The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture

"In whatever place you live, do not easily leave it." –Abba Anthony

In an age where we might email a friend in Africa, skype a co-worker in Brazil, and

teleconference with people in different time zones–all in one day–the sheer speed of life can be dizzying. Like children stumbling off a merry-go-round, says Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, we are grasping for something to anchor our lives in a sea of constant change.

In The Wisdom of Stability, Wilson-Hartgrove illuminates the biblical and monastic understanding of why staying in one place is both a virtue, and good for you. "For the Christian tradition," he writes, "the heart’s true home is a life rooted in the love of God." When we cultivate an inner stability of heart – by rooting ourselves in the places where we live, engaging the people we are with, and by the simple rhythms of tending to body and soul – true growth can happen. The Wisdom of Stability is a must-read for pastors, leaders, and anyone seeking an authentic path of Christian transformation.

"Stability may be the virtue that 21st-century Christians most ignore---and the virtue we are most called to embrace. This fine book will inspire you to look at your own life, asking, 'Where am I restless? Where might God be calling me to be rooted, to stay put?" --Lauren Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath and Girl Meets God

"Jonathan speaks out like the prophets of old, and calls us into an alternative lifestyle." --Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus, Eastern University