Fr. Stephen Freeman speaks from his own experience about depression, anxiety, and a 40-year battle with panic attacks. He sets these within the wisdom of the tradition and offers a way of understanding as well as some helpful ways of moving forward.

The heart of loneliness is broken communion. Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the roots of this rupture and its experience as shame.

The truth of words is much deeper than the "facts" they may represent. A true word is found in the heart of God, and in our hearts when we dwell in God.

Fr. Stephen Freeman reflects on the thoughts of Thomas Hopko, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and GK Chesterton, all of whom speak of the value of smaller and more local things. He examines this within Orthodox thought as well.

Fr. Stephen looks at the difficulties of forgiveness and what it is, exactly, that is being asked of us in Christ's commandments.

Fr. Stephen Freeman examines in some depth why success and progress are not the right measures of the spiritual life.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers thoughts on the virtue of contentment and its place in the spiritual life.

In this podcast, Fr. Stephen speaks about the Orthodox use of the word "fullness," both as a description of the Church but also, and especially, as a description of what we long for in the Christian life.

We rarely think of God as meek. Instead, we picture Him as mighty, powerful, and overwhelming. Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at a number of clear indications in Scripture concerning what we know of God through the revelation of Christ. God is meek.

It is one thing to believe that God exists. But beyond that, it is important, even vital, that God is good. Fr. Stephen Freeman explores this importance.

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at our transformation into the image of Christ and the forgiveness of our sins in terms of concrete reality - thinking through the work that God is doing in us.

Strapsicle's silicone straps secure my Kindle Paperwhite and give me the perfect grip for comfortable reading.

Being prepared for reinvention is crucial in an AI-first future. This research suggests your architecture and mindset need to adapt accordingly.

The post 18 Lessons I’ve Learned about Blogging appeared first on ProBlogger.

In November 2002 I first heard the word blog after a mate e-mailed me a link and said I should consider starting one. Within 24 hours I’d created my first blog (a blogspot blog that doesn’t exist today). Since that time I’ve run 20+ blogs (most have survived, some have ...more

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The post Mastering Blog Post Creation: 10 Essential Steps to Enhance Your Writing Process appeared first on ProBlogger.

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

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.)

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.

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.

When you or a loved one become seriously ill, even terminally ill, how do you respond? What you do next is critical. You have been called by your Creator. You have a Stewardship Calling – something you need to do with the gifts over which God made you a steward. But how do we live that calling in in the fce of serious illness or death? Join Bill as he speaks with faithful Orthodox Christians Rip Kastaris, Tracy Namee, and Nikki Bober. They'll explore how those with major heart disease, cancer, and other serious illness diagnoses can continue to live their Stewardship Calling.

Doctors know the tests to administer to assess our personal health. Financial planners know how to assess our financial health. However, our parishes lack similar empirical and validated tools to help them. After over 20 years of working with over 500 Orthodox Christian parishes and completing strategic plans that cover over 26% of Orthodox Christians in the U.S., the Orthodox Ministry Services (OMS) team has developed the Effective Parish Assessment (EPA). The EPA is a reliable and easy way for you to assess your parish’s health and effectiveness in the 6 Pillars and 30 Building Blocks of operational excellence. OMS is providing the Effective Parish Assessment Program for free to selected Cohort Effective Parishes with the support of Leadership 100 and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Tune in to these TWO programs and find out if your parish is eligible, and how you can apply, to participate in this dynamic free and helpful parish improvement program. We also welcome your calls and questions. If your parish is an innovator with Clergy and Lay Leaders committed to operational excellence and the best possible parish health and effectiveness, these programs are for you. Join my fellow OMS Team members as over 2 programs we describe in more detail the 6 Pillars, 30 Building Blocks, the Effective Parish Assessment Program, and how it can benefit your parish.

In Part 2 of a two-part show, Bill and colleagues Nick Chakos, Steve Tibbs, and Dr. Mitch Owens continue their exploration of the 6 Pillars and 30 Building Blocks of effective and healthy parishes, and how the Effective Parish Assessment works to provide invaluable information to Orthodox Christian parishes

In this week's podcast, Frederica shares, "Akathist to Jesus: Light to Those in Darkness," written by Fr. Lawrence Farley.

Frederica discusses the difference between forgiveness and enabling.

Frederica examines a statement by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales about reinstating the Friday fast.

Frederica shares some email advice that she gave to a person suffering from depression.

St. Paisios has come reassuring comments about our struggle against sin. Here is the prayer that Frederica shares in this episode, "O Merciful Lord, you who are all-good and all-loving and patient with me, I know I have sinned; in word, deed, and thought, in knowledge and in ignorance, voluntarily and involuntarily. It is impossible for me to list all my sins, because of their multitude, and my forgetfulness, but especially because of my stony insensibility that prevents me from even noticing them. I truly repent of all these sins, including the ones I don’t remember or prevented myself from recognizing as sin. Please forgive me, you who love mankind, and help me to do better; make me your dwelling place, so that I will love holiness and pursue it more closely every day, until the day when at last I see your face."

Why does Jesus often tell people not to talk about their healings? I have a theory.

Frederica chats with her father confessor about what it is like to hear confessions and to offer the forgiveness of Christ and his Church.

How does Scripture treat the themes of light, darkness and shadow? Is light always "good" and dark always "evil"? What began as a friendly debate with emerging church leader Leonard Sweet results in an instructive study by Frederica on this topic.

It can be easy enough to say "I'm sorry," or even to forgive someone who slights us. But do we really understand the depth of the act of forgiving? Join Christian this week as he explores the role of forgiveness in our transformation into the likeness of Christ.

Fr. Tom reflects upon the expulsion of Adam from Paradise, one of the two themes of Forgiveness Sunday.

Fr. Tom considers the act of asking for forgiveness, as well as who it is we hurt when we sin.

Fr. Thomas examines how we ask the Mother of God and saints to pray on our behalf, and the misunderstood prayer for them to "save" us.

Fr. Thomas recreates the homily from earlier in the month on Christ's parable of forgiveness by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/**/ of Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Ottawa. (If you e-mail Fr. Maxym, please note the Canadian spelling of "saviour" and the ".ca" domain extension.)

God grieves, we grieve, and life is often permeated with sadness. What does this mean when we also contemplate the "joy" of the Christian life?

What can we say and not say about God? Fr. Thomas Hopko confirms one thing we can say and that is God is faithful.

Recently Fr. Thomas Hopko visited and spoke at the well known and evangelical based Wheaton College. While he appreciated and was honored by the opportunity, it caused him to reflect on the evangelical movement from an Orthodox Christian perspective. His thoughts will be of value to Orthodox and Evangelicals alike.

After a season of elections, an inauguration, the State of the Union address, as well as social and political unrest, Fr. Thomas Hopko explores an ancient Christian perspective on the rights identified in the Declaration of Independence.

In this very helpful theological discourse, Fr. Thomas Hopko states that the trinitarian understanding of God is absolutely essential to the Christian faith.

Today, Jeannie begins a brand new series on the Bible, so this would be a good time to subscribe and download so as not to miss any of the episodes.

How are we to understand words like "inspired" and "inerrant" when it comes to the Holy Scriptures?

Jeannie continues her discussion about the inspiration and veracity of the Bible.

To talk about how we got our Bible we have to start with the oral tradition.

As Jeannie continues her series on the Introduction to the Bible, she begins a three-part subset on Bible manuscripts.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and what do we need to know about them?

As Scribes copied the biblical texts, what affect did this process have on words, phrases, or theology?

In her continuing series entitled Introduction to the Bible, Jeannie looks at the Septuagint and the influence of Greek thought and culture.

As the Intro to the Bible series continues, Jeannie begins a discussion of the canon of Scripture beginning with the Hebrew texts.

In this episode, Jeannie continues her discussion of the canon of Scripture and why the Old Testament is different in the Protestant Bible.