There was a very strange and wonderful version of Christianity practiced in the desert of North Africa in the early centuries after the faith was born. That lost tradition of the desert sages was one of poverty, humility and wisdom. One of my favorite stories (as best I can remember it) is of a monk who was very devout. He went out alone one day to study scripture more intensely. When he returned to the monastery the other monks noticed that he wasn’t carrying his Bible. “Brother, where is your Bible?” cried one of the pious monks. The monk responded from his newfound peace, “I have sold the book that tells me to sell everything and give it to the poor.”