Divine Grace Archives - Behind the Scenes

Speakers and Topics for Facing Forward: An Ancient Faith Conference for the Second Half of Life

September 19, 2019February 27, 2020 · Melinda Johnson 2

The middle season of life marks itself in our experiences as an ending and a beginning. It is a season of change and realization and can be a time of great joy and great suffering. There are many questions to ask as we seek to reinvent ourselves, to stay connected with grown children, to care for aging parents, and to think practically about the end of natural life. We invite you to…

Writing an Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, Healer of Hardened Hearts

April 5, 2019 · Bev. Cooke 3

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.

Writing the Akathist to St. Mary of Egypt

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 · Bev. Cooke

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…

Know Your Faith: Are You Saved by Grace?

October 8, 2016March 23, 2017 · Fr. Michael Shanbour 1

Grace is not a concept or a declaration of innocence; rather, it is the uncreated life of God that flows from Him naturally and eternally. It is a real and concrete participation in the divine life that God has desired to share with us from the beginning.