Fr. John begins a four part series on the virtue of failure by describing the inevitability and purpose of failure.

Fr. John continues his series (Part 2) by redefining failure and describing the ways that we react to our own failures.

Fr. John continues his series (Part 3) by reflecting on the goal of interior renewal.

Fr. John completes his series (Part 4) by describing how failure can become a servant of God for the renewal of our lives.

Again using the teachings of St. Nicodemus, Fr. John warns us of the dangers present in front of our very noses!

Fr. John, with help from St. Nicodemus, shows how to guard the sense of taste and the tongue.

Do clothes make the man? Fr. John, with help from Saint Nicodemus, might beg to differ.

Fr. John notes the shift in society from text to image and warns of the power of images on the soul.

Fr. John notes that as we accept the mercy of God, that mercy is proof that God accepts us.

With the synaxion of the Theotokos freshly celebrated, Fr. John reflects on Mary, the mother of our Lord.

Fr. John answers a question at once innocent and terrifying.

What do those words in the liturgy mean? And how do we accomplish this? Fr. John enlightens us with the answers.

Fr. John examines the well-known parable in answer to the question, "Are you saved?"

Fr. John shows how, like the ecosystem of Guam was damaged by an unseen predator, so also what we keep hidden within us can destroy our relationships without repentance.

Fr. John looks at tombs we all fall into—the sins, beliefs and habits that drain the life out of us.

Fr. John makes the obvious (?) connection between summer and the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th Century, BC.

Fr. John offers a reflection on the recent tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico.

During the afterfeast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Fr. John reflects on the mystery that is Mary.

Fr. John examines how the advent season prepares us for the Nativity of Christ.

Fr. John explains how all the Church's words are full of grace and truth—an example for us all as we celebrate the birth of the Word.

Fr. John exhorts his listeners (despite being a published author himself) to read the saints first.

Fr. John shows how the Bible's answer to "What must I do to be saved?" differs from the world's.

Fr. John Oliver interviews Kurt and Nancy Harris who share their story of how God brought them into the Orthodox Church. The Harris' will in turn interview others in this new series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Fr. John Oliver explains the Three Powers of Thinking, Desiring and Acting. He describes the impact on our lives when one or more of theses powers are sick in our lives, and shares how we can experience healing of these powers.

Fr. John Oliver offers a view of the pain of the "wilderness" stage of the Christian life while journeying with God to the Promised Land.

Kurt Harris interviews Charles Chusuei about his story of how God brought him into the Orthodox Church, in this new series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Kurt Harris interviews Dan Naes about his story of how God brought him into the Orthodox Church, in this series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Kurt Harris interviews his oldest daughter, Anna Harris, about her story of how God brought her into the Orthodox Church, in this series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Fr. John Oliver reflects on the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ (January 1st) and how God is to be found in the details of life.

As Orthodox Christians in a non-Orthodox culture, we have questions: Who are we? What is "the Church"? What is our relationship to friends and family of other faiths? What is ecumenism? Who will be saved? In this special edition of Hearts and Minds, Fr John Oliver offers a few reflections.

Fr. John Oliver offers three questions that help us trace the root of both the good and the bad in our lives. Am I being loving? Am I being accepting? Am I being appreciated?

The death of St. Elizabeth the Grand Duchess and New Martyr tells us about how she lived her life lived long before her martyrdom.

Fr. John Oliver explores the four cycles or rhythms that are embedded in nature and in the Church.

Fr. John Oliver paints a hope-filled picture of the healing power of forgiveness.

Fr. John Oliver discusses the true meaning of repentance, becoming the person that God desire us to become.

Fr. John Oliver reflects on the writing of St. John Chrysostom titled "No One Can Harm the Man Who Does not Harm Himself."

Fr. John Oliver reads the Sermon on the Mount, in three parts, from the translation titled "The New Testament: A Translation" by David Bentley Hart. (Part 1)

Fr. John Oliver reads the Sermon on the Mount, in three parts, from the translation titled "The New Testament: A Translation" by David Bentley Hart. (Part 2)

Fr. John Oliver reads the Sermon on the Mount, in three parts, from the translation titled "The New Testament: A Translation" by David Bentley Hart. (Part 3)

In his first podcast, Fr. John reflects on his midnight vigil outside a prison in Tennessee.

In his second podcast, Fr. John helps us define a Christian worldview and how it should change the way we process life around us.

Jesus said "the kingdom of God is taken by force" and sometime it feels like a battle to allow ourselves to love one another as God intended.

We might think we know exactly what God is and should be but is that not a certainty loaded with risk?

Love for God is love for the earth and love for the earth is love for our neighbor.

What do these three have in common? Listen as Fr. John reflects on the power and beauty of the Psalter.

In part 2 of his 3 part series, Fr. John explores further the Orthodox worldview that connects all of creation to our relationship with the Creator.

This is part one in a series exploring the connection between abortion and the environment.

The integrated Christian possesses a pro-life view that sees the environment as life giving and worthy of protection and a pro-environment view that sees the womb as an environment and worthy of protection.

"Are we almost there yet?" How many times will that question be asked this holiday weekend? Fr. John explores the passing of time from a Christian perspective as we travel our journey of salvation.

"There is nothing in this world more glorious, more precious, or more precarious than the human soul." Within the first few hundred years of Christian history, the Roman Empire experienced at least two devastating health epidemics. Fr. John shares with us a powerful example of how the early Christians demonstrated the worth of the soul, as well as a love stronger than fear, as they ministered to those in deep need during these times of great crisis.