In this podcast Steve references an article he wrote for AGAIN Magazine on the Orthodox Church and same sex attraction. In it he shares the results of several interviews with Orthodox men and women who shared their backgrounds and experiences as homosexuals before and after becoming Orthodox Christians.

In Part Two Steve answers email from listeners in a Question/Answer format.

Steve discusses mediocrity, the struggle with being ordinary, and the reality of what it means to be an "everyday saint."

It's called the Agape meal because that is where we are challenged to live what we have experienced in the liturgy.

Fr. Nicolaie expresses the beauty of the mission that many are quick to over look in their every day busy lives.

Paul shares about his experiences at the mission with children of all backgrounds and from all walks of life. He reflects on a story that changed his perspective of world cultures, and how that pertains to our Orthodox way of life.

Fr. Nicolaie writes about forgiveness and loss at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

A snapshot of an afternoon at St. John the Compassionate Mission, written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Sixth Sunday of Luke: the story of the farmer who wanted to build more barns.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

One might say that the beauty of the poor is hard to spot. But one would be wrong... because in truth, beauty is the hospitality of holiness for the human being. And where do we find this hospitality more present than in the body of the poor? Take a look into Christine's joyful and deep blue eyes, to see for yourself.

One story of a clinical depression sufferer's progress within the context of a welcoming community.

The silence of God at Nativity invites the caring community to action and change.

Both Hector and Mohamed share their wisdom, encouraging each person to use their God-given creativity and humbly open their hearts, in order to build community and open the door to holiness.

In today's generation, we do better to remain poor and in need of healing, but together in Christ; than to be healed alone and segregated through disunity. The community is learning this while walking with people like Judy.

Frank (or Isaac, in the Church), a regular member of the community, passed away suddenly near the end of March. A mixup with his phone provided the community with the chance to learn of his passing, and opened the door for his daughter to share her grief with others who also loved her father.

Brother Luke reflects on Holy Week experiences in the community.

Healing happens within the community in different ways, and at times it is given to us to witness little miracles. In the end it heals us all, in our heart. And this is the real miracle.

Through Matthew's arrival at the community this week, we learn that communion makes us look for the one that is lost: Through the wounds of the poor, Christ pours out His grace.

Brother Luke shares a collection of recent interactions and experiences from within the community.

It is the cry of the poor who are in solidarity with those who suffer the most, today. The poor are not indifferent to the suffering, but lift it in prayer, with faith that God hears them.

Brother Luke shares three stories from community life.

Fr. Nicolaie invites us to join the community in looking into the eyes of the Theotokos from a humble position at the feet of her icon; and to live ascetically in a way that opens our own eyes to charity and mercy.

Martha begins a series addressing the topic of hospitality. Join her today for a look at feeding teenagers and the blessing we can find being hospitable to others.

Today Martha continues the topic of hospitality with a look at its components and lives of the saints.

Join Martha this week for more thoughts on hospitality, prayer and summer peaches!

Simplicity has been a prevalent part of host Martha Condra's holiday season. Link to this episode's recipe.

Martha addresses the preparation and anticipation for the Nativity in our kitchens, and elsewhere. Here is the link to the recipe for preserved lemons.

the low-stakes internet mystery to identify the only unknown celebrity on a shower curtain pattern is solved after four years #

feature package on new ways religious believers are using new technology, from Muslim VR simulators to Buddhist monks on TikTok #

inflation was a painful global phenomenon, and every ruling party was punished for it regardless of political leanings #

In my Protestant days, I had no problem with anyone talking about Mary—so long as it was Christmas. On Boxing Day, that was it. Over. No more talking about Mary. What are we anyway, Catholics? It was understood that when we packed away the Nativity set, all talk of Mary got packed up along with it. And my proof that Bible-believing Christians should not talk about Mary? The New Testament never did. Well, hardly ever did—just long enough to narrate the Christmas story. Was she in the Acts of the Apostles? Not really. Was she in the Epistles? No. So there you go: no talking about Mary or calling her blessed.

Recently I heard a very dark and serious song about the judgment of God and His wrath against sinners. It was the folk song “Great God Almighty’s Gonna Cut You Down” (accessed here). I was not aware of the song before; apparently it is an American folk song. The oracular Wikipedia informs me that it was first recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet in 1946 and issued in 1947 by the Jubalairies, and since then has been covered by a variety of singers in country, folk, electronic, and black metal genres, including such singers as Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, and Elvis Presley. It takes some imagination to contemplate someone singing both about blue suede shoes and the wrath of God, but that’s America for you.

There are stupider things to do than arguing with a culty fundamentalist. As the late great Jim Croce reminded us, you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, and you don’t pull the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger. Arguing with a culty fundamentalist is, I admit, not as stupid as any of these things, but it is pretty stupid nonetheless, for it is a waste of precious time and utterly futile.

Presented for your consideration (as Rod Serling used to say): an old man dressed up as an Orthodox priest-monk who is actually neither priest nor monk, performing outrageous antics both in public and online in a furious attempt to draw attention to himself. Mr. Milton Kapner calls himself Brother Nathanael, and he is a Jewish man who has attracted a large following of online listeners to his regular virulent anti-Semitic rants. Though he was once a novice in an Old Calendarist monastery in Colorado, he was kicked out of that monastery and is now not a monk at all, despite wearing monastic garb, but “a showman with a persecution complex who likes to be the center of attention” (from “Orthodox Christianity Then and Now”).

Now that Great Lent is upon us, the question sometimes arises about where we should put our spiritual focus. There are two places we should certainly not put our focus—and only one place where we should.

Fr. Apostolos asks the most important question that each of us must answer in this life: What comes next?

Fr. Apostolos talks about the dangers of confusing externalism with spiritual fruit.

Fr. Apostolos shares from 1 Corinthians 3, reminding us that our bodies belong to the Lord, "The temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."

Fr. Apostolos helps to prepare us for Great Lent with reflections on the humility of the Publican.

Fr. Apostolos shares about sexual purity. "We cannot, we dare not, manufacture a false gospel that dismisses chastity and sexual purity because maintaining them is difficult."

From Ephesians and other passages from the New Testament, Fr. Apostolos shares about our union in Christ, "Regardless of all the nonsense and the crazy silly divisions that exist in the world, we are united to Christ and united to one another. May we be the ambassadors and reach out to those around us and pull them into our embrace, so that they also can be united to Christ and His Body."

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Fr. Apostolos reminds us that unless we see the face of Christ in everyone we meet, to venerate our icons can be a form of idolatry.

Fr. Apostolos begins with the story of Brittany, a young girl he briefly knew who suffered from an incurable skin condition who demonstrated for him how to carry a cross. The gist of the homily is simple: there can be no resurrection without a death and no Paschal celebration without the Cross.