mothers.
I felt like the book began with such promise to draw parallels with the world that sent our spiritual ancestors into the desert and our own Christian/commercial moment, but I felt the connection was never fully realized in a fulfilling way. The lessons of each chapter were fine, but it feels like Arndt took some good spiritual practices that would be true in any time and a collection of his own experiences and selected quotes from the ancient teachers to fit his direction. It felt like a sermon series or popular columns rather than a deeper spiritual journey.
It’s not a bad book; it’s a decent book but it is only tangentially tied to the wisdom of the desert. This would be ok except that the book’s title and description seem to suggest it is far more connected to the teachings/traditions of the desert tradition.
I felt like the book began with such promise to draw parallels with the world that sent our spiritual ancestors into the desert and our own Christian/commercial moment, but I felt the connection was never fully realized in a fulfilling way. The lessons of each chapter were fine, but it feels like Arndt took some good spiritual practices that would be true in any time and a collection of his own experiences and selected quotes from the ancient teachers to fit his direction. It felt like a sermon series or popular columns rather than a deeper spiritual journey.
It’s not a bad book; it’s a decent book but it is only tangentially tied to the wisdom of the desert. This would be ok except that the book’s title and description seem to suggest it is far more connected to the teachings/traditions of the desert tradition.
September 17, 2022
“God does not save us from people but for people and into a people—the church. People are the entire point of the work of God in Christ, and if our spirituality is going to be deserving of the name Christian, then it will and must be oriented to people.”
Streams in the Wilderness is a beautiful walk through the lives and sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers and the radical nature of their embodied faith. Andrew Ardnt has such a pastoral voice and a heart oriented towards people and community. I love the gentle way he writes without shying away from the countercultural truth of Jesus’ way.
Streams in the Wilderness is a beautiful walk through the lives and sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers and the radical nature of their embodied faith. Andrew Ardnt has such a pastoral voice and a heart oriented towards people and community. I love the gentle way he writes without shying away from the countercultural truth of Jesus’ way.
July 28, 2022
Great read and challenge to life! ALL should read!
(part of the pre- launch team - book available in September.
The book is such a good reminder of the challenge we face in this busy world, challenging us to be like the “desert fathers and mothers” fighting for that “still” time with God- letting Him, His Word, His Love dictate our actions, our lives, our “contentness”. GREAT READ!
Even if you are not a Christian, not part of the Church, don’t like Christians, I think this book is a great reminder of “content-ness”. Giving and receiving- especially LOVE.
Blessings!
(part of the pre- launch team - book available in September.
The book is such a good reminder of the challenge we face in this busy world, challenging us to be like the “desert fathers and mothers” fighting for that “still” time with God- letting Him, His Word, His Love dictate our actions, our lives, our “contentness”. GREAT READ!
Even if you are not a Christian, not part of the Church, don’t like Christians, I think this book is a great reminder of “content-ness”. Giving and receiving- especially LOVE.
Blessings!
November 15, 2022
So thankful for this work by Andrew. This younger author is tapping into the ancient faith of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Their perspective, so needed in today’s society, is desperately needed in the church today. In our era marked by anxiety & depression, disciples of Jesus need to retreat & find Christ a sufficient foundation for our lives. Thankful for the encouragement from this book. It was inspiring & practical.
October 1, 2022
I was hoping for of the stories of the desert fathers and mothers, with some commentary on it. Instead it’s a series of sermons about prayer, solitude, community, humility, etc.—with supporting quotes and anecdotes from miscellaneous desert fathers and mothers. Not bad, but not as rich or educational as I hoped.
August 5, 2023
A refreshing and encouraging journey through deep and ancient wisdom of the Desert fathers and mothers, saturated in scripture, and highly practical in its application. Arndt helps readers develop attainable practices while bringing conviction about worldly attachment or the desire to control or move in unhealthy power. This is a timely book. Grateful for it.
October 3, 2024
I really enjoyed this book in the way that he brought in wisdom from the desert mothers and fathers. It’s a good read that has a lot of substance to it. Don’t let the title be deceiving as it’s a very enjoyable read. He blends a lot of life stories and scenarios along with relying on what the desert mothers and fathers did.
December 1, 2022
Encouraging and challenging content! But, I was expecting more summary and explanation of the lives and teachings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Instead I felt like I was reading a series of modern sermons that are loosely based on something the pastor read about a Desert Father or Mother.
January 19, 2023
A decent book on the whole, but I was hoping for some more familiarization with the desert fathers. They honestly felt more like they were tacked in at various points in the book, rather than being the ones driving the book as the title implies.
July 18, 2023
I had always thought the desert fathers (didn't even know there were mothers) went to the desert to escape the world. Arndt offers a fresh perspective and invites readers to seek solitude, silence, and prayer, not to escape but to engage.
October 4, 2023
I read this book slowly, savoring how Arndt drew from the Desert Fathers and Mothers to bring insight to the Scriptures and then to give thoughtful applications to life today. I also feel like his writing has grown since the previous book of his I read. This is a book to be reread and pondered.
January 16, 2024
The Great Renunciation. This book clearly outlines what it means to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. Through personal testimony and the testimony of the Desert Fathers, the author clearly lays out the radical life of a Christ-follower.
February 14, 2024
It was a bit heady to get started but this book has so many points to consider when we're investing in our own spiritual formation.
March 22, 2024
Stumbled upon this gem and adored it! Will definitely read it again and want to dive deeper into the wisdom of desert mothers and fathers.
October 28, 2024
Really well written and encouraging. Solid listen.
June 11, 2025
Books that help regular church folks understand and emulate the Desert Fathers and Mothers are needed!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews