Fr. John Whiteford discusses true and false prophecy and the telling of difficult truths. Passages discussed are Jeremiah 26:11-19 and Matthew 19:16-26.

The start of Great Lent begins with preparation. We prepare our refrigerators, freezers and pantry for the fast, emptying it of meat and dairy. But we prepare our hearts as well, emptying it of resentments or grudges, wrongs we have done or wrongs done to us in our community. On navigating Forgiveness Vespers as an introvert.

The start of a new year brings us to a point of clarity– a starting point, an ending point. It is in these moments that we can choose hope as we look forward, or regret from looking back. What does the New Year represent to you? “I wish I had” or “I hope I do?”

When faced with a life-changing forgiveness of a huge debt, this man in our Gospel Lesson revealed his own wicked heart by not showing that same forgiveness and mercy to his fellow servant. It did not end well for that wicked servant. And it won't end well for we who refuse to forgive from the heart!

Why does the Orthodox Church celebrate the Elevation of the Holy Cross? A device meant for torture and a grizzly death is held up, venerated, and even kissed! Why? Well, because what humanity meant for evil, God transformed into Victory and Life!

Let's face it, the unexpected happens in life. And when it does, the danger is always being knocked off one's feet in the process. So, since the unexpected always happens, it seems silly not to prepare for it! The unexpected certainly took the disciples by surprise when the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead. They didn't expect the Lord to be declared the "King of Israel" at the Triumphal Entry, and they didn't expect the crowd that hailed the Lord as the Son of David at the first of the week to turn on Him by the end of the week. The unexpected happens in life. And today we learn how to expect the unexpected!

On the second Sunday of Great Lent the Church focuses our thoughts on the paralyzed man whose four friends tore a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was and let their friend down before the Lord so that he could be healed. Everyone, including the paralyzed man, was surprised when Jesus said his sins were forgiven when they expected the Lord to heal his physical paralysis. It turns out the Lord wanted to heal both his spiritual AND physical illnesses. And the Lord wants to do the same for us, if we have the faith!

Are you able to have such inner peace that outward circumstances are powerless to disturb you? Well, that's exactly the kind of peace Jesus Christ wants to give you.

Updated: August 10th 2016 As we enter the first week of a brand new year, your motivations are probably higher than ever to make 2016 the year to finally achieve all you’ve been dreaming of. Whether you’re starting a brand new foray into making money online or you’re hoping to take your current income to […]

The post How to Make Money Online in 2016: An Unexpected Approach appeared first on ViperChill.

Today’s blog post will reveal my biggest goal for 2016, nine niche ideas with huge potential and the most effective productivity technique I’ve used over the last few years. Let’s begin by talking about the productivity technique which is often referred to as the Pomodoro Method. If you’ve followed any kind of productivity guide online […]

The post How a Simple Productivity Tool Helped Create the World’s Best Marketing Blog appeared first on ViperChill.

Today I’m going to reveal some of the most interesting online niches where there is a lot of money to be made. These are niches which have a level of competition that allows you to compete, and fast. In other words, I wouldn’t expect to be waiting years (or even months, in many cases) to […]

The post 51 Profitable SEO Niches to Dominate with Low Competition appeared first on ViperChill.

Michael discusses why understanding the personal nature of God and experiencing God’s presence is so important and what it means to us.

Michael offers in-depth thoughts on death from an Orthodox perspective.

Michael discusses the Orthodox theological understanding of what it means to be a person, and how the passion of politics poses a danger to us in how we regard and treat each other as persons.

Michael discusses the nature of evil from an Orthodox Christian perspective and why evil always leads to its own destruction.

In Orthodoxy we often hear and read about the Uncreated Light of God. What is this Uncreated Light? Can we experience this Divine Light or is it something only Saints can experience? Join Michael as he explains certain Scriptures that illuminate our understanding of God’s Uncreated Light, and shares thoughts and experiences that demonstrate how all of us can partake of the Divine Light and experience the Transcendent in our ordinary daily lives.

Dealing with the negative voice in your head that holds you back, causes doubt and anxiety, and robs you of your peace and joy.

How do we know if we are having a mystical experience versus just an experience of awe and wonder. Does it even matter if it is one or the other? How can we trust our experiences and what are their value? Recounting his own special experience at St. Paul’s church in Rome, join Michael as he tells his story and addresses these important questions. This episode also features Metropolitan Kallistos Ware sharing his earliest recollection of his own religious experience.

Michael offers thoughts and personal reflections of his recent experience with the miraculous icon of St. Anna at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Waymart, PA, and the Kardiotisa, “The Tender Heart” myrrh-flowing, miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary at St. George Orthodox Church in Taylor, PA.

It’s terrible feeling to lose hope and feel like our circumstances are hopeless. It’s not how we are meant to live, but we can lose sight of this because of what we are going through. Join Michael as he shares his thoughts and experiences on this very difficult topic and how we can maintain or recapture hope no matter what we are experiencing. Michael also shares some exciting developments occurring with Ancient Faith Ministries and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, an author whose fiction deals a lot with hope amidst hopelessness.

Retaining the hope of a child is not easy, especially in today’s coronavirus pandemic environment. Yet this is what Christ want us to do according to the Gospel. Using thoughts from Orthodox teacher and professor Vigen Guroian’s chapter on childhood from his book The Orthodox Reality: Culture, Theology, and Ethics in the Modern World, Michael explores this topic in depth, and explains how by remembering that Christ is the eternal child of God can rekindle our sense of hope during this difficult time.

Join Michael as he discusses what eros and agape really mean and why they cannot be separated, how growth in love is deeply linked to suffering, how disordered desire can grip us, how we never truly sin alone, and how it always affects both us and others when we act on our disordered desires.

Join Michael as he discusses how we should understand God’s authority versus secular notions of authority, and why rejecting and tearing down authority does not result in liberation and freedom but rather the opposite.

Join Michael in a discussion about living intentionally to embed hopefulness in our body, mind and soul, and accept death with the hope of eternal life.

Join Michael as he uses the symbolism of the North Star to take a deep dive into the true nature of repentance and why we often misunderstand it to our detriment.

Fr. Seraphim Aldea speaks on the importance of welcoming Christ into our lives.

Fr. Seraphim speaks about losing hope and temptation and how it is not a sin until we act upon it. He goes into detail about our salvation and the difference between falling into sin and being tempted.

'It was through whispering that the serpent drove Adam and Eve out of Paradise, so he who speaks against his neighbor will be like the serpent, for he corrupts the soul of him who listens to him and he does not save his own soul' - Abba Hyperechius of the Desert Fathers. Slander and gossip are the fruits of evil and hatred, and their own fruits are division, brokenness and pain. He who slanders goes against Him Who asked us to be One. He who listens to the one who slanders opens himself to the other one's poison, and both of them are condemned as the spiritual murderers of the neighbor whom they slander.

The Feast of Theophany, when God the Trinity reveals Himself to us.

What would happen if we were all martyred for the Truth of Christ?

Not the virus, not the vaccines, not ecumenism, not any other enemy of choice: the greatest danger to our salvation and the trigger of the destruction of this world is our SIN We are the ones who can destroy ourselves and our world, but we are also the ones through whom the world can be saved. Christ has already opened that door for us. A world without love can have no future, but one drop of Love can redeem ALL.

Fr. Seraphim Aldea helps answer the question "Will we ever reach the holiness of the Saints?".

Every Lent is an opportunity to START ANEW, to shine in Christ, to do the things we only think about doing the rest of the year. We can go deeper in our faith, we can create secret 'signs of love and faith' with Christ, we can re-shape the courses of our thoughts and emotions so they once again flow in the direction God intended them to flow when He created us.

As we begin our Lenten journey, Fr. Seraphim Aldea reminds us of the importance of repentance for our salvation.

This battle is now way above our heads. We need to humbly wait in the loving palm of Christ.

Fr. Seraphim Aldea explains the hiatus from recording the podcast for 18 months.

What has happened in the last year and a half at the Orthodox Monastery of All Saints?

We sometimes pray very hard for Christ to release us from our sin, but it feels as if He just looks away and doesn't want to help. Almost always, this betrays a much more serious sin in us, hiding underneath the one that troubles us. Pride, judgement, and condemnation of others can prevent Christ from releasing us from our sin.

Would you tell the demoniacs whom Christ healed that they are 'perfect as they are'? Would you tell Mary Magdalene that the seven demons who fought her made her 'who she was'? Would you stop Christ from forgiving sinners because there is no need for them to be forgiven? If we are 'perfect as we are', then what need do we have of Christ? THIS is why the idea that we do not need to change, that we have to embrace ourselves just as we are and that sin is somehow part of our true selves — this is why this heresy is the door through which the collapse of our entire faith enters. If I am perfect as I am, then I don't need Christ for anything. Even more, this Christ Who tells me that I DO need to change becomes an antiquated and outdated 'invention', without Whom I can very well live my life.

It is easy to ask for God's Word, but it is difficult to listen and accept His answer. That is because His answer reveals His Divine will and once we know that, we need to silence our own will and follow Him.

Fasting for God Opens Our Spiritual Sight (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)

"Low" Periods Hide a Spiritual Treasure (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)

The Voices You Listen to Shape Your Life (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)