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It hits you like a TON of BRICKS! It’s an idea for that KILLER blog post that is just bound to bring you all the traffic that you’ve ever dreamed of. With the idea fresh in your mind you sit down at your keyboard and BANG it out – desperate ...more

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This post is by ProBlogger subject matter expert Ali Luke Over the past few years, I’ve conducted a lot of blog reviews for fellow writers. It’s always great fun to read other people’s posts … especially when they’re on topics that are totally new to me! Along the way, though, ...more

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The post How to Personalize Your Blog Like These 10 Top Bloggers appeared first on ProBlogger.

Lots of bloggers seem to do everything right, yet they don’t see much success. They write well-structured posts, they pay attention to SEO, they know the ins and outs of their blogging software … but something’s lacking. That missing “something” can often be personality. It’s the difference between a blog ...more

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Folks, you’ll know today’s guest contributor author Gretchen Rubin from her bestselling books on happiness, habits, and human nature, her inspiring talks, and her popular daily blog GretchenRubin.com. Gretchen also shares practical, manageable advice on her podcast Happier With Gretchen Rubin. We are thrilled to have Gretchen on ProBlogger today, giving us ...more

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The post What Can Bloggers Learn from Pickleball? appeared first on ProBlogger.

I may be late to the party but I’ve just discovered Pickleball! And after playing almost daily since my first hit, I have to admit I’m a little bit addicted… Pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, is not just a pastime with a quirky name—it’s ...more

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Whatever you want to achieve by blogging – money, a fully-fledged business, recognition in your field, a creative outlet, or sharing your message with the world – you need to write. There’s no way around it. Blogging is writing. Your platform, your means of communication, involves putting words onto a ...more

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The post How to Choose a Topic for Your Next Blog Post appeared first on ProBlogger.

Choosing the right topic to write about on your blog is vital if you want to write a post that engages your reader. Rushing the choice of topic can set you off in the wrong direction and end up wasting both your time and that of your reader. While sometimes ...more

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The post 8 Secrets to Crafting Blog Post Titles That Will Set the Internet Ablaze appeared first on ProBlogger.

Titles change the destiny of your posts. Those few words at the beginning of your blog post can be the difference between the post being read and spread like a virus through the web like a wild fire and it languishing in your archives, barely noticed. This month we’ve been ...more

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This episode delves into the "day one" of creation, as envisioned by St. Basil in his second homily on the Hexaemeron. Along the way, we'll also discuss symbolism, typology and wonder. Join us for the journey!

This episode kicks off the new "A Year in Time" series with the Church New Year. Find out why we celebrate a new year in September, and what Caesar Augustus and St. John the Baptist have in common. We'll also read through a section of the beautiful Akathist "Glory to God for All Things." Happy New Year!

In the Church, as in nature, September is a time of provision and bounty. It is also a time that re-invites us back into the arena of waiting. In this episode, we'll hear about four feast days in September in which God brings forth something new after long droughts of patience and faithfulness.

Continuing our Year in Time series, today we talk about the various ways the liturgical calendar helps us be present to God through liturgical memory.

About a year ago on this podcast, I started a five-part Lenten mini-series called Time and Despondency. I'm happy to announce that I've turned this series into a book to be published by Ancient Faith sometime in Fall 2017. As I finish up the manuscript, I reflect on the intersection between time and despondency. Interested in listening to the original series? Check out Part I (of 5) from last year.

Nicole reflects on how the askesis of Great Lent strengthens the tiny, barely perceptible muscles of faith more often than the big, flashy ones.

Today I’m with Fr. Robert Holet, host of the podcast “First Fruits of Christian Living.” We’re talking about our volition to make time in a fast-paced world of distractions. Part two of this episode will air on Fr. Robert’s podcast, so check it out! (For quotations and other information from this episode, see the shownotes in the file attachment above or subscribe to the Ancient Faith blog.)

When my friend Elissa’s daughter was still a baby, she had to undergo a risky liver transplant. Elissa and I think back on that time, and the way our experience of time changes during times of illness, whether it’s we who are sick or a loved one. (For quotations and more information shared in this episode, make sure to check out the shownotes in the file attachment above or subscribe to the Time Eternal blog.)

The day I began reading Fr. Richard Rohr’s book Falling Upward, I had just been fired from my job. This episode is a close reading of his book against that backdrop, as well as an exploration of the struggle for meaning, growth, and encounter in times of struggle.

My next book isn't the one I asked to write, it wasn't the one I dreamt of creating when I was a little girl with authorial ambitions. But in the end, I think it's the book I needed to write. In this episode, I share the story behind my next book and read the description. Under the Laurel Tree will be released later this fall, 2019, with Ancient Faith Publishing. (The intro and outro songs in this episode were "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel.)

Nicole reflects on an interview she watched this week between comedian Stephen Colbert and journalist Anderson Cooper, in particular, the divergent ways grief affected their sense of time. (Watch the interview here. The intro and outro of this episode is "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel.

Nicole will be taking a break from the Time Eternal podcast during 2020 but hopes to be back in 2021 for more conversations about time and eternity. In the meantime, feel free to check out her other podcasts and blogs: Time Eternal blog (Ancient Faith Blogs): https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/timeeternal/ Nicole's professional blog: www.nicoleroccas.com/blog Time and Despondency book and Lenten study guide: https://store.ancientfaith.com/time-and-despondency/ The Time and Despondency Lenten Reading Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/timeanddespondencyLent/

Why devote an entire podcast to the topic of time? Enjoy this throwback to the first episode of Time Eternal while Nicole is away. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: ● TIME ETERNAL BOOK CLUB - August 12, 2021 - Register on Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/2UMvP5r ● “A ‘Slackness of the Soul’: Finding Hope in the Existential Time Warp of Acedia” by Nicole Roccas, Vita Poetica Summer 2021 (https://bit.ly/3evQa5V). ● The Whole Good News Conference by Missio Alliance (https://bit.ly/3isF6rG).

What is time? St. Augustine seeks to answer this question in his Confessions, which features one of the most famous reflections on the philosophy of time. Enjoy this throwback to the second episode of Time Eternal while Nicole is away. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: ● TIME ETERNAL BOOK CLUB - August 12, 2021 - Register on Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/2UMvP5r

Is God eternal? Or is He time? Enjoy this throwback to the first episode of Time Eternal while Nicole is away. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: ● TIME ETERNAL BOOK CLUB - August 12, 2021 - Register on Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/2UMvP5r ● The Whole Good News Conference by Missio Alliance (https://bit.ly/3isF6rG).

Introducing “A Time for Sabbath,” an upcoming series that will launch on Time Eternal in the coming weeks. Think of it as a quest in search of… Well, in search of rest--a meaning-filled framework for rest that was woven into the cosmos since the beginning. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). The intro and outro of this podcast is "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which we kick off the new mini-series “A Time for Sabbath.” Stick around to the end for a special giveaway in honor of the church new year that starts TODAY! Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: What Happened to You by Oprah (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250223210) My Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleroccas/ The 2022 Little Church Planner by Parousia Press: https://www.parousiapress.com/collections/all-planners/products/little-church-planner-ns The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

A quick touchstone to welcome the Sabbath from Abraham Joshua Heschel's book The Sabbath. Heschel was one of the 20th century's great Jewish theologians and his work continues to resonate with people of faith today.

A short sabbath thought from Marilyn Paul’s book Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life. Mentioned in this episode: Participate in the 2022 Little Church Planner Giveaway: instagram.com/p/CTRw7RQLDyU Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Email her at timeeternal@ancientfaith.com.

In which we explore the ways our concept of rest has become flattened in a disenchanted cultural ethos, and how Sabbath might be the cure. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel The 2022 Little Church Planner by Parousia Press The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which Nicole joins her local priests and dear friends, Fr. Geoffrey Ready and Fr. Yuri Hladio, on a discursive quest to integrate the Sabbath into the theology and cosmology of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Fr. Geoffrey is the priest of Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Mission (OCA) in Toronto as well as the Director of the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College. Fr. Yuri Hladio is the priest at St Maria Orthodox Mission (OCA) in Hamilton, Ontario and graduated with his MDiv from the Orthodox School of Theology in May 2020. Together they host the Enacting the Kingdom Podcast. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: 1) The Enacting the Kingdom podcast: https://www.patreon.com/enactingthekingdom 2) LIVESTREAM: Sep 23, 2021 (7PM EDT) of Enacting the Kingdom: youtu.be/gNrMS-hFrvk 3) The Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College: trinityorthodox.ca The intro and outro of this podcast are the songs "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which I catch up with my former professor, Dr. Ethan Katz, a Sabbath-observant Jew and historian. I first met Dr. Katz while finishing my doctorate in the University of Cincinnati History Department, and he now teaches at the University of California Berkeley, where he specializes in modern Jewish history and the history of modern France and its empire. We reflect not only about our experiences as people of faith in academic and other secular contexts, but also what observing the Sabbath looks like in the unique contours of his life. Learn more about Dr. Ethan Katz: history.berkeley.edu/ethan-katz Also mentioned in this episode: The Enacting the Kingdom Livestream: youtube.com/watch?v=gNrMS-hFrvk&t;=1094s Nicole's appearance on the Prying Priest podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-nicole-roccas/id1527008418?i=1000536712952 Don't forget to rate and review this podcast! Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which we discuss 4 practices or strategies for developing your own Orthodox Christian Sabbath. This is the FINAL episode in the Time for Sabbath series. Thank you for joining in on the quest for rest! We’ll be kicking off a new miniseries in November, Lord willing - listen to the end of this episode to find out more details. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Email her at timeeternal@ancientfaith.com Mentioned in this episode: Upcoming Ancient Faith Webinar: “Remembering All These Things: Holding Space for Trauma in Liturgy and Life” (https://store.ancientfaith.com/remembering-all-these-things/) Joshua Mackoul’s book _Healing Your Wounded Soul_ (https://store.ancientfaith.com/healing-your-wounded-soul-growing-from-pain-to-peace/) Psalm 92/91 - A Psalm for Sabbath Lots of books about death! Orthodox titles: Fr. Alexander Schmemann The Liturgy of Death Hierotheos (Vlachos) Nafpaktos, Life after Death Mark and Elizabeth Barna, A Christian Ending Jean-Claude Larchet, Life After Death According to the Orthodox Tradition O Death, Where is Thy Sting? Alexander Schmemann The Letters of St Ignatius of Antioch (Popular Patristics Series), SVS (Brand new) Arise, O God: The Gospel of Christ’s Defeat of Demons, Sin, and Death, Andrew Stephen Damick Non-Orthodox titles: A Grief Observed, CS Lewis When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi Modern Death: How Medicine Changed the End of Life, Helen Warraich The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, Thomas Lynch Being Mortal, Atul Gawande The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

How the story of Zacchaeus reveals the hidden blessing of smallness in Christ. Learn more about Nicole’s trauma-informed coaching services (nicoleroccas.com/coaching). Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: Luke 19:1-10 “The Desire: The Sunday of Zacchaeus” in Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Great Lent (SVS Press, pp. 17-18) Zacchaeus Sunday: oca.org/saints/lives/2020/02/02/1-sunday-of-zacchaeus The intro and outro of this podcast are the songs "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Almost every news cycle is dominated with stories of both leaders and ordinary people who lost their way. Bill Marianes is joined by special guests Steven Laduzinsky, Chris Mandaleris, and Fr. Barnabas Powell, to explore Trust and ITA from the legal, financial, accounting and spiritual perspectives.

So how can we create a culture of generosity and abundance in our lives and parishes? This is the key question Bill Marianes raises on this episode of Stewardship Calling. Stay tuned for a big announcement at the end of the show regarding expanded programming from Bill on AFR.

What kind of church and facilities would you have built if money were no object and you were committed to addressing all of your community’s needs? Now what did you actually build? The difference between your dreams and your reality could, among other things, be a measure of the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of your capital campaign and overall leadership program. Anthony Scott joins Bill Marianes to talk about Capital Campaigns and how to run them.

Bill welcomes Jerry Minetos to the show! Jerry’s experience in the field of fund raising and church development has included lead roles in managing capital campaigns, and conducting feasibility studies for over 20 years, throughout the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He has brought leading-edge business development and technology skills into the Orthodox Church environment. He is currently the Development Director with Ancient Faith Ministries!

On the first episode of his multi-part series on "living your calling," host Bill Marianes interviews Matthew Namee and Joan Berg, two Orthodox attorneys who have evidenced a willingness to use their God-given skills and abilities to serve His Church.

Ancient Faith Ministries interviews Archbishop Elpidophoros 75 days after his enthronement as the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He is interviewed by Bill Marianes, host of Stewardship Calling, a podcast of Ancient Faith Radio.

Bill Marianes welcomes AFR Board Member Scott Davenport to his studio. Scott spent 25 years in the music industry with Island Def Jam and Geffen Records working with those famous artists and many more. Along the way he discovered his WHY and calling in the Orthodox Christian Church. He blends timeless biblical wisdom, and the early Church Fathers with gaming concepts used by youth today, to inspire them to take control of their lives and to be more intentional in every decision they make.

Our “Men in Black” are shepherds who lead us to a better life here and now and in the hereafter. So, who is helping them and tending to their needs? Bill Marianes welcomes his special guests including Reverend Dr. Nicholas Louh and Presvytera Dr. Roxanne Louh as well as Dr. George Koulianos. Dr. Koulianos is an internationally recognized medical doctor helping to address specific Clergy needs as a part of the $1 million grant from the Lilly Foundation to the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Bill Marianes welcomes Jim Huling, the primary author who wrote the #1 best-selling 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX), that best defines how to truly get things done more effectively and impactfully in any kind of organization. He shares with us these proven critical techniques. 4DX can even revolutionize the way you think about church strategic planning.

Bill interviews Bishop Daniel Findikyan about the Armenian Church and the Eastern Diocese’s “Building Up the Body of Christ” vision.

How did 2020 change or affect your life? What did you learn? How did you cope? These are just a few of the many questions that Bill fields on the first episode of Stewardship Calling of the new year.

Over Labor Day weekend, Phoenix, Arizona, will host Orthodox young adults from all over who'll gather for fellowship, a service project, and the chance to stretch themselves to better live and EXCLAIM their Orthodox faith. To discuss this great event, and share their own inspiring stories, Bill will interview Judge Steven Counelis and George Anagnostopoulos. These enthusiastic visionaries represent the amazing Young Adult League committee that organized this unique and extraordinary event.

When you are asked about what your church believes, how do you answer? What is your level of understanding of the Orthodox Christian Faith? If salvation is not only a gift we cannot earn, but something we must live out as Christ taught, what is one valuable resource we can use to learn what our Faith teaches and why? How can we learn to better share the “εὐαγγέλιον,” the “good news” of Christ and the Orthodox Christian Church? A Basic Guide to Eastern Orthodox Theology is just such an invaluable resource that can inform our understanding of the Church inaugurated at Pentecost in 33 A.D. Dr. Eve (Paraskevè) Tibbs, an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, will join me to discuss her valuable book and help us all learn more about Orthodox Christianity as we seek answers to our most critical questions.

Ancient Faith Radio and Bill Marianes were honored to be present at the recent meeting of the Assembly of Bishops. This week, here Bill's interviews with Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Archdiocese, Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America, Serbian Orthodox Bishop Irinej of Eastern America, Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, Archbishop Daniel of the Ukranian Orthodox Church of the USA, and Metropolitan Savas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

On December 1st, the United States Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This Mississippi case could overturn, refine, or re-affirm Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. Join Bill Marianes live with three special guests to discuss theological, legal, outreach, and ministry perspectives on this important event

Leadership is a critical difference between the most effective and healthy Orthodox Christian parishes and ministries, and those not fulfilling their potential. If you’re a parish council member or ministry leader, join Bill to learn about the 6 Elements of the Stewardship Calling Orthodox Servant Leadership Model and how to apply them so your parish can fulfill its responsibilities and calling.

Prince Caspian, Lord of the Rings, Gone With the Wind— which was better, the book or the movie?