[The Conversation Africa] Professor Noel Chabani Manganyi, who has died at the age of 84, was a torchbearer in psychology, literature and African intellectual thought.

It’s easy to wish you looked like or acted like someone else, or had the cushy job or great boyfriend that someone else has. No matter who you are, you can learn to be happy and fulfilled with your life. Take time to appreciate your talents and characteristics while forming a healthy body image and self-esteem. Focus on the positive aspects of your job, hobbies, and lifestyle. Fostering strong and close relationships can help you feel more satisfied and confident in your lifestyle.

Frederica shares an essay she wrote for a book titled Glory and Honor: Orthodox Christian Resources on Marriage, edited by Drs. David and Mary Ford and Dr. Alfred K. Siewers.

This week, Christian is joined by his wonderful wife, Michaela. Together, the two reflect on what marriage has taught them both about an experience of God's Love.

Have you ever struggled with being content with your own life? Accepting your own strengths? This week Christian (with a little help from Kylo Ren) explores how we must live into our own lives if we have any hope of serving the Lord.

"Without evangelism, the Church is just a secret club for those who like that sort of thing." Fr Joseph quotes Fr. Michael Keiser, who fell asleep in the Lord on the Feast of the Dormition. May his memory be eternal—and may we all be teachable!

Guest speaker Fr. Demetri Carrelas shares from Mark 8:34-9:1.

Fr. John shares about love and forgiveness from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43-48).

Fr. John shares from 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.

Fr. John uses 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 to discuss the importance of unity.

Fr. John Whiteford discusses John 3:1-5 and the importance of baptism.

Fr. John Whiteford preaches on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

While most Mother’s Day celebrations include things like cards, brunch or carnations, there are other, more tangible ways to embrace the more non-commercial aspects of appreciating mothers. What would it look like to connect daily gratitude with the small moments of mothering? How might it transform us?

The Roman Centurion, a Gentile, shows more faith than all of Israel, according to the Lord's observation. How is it an "outsider" without all the benefits of centuries of religious education can see more clearly than the whole of israel shaped by centuries of examples and theology? Turns out being an insider is no guarantee that you won't end up outside!

We have all heard the phrase “culture of death.” Many use it to describe the culture we live in, especially when it comes to current social issues. Join Michael as he talks about life and death, what we as Orthodox Christians need to do to continually bring life to a world riddled with death, and why our understanding of life and death needs to be understood in a much broader and deeper sense.

Join Michael in a discussion about what well-being and non-being really mean, and how we often do things we think are beneficial but really are not in our best interest and lead us father from God rather than towards Him.

Being Young is VERY Hard in this World We Made (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)

Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of his reception into the Orthodox Church, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick talks about 6 things that he's learned along the way, most of them things he couldn't quite imagine 20 years ago.

How can we fully realize our Christian calling without being priests? Jason Catanese, a recent graduate and a schoolteacher in Phoenix, AZ, returns to College Conference East to reflect on how Christ’s light shines in his life.

Fr. Theophan (St. Job of Pochaiv parish in Los Alamos, NM) makes a case for treating others the way we would have them treat us, giving evidence that being patient and kind is a good and healthy way to live and spread the the Gospel. Enjoy the show!

Elissa expresses how important it is to be honest and humble when teaching children, freely showing our imperfections.

Elissa encourages us to engage in spiritual pilgrimages and approach all of life as pilgrims.

We all benefit when we receive one another, when we recognize and encourage the strengths in others, when we submit to the maturity and giftedness of others, then the Church is the Church and we are all saved together.

"As Christians we are all called to be of one mind, but that one mind is not your mind or my mind or somebody else’s—no matter how holy or important that person is or how much authority he or she has. The one mind we are called to have is Christ’s."

Fr. Philip encourages us to be the light of the world by serving Christ in our immediate circumstances.

Are you stumbling around in spiritual darkness? Prayer is how we open the darkness of our soul to the brilliant light of Christ, presenting ourselves in faith for His healing.

There is perhaps no more powerful example of our need for Christ’s healing of our souls than that contained in today’s gospel reading. A rich man with the benefit of the great spiritual heritage of Abraham, Moses, and the prophets had become such a slave to gratifying his desires for indulgence in pleasure that he had become completely blind to his responsibility to show mercy to Lazarus, a miserable beggar who wanted only crumbs and whose only comfort was when dogs licked his open sores. The rich man’s life revolved around wearing the most expensive clothes and enjoying the finest food and drink, even as he surely stepped over or around Lazarus at the entrance to his home on a regular basis and never did anything at all to relieve his suffering.

We consider the donkey who bore Jesus into Jerusalem and, with St. Mary of Bethany (John 12:1-18), contemplate the beautiful but surprising acts of God (Philippian 4:4-9) in the light of Numbers 22; Zechariah 9:9, and select poems from G. K. Chesterton, William Blake, and Samuel Crossman.

Fr. Theodore celebrates fathers and reminds them of their importance. He encourages fathers to take a leadership role in the spiritual lives of their children, as their example will be imitated.

Fr. Ted reminds us that we must be a spiritual light to our children.

Fr. Ted explains that when we fail to take part in fasting or the sacraments, we create an identity crisis within.

Fr. Ted reminds us that our first call is to be truly Christian.

Fr. Ted encourages us to not let fear keep us from living out our Orthodox faith.

Fr. Ted calls us to a childlike gratefulness for the many gifts that we have been given by God.

Fr. Ted asks, "What happens when are neither the Publican or the Pharisee?" The Triodion calls us back to the roots of our faith to engage fully in the life of Christ's Church.

Fr. Ted concludes his series on the House of God by reminding us of our need to be thankful to God for all of the undeserved gifts that He has given to us.

In Part 7 of the series we discuss the "practical application" of the dogma of the Trinity. While all "orthodox" Christian churches affirm the dogma of the Trinity virtually none of them can really tell a believer why it is important to our salvation. If we are created in the image of God, then the Trinity is at the core of our being and defines not only God, but the human being and the nature of our salvation in Christ.

The Orthodox view existence as directed toward an encounter with a personal God who gives meaning to all the dimensions of earthly human existence.

Paul and Naomi talk about the importance of the mission in the busyness of downtown Toronto. They also reflect on the mission's purpose of being there for those who need them.

The work of the prophet Haggai is short and easy to miss; it is a mere two chapters in our Bibles sandwiched in between the books of Zephaniah and Zechariah. If you are flipping quickly through the final pages of the Old Testament he easy to miss. After ploughing through longer works such as those of Isaiah (66 chapters), Jeremiah (52 chapters, plus 5 more chapters of Lamentations), and Ezekiel (48 chapters), Haggai looks positively puny in comparison

Fr. Apostolos talks on stewardship and addressed the role that Christian stewardship plays in bridging the gap between the material and immaterial aspects of our faith. By consecrating the material resources of our lives to God we can escape the trap of reducing our faith in Jesus Christ to a disembodied philosophy.

Fr. Apostolos Hill preaches about All Saints' Day and what it means to be not of this world, or, Aghios. He reminds us of the distinction of being in this world but not of this world and the importance of striving to be Aghios each day.

On the Sunday before Pentecost, Fr Thomas teaches us about being our united to God in Christ.

Fr. Tom reminds us that the spiritual life is full of ups and downs, but the downs are a provision from God for our salvation.

Fr Thomas reminds us that the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman was not about her condemnation, but her salvation. We can also embrace a change of life through encountering Christ. (John 4:5-42) Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, May 14, 2023

What happens after we have worked hard, done our best and achieved nothing?

Father Deacon Emmanuel gives the homily on the banquet story in Luke 14.

Fr. Dn. Emmanuel reflects on the early childhood of Jesus and the role of his parents.