Father Augustine Wetta reaches back into monastic history to answer one of the most critical questions facing young people today: "How do I make up my mind?" With his characteristic wit and novel approach to classical art, Father Augustine looks to the wisdom of the Desert Fathers to unearth an ancient and highly efficient method for resolving life's most pressing dilemmas—even in the midst of distractions, temptations, and disruptions.
Profoundly Biblical and astonishingly practical, these trailblazing saints laid the foundations of Christian discernment by combining their genius for interpreting Scripture with their uncompromising search for the truth. Their patience and remarkable sense of humor gave their words a practicality that speaks as clearly today as it did in the third century. In three steps, each broken down into three parts, the Desert Fathers will teach you how to make decisions in a way that is peaceful, joyful, focused, realistic, and open to the ever-prodding finger of God.
As he did in his best-selling Humility Rules, Father Wetta illustrates each chapter with color reproductions of famous works of art that he has embellished with comic flourishes. He provides a discernment worksheet to help anyone with making a difficult decision.
Fr. J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B., is a monk of Saint Louis Abbey. He teaches English, classics, and apologetics at the Saint Louis Priory School, where he also coaches rugby. He is the author of Humility Rules and The Eighth Arrow. During his spare time, Father Augustine supervises the Juggling Team, the Mongolian Throat Singing Club, and the Junior Knights of Saint Peter Claver. He cultivates carnivorous plants, raises carpenter ants, builds armor, and surfs. He has earned degrees from Rice University, Middlebury College, and Oxford.
"Father Augustine Wetta has gathered ancient wisdom of the Desert Fathers, cleverly photoshopped images, and witty commentary to help young people navigate on life's increasingly tempestuous sea. The result is a brisk, refreshing dip into the water for those who desire to hear the invitation of the walker on waves to step out of the boat and join him."
— Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Author, St. Benedict and St. Therese: The Little Rule and the Little Way
"Father Wetta is true to the spirit of the early Christian hermits in his wise, unconventional, and amusingly odd approach to applying the wisdom of the desert to the important topic of discernment. If you need wisdom on how to make a decision, this book will guide, amuse, and confound you into seeing how simple decision-making is meant to be."
— Fr. Mark Goring, C.C., Author, Hold My Beer: An Apocalypse
"The first time I heard Father Augustine speak, I was doubled over with laughter and bowled over with wonder. So many jokes paired with so much wisdom, who would have thought it possible? Pray. Think. Act. is the most recent product of his inexhaustibly hilarious insight. So enjoy yourself as Father Augustine walks you through the serious business of your lighthearted conversion."
— Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., Author, Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly
"From his perspective as a Benedictine monk, Father Wetta offers us a second gift: insights for living the radical Christian life in the most accessible and personal of words. He invites us to meet the wise Desert Fathers, and to consider their simple, radical, commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, pointing out a practical path to apply their lives to yours and mine."
— Fr. John Parker, Dean, St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
