Fools and their gold are soon parted.

The legend of Subdeacon Andrew and how to obtain an Orthodox mind.

We all have the tendency of turning a small concern into a full-scale worry.

Who knew they were a protected species? Apparently not St. George!

Today Fr. Joseph answers the questions sent in by listeners on the subject of fasting.

Just a few more days until the Nativity feast. With the fast, the shopping, the preparations....how are you doin'? Let us prepare? Yes. But regardless of how prepared we are, let us be thankful.

A brief history of the coffee hour, with some suggestions about how best to use the time as you sip your morning brew!

Fr Joseph reviews the rules of life, particularly Murphy's Law and its variants, and and then provides us with a rule we can all live with.

This week, Fr Joseph gets real: "The thing about Confession is that it is natural. That is, it is Real. Almost everything else we do with our sin is false and unnatural. We punish ourselves, justify our actions, and hide. Yet, in Confession -- in opening ourselves to God the Light -- we expose the hypocrisy of our double life. In truth, we've been living a lie. Without Confession, Absolution, and Reconciliation we live a lie before God and Man as if it were Reality. In reality, no one is fooled -- not our neighbor, not ourselves. And, let's be real, certainly not God."

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself, it’s almost that time; time to cue your favorite theme song for the upcoming Lenten Fast! Perhaps the theme song from Star Wars? Or maybe we could sing a fasting song, during this election year, to the tune of "Hail to the Chief?" Then again, there’s always the Beverly Hillbillies ...

Fr Joseph, struggling toward humility in the first week of the Fast, tells of his first visit to Fasters Anonymous... and their curious theme song.

Much like the pains of labor endured by a mother bearing a child, sometimes our journey back to healing is a painful one. And yet, the joy that comes with the new birth is far greater -- inexplicably greater -- than that which our cold heart endured. In the meantime, we must begin where we are.

Fr Joseph quotes Chicago, Kevorkian, Ben Franklin, St Paul and Hallmark in making a case for April Fools.

Fr. Joseph's way of saying, "Pardon me while I slip into something a little more... serious."

Fr. Joseph reports on this year’s Lenten Superlative Awards Banquet at St. Kismet in Gethsemane Falls. Last year’s gala saw a total of 13 awards being presented to the best and worst participants in the Great Fast.  This year's big celeb is, ahem, a no brainer!

After making a plea for keeping ecclesial politics subordinated to our Unity and Love for one another, Fr. Anthony makes a case for the priesthood being one of many options for those desiring to serve God and His Church. He also spends time introducing a book on vocations that the founder of the GGWB website, Fr. John Peck, recently released.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks about why funerals require extra attention, some of the challenges (both expected and unexpected) that they bring, and shares some lessons on bringing grace to the experience. He also shares a (satirical) warning about the danger of preaching politics.

On St. Michael's Day of 2012, the parish of St. Michael the Archangel (UOC-USA) in Woonsocket, RI suffered tremendous damage from a fire. In this podcast, Fr. Anthony, the priest of St. Michael's at that time, shares hard-earned advice on preparing for, dealing with, and recovering from parish disasters. The most important advice? Keep the One Thing Needful top on the list of priorities at every step of the process.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony gives ten suggestions, ranging from practical advice on how to pass the liturgical baton to the need for humility and attentiveness—that will help chanters and singers witness to the peace, harmony, and beauty of God during the Divine Liturgy and other services.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony shares some advice on how to build a good relationship with choir directors and chanters, talks about the need to have and work towards a vision of parish worship, and encourages priests to be intentional about evaluating and improving their own liturgical chanting and movements.

Fr. Anthony interviews Fr. Gregory Jensen about the need for priests to know themselves.

In this episode Fr. Anthony talks about the problem of "young elders" in the post-Soviet Russian Orthodox Church (and in our own) and then, after a commercial break, shares his approach and advice on Confession.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony expresses how much he looks forward to having his old friend hunger back around, laments the lack of discernment on social media, and gives the short and long answer to the question of whether it is ever okay for a priest to seek a new assignment.

This episode includes an interview with Benedict Sheehan, the Director of Music at St. Tikhon's Seminary and the author of The Music Stand blog with Ancient Faith. He shares his thoughts on the state of our music and makes suggestions on how to improve it.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks about Great Lent in the Lehigh Valley (PA) and about how the Lenten disciplines - and especially the Prayer of St. Ephraim - can protect and heal us from the damage of war.

Fr. Maximos McIntyre, a ROCOR mission priest in MA, talks to us about the challenges of bi-vocational ministry and shares warnings about ghost hunting. And he knows what he is speaking about; he spent several years as a paranormal investigator working with some of the big names in the field.

In this episode, recorded at the 2017 meeting of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion, Fr. Michael Kon, a priest of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and a Substance Abuse Counselor, discusses his conversion to Orthodox Christianity (from Judaism) and the lessons he has learned as a bi-vocational priest. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony uses the image of the pattern (as found in Genesis, Isaiah, the Gospel of St. Matthew, and the Amber series of Roger Zelazny) to help explain our calling to bring the Logic of the Center to the chaos of the edges. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about some lessons learned from the Nativity and Theophany season and why Royal Hours are not celebrated on weekends. In addition to being a parish priest, Fr. Harry is the Canonist for the UOC-USA and prepares its Ustav (liturgical calendar and order of services). Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony shares some metaphors (enemy, man half-dead, and publican) for understanding parents and then offers some advice on how to serve (and evangelize) them. It presents the main ideas from the talk he gave at the 2018 Youth and Camp Workers Conference in Atlanta, GA. You can find out more information about the conference at their website, orthodoxycc.org.

In this episode, Fr. Alexander Webster, the Dean of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary and a retired Army Chaplain, shares his thoughts on the challenges of the priesthood and describes how Holy Trinity prepares men for it. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony ones again shares the idea of the pattern of the Logos as the mechanism of evangelism. This is the first part of a talk he gave at the 2018 Lenten Retreat in Bethlehem PA hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox League (UOC-USA) and The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony uses metaphors to help us understand what healthy parishes should and shouldn't look like. This is the second part of a talk he gave at the 2018 Lenten Retreat in Bethlehem PA hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox League (UOC-USA) and The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony interviews Fr. John Peck, the Dean of Great Marty Euphemia Orthodox Theological Academy. Fr. John shares his assessment of the biggest challenges Orthodox parishes face in America and the ways that this new academy seeks to help them face them. The academy is not designed to replace seminary education or compete with traditional Orthodox seminaries. Rather, it is designed to fill a real need Fr. John and other priests have found in their ministries: the equipping of the saints for ministry.

In this episode Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry (UOC-USA Canonist) discuss historical and pastoral variations in taking communion and make a request for charitable discernment when evangelizing (much less judging!) autocephalists in Ukraine. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory continue their discussion on personalities and the priesthood, focusing primarily on the attributes/predispositions of agreeableness and openness. Along the way they end up talking about Jung, Flannery O'Connor, and Jordan Peterson. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory Jensen talk about how to live with - and even love - your limitations and then begin a discussion on the sorts of things that should be part of our annual check-up. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony interviews Fr. Geoffrey about the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College (trinityorthodox.ca) and how it trains Orthodox Christian clergy, theologians, teachers, and other co-workers of God to serve. Because of its relationship with the University of Toronto, other local seminaries, and Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Mission, it is able to combine serious academic, theological, and practical education. Fr. Geoffrey has a wonderful perspective on ministry that I am sure you will love. Enjoy the show!

In this rambling episode, Fr. Anthony makes a plea for family pilgrimages (his uses Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me at All Saints Camp), talks about how he likes to teach dogmatics, and gives some advice on choosing a seminary. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry Linsinbigler (canonist for the UOC-USA) talk about recent blessings at the parish Fr. Harry serves (Protection of the Theotokos in Dover, FL), variations on the sacrament of confession, and the ontology of the priesthood. Listen and find out how relics and myrrh-streaming icons can help a parish's culture, what the differences are between the different prayers of absolution, and whether the priest is just a fill-in for when the bishop can't be at the parish. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony interviews Fr. John Peck (http://frjohnpeck.com) about the joys and challenges of North American missionary work and ways that those called to it can get themselves and their families ready for it and the many challenges it - and life - can bring. We talk about the need to get out of debt and how important it is to have an awesome, loving, and mutually supportive relationship with your wife. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony interviews iconographer Lynette Hull of the Prosopon School (prosoponschool.org). She shares her thoughts on what happens when parishes compromise on icon composition and style, how missions should prioritize their collection of icons, and why it is important that priests immerse themselves in the production (and not just the study and veneration) of icons. She also shows considerable restraint as she works around Fr. Anthony's (attempts at) humor. Enjoy the show!

In this episode AFR blogger and podcaster Fr. Stephen De Young talks with Fr. Anthony about parish Bible study, why it is so fun and awesome, why some priests and parishioners are hesitant about it, and ways to draw people in and make the effort sustainable. Fr. Stephen posts his parish Bible study notes here and the recordings here; Fr. Anthony posts his notes here and the recordings here. Enjoy the show!

GGWB gave its time in this episode over to its sponsor: Anaxios Gifts! From the Tin-Foil Skufia to a book of feel-good homilies to the "Beards of Love" charity, Anaxios has it all! Tired of acrimonious debates about patriarchal show downs? So were we, so we went double-dog silly on this one. Operators are standing by; enjoy the show!

This conversation with Bill Black, OCMC Missionary to Kenya, was recorded during the International Orthodox Theological Association conference in Iasi, Romania (9-12 January 2019). Bill gave a talk on this subject at the conference and was gracious enough to take time away from the sessions to talk about it for the podcast. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony Perkins speaks with the Vice-President of the International Orthodox Theological Association, Gayle Woloschak (PhD, DMin.) about the vocation of lay theologian. Gayle is a way-cool scientist and theologian with a life-time of service to Christ and His Church. They talk about why this vocation is not always supported by the clergy of the Church and why they should. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. John (Sts. Peter and Paul in Carnegie, PA) get caught up for the first time since the "Anaxios - Christmas Gifts Shopping Hour." They discuss Fr. John's first Pascha in his new parish, Fr. Anthony's last Pascha before his big move, and how awesome it was to have an Anaxios Laser Spear (TM) at Friday Presanctified's (the challenge is real!). Along the way, they share some thoughts on how to manage and lead parishes through change and how our current ecclesial troubles affect the balance of our evangelical witness. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Theophan (St. Job of Pochaiv parish in Los Alamos, NM) makes a case for treating others the way we would have them treat us, giving evidence that being patient and kind is a good and healthy way to live and spread the the Gospel. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Cyril Jenkins, PhD., Director of the St. Basil Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture at Eastern University, shares his thoughts on the challenges Orthodox Christians face in America and how intentionally Orthodox educational institutions - like the St. Basil Center and the St. Constantine School - can help them grow in Christ and evangelize America. He also talks about his current project: bringing a St. Constantine School campus to the Lehigh Valley. Fr. Anthony finishes by encouraging people to consider moving to the Lehigh Valley so that they can benefit from and contribute to the wonderful pan-Orthodox culture there.

In this cross-over episode, Fr. Anthony talks with his friend Pastor Michael Landsman, co-host of the Areopagus Podcast, about their CPE experiences, Fr. Anthony's transition to a new life, playing D&D, and how important it is for clergy to have (non-parishioner) friends in their lives for discernment and relaxed fellowship. Enjoy the show!