From the Desert to World 

Picture this: It’s the 3rd century, and the Roman Empire has just legalized Christianity. Suddenly, being a Christian is easier. More acceptable. Maybe even trendy.

But some people weren’t satisfied with the easy.

In the scorching deserts of western Egypt, places like Wadi Al Natrun that our ministry knows well, men and women began walking away from comfortable faith. They weren’t running from Jesus; they were running to him.

Meet Anthony, who heard Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler and took them literally. He walked into the desert and spent decades learning to quiet his soul and let God transform him from the inside out. Then there was Pachomius, who started the first Christian monasteries where people could pursue God together while serving each other.

These weren’t religious hermits hiding from the world. They were spiritual pioneers.

What started in those Egyptian deserts traveled like seeds on the wind—north to Syria, Turkey, and eventually Western Europe. For over a thousand years, it became the beating heart of Catholic spirituality. During the Reformation, as Protestants rightfully reclaimed grace, we may have accidentally left some treasures behind. We almost lost the ancient understanding that grace transforms us, not just legally but actually.

Thank God, that’s changing.

This growing hunger for deeper spirituality? It’s the Holy Spirit drawing us back to something our ancestors knew: faith isn’t just about getting saved, it’s about being transformed, not through our own effort, but through opening ourselves to the God who loves us too much to leave us unchanged.

This is why our work in the Middle East feels so significant. We’re helping communities reconnect with the deep wells of faith that first bubbled up in their own ancient soil. The Desert Fathers aren’t abstract historical figures to many of our Arab partners; they’re part of the spiritual DNA of the region.

What This Means For You?

You don’t need to move to a monastery. But you might consider starting small: five minutes of silence each morning, reading a psalm slowly, or taking a walk without your phone. The Desert Fathers left us incredible wisdom about dealing with anxiety, anger, and distraction that feels remarkably contemporary. And like Pachomius discovered, transformation happens best in a relationship.

Remember the goal: this isn’t about becoming more spiritual for its own sake. It’s about becoming more like Jesus.

When our partners gather for prayer in Cairo or Beirut, when they create space for silence in their community meetings, they’re drinking from the same wells that sustained Anthony and Pachomius seventeen centuries ago.

Your desire for more isn’t just personal. It’s part of God’s invitation to his people in every generation: “Be still and know that I am God.”

The desert is calling. Not necessarily the physical one, but the inner landscape where God meets us in the silence and sends us back to the world changed. These deserts can become flourishing gardens that bring life, not only to you, but to those around you.