What grows in weary lands by Trish Harrison warren
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Practices of Staying
Read Chapter 3 of What Grows in Weary Lands by Tish Harrison Warren.
Previewing Week 4 of What grows in weary lands
Read 3 of 9 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 10-week guide when you’re ready.
Having named the enemy, Warren now turns to the ancient disciplines the Desert Fathers and Mothers deployed against acedia and aridity — practical anchors for souls that feel unmoored.
Discussion Questions
9 questions1.Warren shifts in this chapter from diagnosis to prescription, introducing specific ancient practices as antidotes to weariness. Before reading the chapter, what practices — if any — were already part of your life as anchors in hard seasons? How effective have they been?
2.Warren draws heavily on the practice of manual labor as it was understood by the Desert Fathers — the monks wove baskets not because they needed baskets but because embodied, rhythmic, physical work was a spiritual discipline that kept the body and soul present. How does this connect to or challenge the way you think about physical work in your own life?
3.She discusses the practice of praying the Hours — structured, fixed-time prayer throughout the day — as a way of interrupting the soul's tendency to flee inward restlessness through distraction. Have you ever practiced any form of fixed-hour prayer? What was the experience like? What obstacles arose?