Saturated by the teaching of Holy Scripture, the Church Fathers, and especially the lives and teachings of St. Silouan the Athonite and Elder Sophrony of Essex, Father Zacharias describes the process of salvation as it is prefigured in the history of ancient Israel. Beginning with the deliverance from Egyptian tyranny when Israel was drunk with divine consolation, continuing through the extended wilderness wanderings, and culminating in the entrance into the Promised Land- the mystery of life in Christ unfolds - an ever-increasing and dynamic relationship with God. These lectures were codified into a book entitled Remember Thy First Love: The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life in the Theology of Elder Sophrony.