Ep. 421 Tish Harrison Warren - What Grows in Weary Lands: Can the Desert Fathers and Mothers Teach Us Moderns What We Need for Resilience?

Ep. 421 Tish Harrison Warren - What Grows in Weary Lands: Can the Desert Fathers and Mothers Teach Us Moderns What We Need for Resilience?

From Shifting Culture by Joshua Johnson

May 5, 2026 · 57 min · Season 1 · Episode 421

About this episode

Tish Harrison Warren discusses her book on spiritual exhaustion and the ancient concept of acedia.

What do you do when the fire won't start - when life is full but God feels distant, when faith is intact but the soul is running on empty? In this conversation, I sit down with Tish Harrison Warren, who draws on her new book, What Grows in Weary Lands, to explore acedia, the ancient concept usually translated as sloth but better understood as a sadness that the good is difficult. We trace how the desert fathers and mothers were grappling with the same exhaustion and spiritual languishing that...

People in this episode

Host: Joshua Johnson

Guest: Tish Harrison Warren

Topics covered

  • faith
  • spiritual exhaustion
  • acedia
  • Christianity
  • desert fathers
  • soul care

Keywords

  • spirituality
  • faith
  • exhaustion
  • Christianity
  • acedia
  • desert fathers
  • soul

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: What Grows in Weary Lands

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