Episode 25: The Source of Strength

Episode 25: The Source of Strength

Author: Exodus 90 June 17, 2025 Duration: 11:55

Submit your question to Bishop Varden

Episode Overview

Join host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90 for Episode 25 of Desert Fathers in a Year, titled “Amma Sara and the Battle Against Temptation.” This episode dives into the fifth chapter of the Desert Fathers’ systematic collection on lust, featuring a powerful saying from desert mother Amma Sara. Guided by Bishop Erik Varden, the episode explores how to face demonic temptations with fortitude and reliance on Christ, situating Christian spirituality within the pursuit of truth and freedom. Recorded during the Kings of Summer initiative, this reflection offers timeless wisdom for men seeking to conquer vice through virtue.

Key Themes and Reflections

  • Amma Sara’s Saying: Amma Sara endured a 13-year battle with the demon of lust, never praying for the struggle to cease but simply asking, “My God, strengthen me.” When the demon, disguised as lust and later vanity, claimed defeat, she humbly replied, “Not I have vanquished you. Christ my Lord has,” showcasing reliance on Christ’s victory.
  • Role of Desert Mothers: Women like Amma Sara were equals or superiors to male monks, correcting flawed perspectives (e.g., a nun’s quip to a monk avoiding women: “Had you been a perfect monk, you wouldn’t have noticed that we are women”). A pure heart sees God’s image in all, free from passion.
  • Theology of Temptation: Temptations aren’t unfair disruptions but opportunities for growth, purifying and clarifying vulnerabilities. God allows them for salvation, not destruction, despite the devil’s suggestion of senselessness.
  • Our Father Debate: Liturgical shifts (e.g., “let us not enter temptation” vs. “lead us not”) reflect modern discomfort, but the Greek text affirms God’s purposeful allowance of trials, balanced by human frailty and divine plan.
  • Fortitude in Combat: Amma Sara’s ascesis and prayer model spiritual warfare, abiding in temptation as a crucible to emerge as “gold” through grace, rejecting both sensuality and vanity.
  • Modern Misconceptions: Secular culture demands comfort, viewing temptation as unjust, but God prioritizes truth and freedom, using trials to mature believers.

Scriptural and Literary Connections

  • Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female,” reflected in the nun’s correction, emphasizing unity in Christ.
  • Our Father (Matthew 6:13): “Lead us not into temptation” expresses diffidence, acknowledging human limits while trusting God’s salvific purpose.
  • Athanasius’ Life of Anthony: Frames Anthony’s nuanced view of lust, setting the stage for Amma Sara’s similar reliance on Christ.
  • Bishop Varden’s Writings: His reflections on peace as conquered, not passive, align with Amma Sara’s active combat (cf. Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses).
  • Mary of Egypt’s Life: Her holiness humbled monk Zosima, paralleling Amma Sara’s exemplary virtue.

Action Items for Listeners

  • Adopt Amma Sara’s Prayer: Pray “My God, strengthen me” when facing temptation to rely on Christ’s power.
  • Reflect on Temptation’s Purpose: Journal how past trials have clarified weaknesses or spurred growth, fostering gratitude for God’s plan.
  • Pursue Purity of Heart: Practice seeing others as God’s image, not threats, through daily acts of reverence (e.g., kind words, blessings).
  • Engage with Kings of Summer: Join the Exodus 90 app’s challenge, meditating on King David and Christian kings to grow in...

There’s a particular kind of stillness that feels almost impossible to find now, a quiet where you might actually hear something other than the next notification. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is built around that search for quiet, drawing direct lines between our fragmented modern experience and the ancient, radical journey of the early Christian monastics. This isn’t a history lesson, though you’ll certainly learn. Instead, Bishop Varden, with the Exodus 90 community, acts as a guide through a year-long exploration, starting at the new year. Each episode becomes a point of reflection, using the stark wisdom of those who went into the literal desert to find God as a mirror for our own crowded lives. You’ll hear their stories and sayings unpacked not as relics, but as surprisingly urgent counsel for anyone feeling parched by the pace and pressure of today’s culture. The rhythm of this podcast is intentional-meant to be absorbed slowly, creating space to consider how their pursuit of essential truth challenges our own attachments and distractions. It’s an invitation to see your own daily landscape, with all its demands and digital noise, as a place where that same transformative silence can be cultivated.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden
Podcast Episodes
Bonus Roundtable: On Discernment: Three Approaches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:39
Have a question for Bishop Erik Varden? Bonus Roundtable Discussion - On Discernment: Three Approaches Join us for a special bonus roundtable discussion in Desert Fathers in a Year with host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90,…
Episode 24: On Discernment: Three Approaches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:16
Episode OverviewJoin host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90 for Episode 24 of Desert Fathers in a Year, titled “On Discernment: Three Approaches.” This episode continues the exploration of the fifth chapter of the Desert Fathe…
Bonus Roundtable: Lust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:38
Do you have a question for Bishop Varden? Submit your questions here.Episode OverviewJoin host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90 and guests Adam, Doyle, and Jared for the bonus roundtable discussion of Episode 23 of Desert Fat…
Episode 23: Lust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:33
Submit your questions to Bishop Erik Varden by emailing hello@desertfathers.com.Episode OverviewThis episode delves into the Desert Fathers' insights on lust, drawing from Abba Poemen’s counsel to a brother wrestling wit…
Bonus Roundtable: Austerity at Home, Charity Abroad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:44
Desert Fathers in a Year: Episode 22 Bonus Roundtable - Austerity at Home, Charity AbroadEpisode Overview:In this Bonus Roundtable for Episode 22 of Desert Fathers in a Year, host Jamie Baxter, joined by Adam Doyle and J…
Episode 22: Austerity at Home, Charity Abroad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:12
Austerity at Home, Charity AbroadIn Episode 22 of Desert Fathers in a Year, we continue our journey into the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, focusing on self-mastery through the lens of Abba Makarios’ life. This episode ex…
Bonus Roundtable: Necessary Words [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:40
Desert Fathers in a Year: Episode 21 Bonus Roundtable - Necessary WordsOverviewIn this bonus roundtable discussion for Episode 21 of Desert Fathers in a Year, host Jamie Baxter and guests Adam, Doyle, and Jared dive into…
Episode 21: Necessary Words [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:46
Necessary Words: Confession, Freedom, and the Danger of Silence🏜️ Welcome to Desert Fathers in a Year!In today’s episode, we explore the powerful story of Abba Serapion, who struggled with a seemingly small vice—secretly…
Bonus Roundtable: Words that Wound [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:15
Desert Fathers in a Year: Episode 20 Bonus Roundtable - Words That WoundEpisode OverviewWelcome to the bonus roundtable discussion for Episode 20 of Desert Fathers in a Year, hosted by Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90. In thi…
Episode 20: Words that Wound [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:23
Episode 20: Words That Wound🏜️ Welcome to Desert Fathers in a Year!In this episode of Desert Fathers in a Year with Bishop Erik Varden, we explore the story of Abba Achillas, who transforms a wounding word into a path of…