When you read a book you value, the best thing you can do to support the author and publisher is to write a review. The interconnected digital conversation that swirls around us daily is the modern equivalent of village talk around the well or in the marketplace. A good word passed from one villager to another will always be the most effective way to share news. A review is that good word!…
As I read, I compared my former attitude, approach, and rational understanding of worship to what the authors explained was really happening on a deeply spiritual level, and I have to say, it transformed the way I participate in services.
I had to write it three or four times, each time healing somewhat from my own hardened, bitter heart and getting closer to what I wanted to say in it.
St. Mary of Egypt is one of the most important saints on the calendar – so important she gets an entire Sunday in Lent dedicated to her, in addition to her feast day of April 1. She’s a major part of the Canon of Repentance that’s said at the beginning and ending of Lent. So why write an Akathist to her, since we already have so much about her? Around the turn…
I’m a believer in radical honesty. Only by being honest with ourselves about ourselves can we begin the fight against the father of lies. What this means for art is that honest artists will have much difference experiences and familiarities with particular evils, and that will necessarily effect their portrayal in art. I think that because of this, some artists are called to create messier worlds than others.
This was to be a book about other people. Not about me. I am an Orthodox Christian with a strong tendency to get involved in activism. Being a woman with children, my special interests are women and children. Let me tell you some of the things that keep me awake at night. We are seeing unprecedented rates of anxiety and depression amongst children and teens. Porn use is sky high for boys…
I must confess that I laughed out loud at the first sentence in the Introduction, “…the first experience of the Divine Liturgy will be a stunning surprise.” What an understatement that was for me at my first Divine Liturgy in 2004!
We are thrilled to announce the schedule for the approaching 2019 Ancient Faith Writing and Podcasting Conference. You’ll note that speakers, sessions, extra activities, meals, and worship are all included. Tickets are still available for this event, but they are selling quickly. If you have not yet registered, click here for more information and to purchase your ticket. For readability, only the speaker and title is included for each session below. You…
We’re delighted to share this year’s edition of Fr. Jonathan Bannon’s wonderful “Journey to Pascha” chart. This chart can be used like a map of Lent, marking off the milestones along the way and providing a suggestion for personal spiritual practice for each week. Last year, the original edition of this chart traveled around the world. It was even translated into other languages. Glory to God! Fr. Jonathan came up with the…
There have been some people wondering if they can come to the Ancient Faith Writing and Podcasting Conference, not because they do podcasts or write books or blogs, but because they want to meet and talk to the ones who do. I can’t speak for anyone else, but as far as I’m concerned, one of the highlights of my writing life is meeting people who have read what I write.