In the first episode of a five-part Lenten series on despondency, we learn what despondency is (and what it isn't), and how it relates to our experience of time. Ultimately, despondency is a means of escaping the present moment we find ourselves in.

The present moment is a gift from God. But too often, we flee from this "gift of the now" through our mental ideations of the past and future. Today, we're calling that movement despondency and exploring the physical, emotional and spiritual paths by which we escape from the present.

Today we talk about various antidotes to the passion of despondency, which all have the effect of bringing us back to the present moment of heart.

Today we continue our discussion of how to regain God's gift of the present moment. We'll touch on humor, scripture recitation, and prayer.

In this final segment of our lenten series on Time and Despondency, we explore the substance of the present moment—the Holy Resurrection. Thoughts on how to re-present ourselves and our world this Pascha and beyond.

This is the first part of a talk given at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Toronto. In this portion, we look at common approaches to time management as they've developed in Western culture.

Continuing the talk from last week about the difference between managing time for the sake of productivity and redeeming time for the sake of salvation. Follow along!

This episode revisits the question of time in heaven from two different vantage points: Hellenic Greek philosophy and the Old Testament. Greeks and Jews of late antiquity had pretty different beliefs when it came to time and eternity, and both paradigms have implications for how one views the Incarnation.

In the last episode of this miniseries, we talk about "ages" and the phrase "unto the ages of ages" as it is used to signify eternity in the New Testament. Along the way, we'll tackle interstellar space, two-dimensional cubes, and other perplexing boundaries of human knowledge. Moral of the story: keep wonder alive.​

Heaven is eternal—but does that mean it also without time? This question lies at the crux of our understanding not only of heaven but also of earthly existence. In the first part of this miniseries, Dr. Roccas talks about some personal experiences regarding this question and how Orthodox worship prepares us for heaven.

Welcome to the Time in Trauma Series! Today we’re talking about what trauma is. Make sure to listen to the trailer for more information about this series. Find an episode schedule here: instagram.com/p/CWJKdXav1GH Learn more about Nicole’s trauma-informed coaching services at www.nicoleroccas.com/coaching Connect on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: Shelly Rambo, Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining Working definition of trauma: “Trauma is any event or series of events that are experienced as too much, too little, too soon, or too fast for a person’s nervous system to process.” Recommended further reading: What Happened to You? By Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessell van der Kolk Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). The intro and outro of this podcast are the songs "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which we explore the story of Adam and Eve through the lens of trauma. Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: Webinar on Holding Space for Trauma in Liturgy and Life: store.ancientfaith.com/remembering-all-these-things Genesis 1-3 (NRSV) “Moral Injury” via Psychology Today Canada (https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/moral-injury) Treasure in Earthen Vessels: Prayer & The Embodied Life, by Dcn Stephen Muse: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38364459-treasure-in-earthen-vessels “From the Prayer of Jesus to Prayer of the Heart,” by Fr. John Breck: https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-john-breck/from-the-prayer-of-jesus-to-prayer-of-the-heart The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which we explore what trauma and jet lag have in common. Send listener questions to Nicole via email (timeeternal@ancientfaith.com) or as private message on Instagram (@nicoleroccas), Twitter (@nicoleroccas), or Facebook (@Nicole M. Roccas). Mentioned in this episode: Episode schedule for the Time in Trauma series: instagram.com/p/CWYToBtLRTM The Body Keeps the Score (Book) by Bessel van der Kalk: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection (Book) by Deb Dana: wwnorton.com/books/9780393713855 The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Let’s give Scrooge a break this year! (And psychoanalyze him.) Send listener questions to Nicole via email (timeeternal@ancientfaith.com) or as private message on Instagram (@nicoleroccas), Twitter (@nicoleroccas), or Facebook (@Nicole M. Roccas). Mentioned in this episode: Mark McMinn’s article on ChristianityToday.com: “The Generous Soul” (Nov 23 2017) Bessel van der Kalk, The Body Keeps the Score Lawrence Langer, Holocaust Testimonies: The Ruins of Memory The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Some thoughts on how trauma affects us in the present moment of our lives. Send listener questions to Nicole via email (timeeternal@ancientfaith.com) or as private message on Instagram (@nicoleroccas), Twitter (@nicoleroccas), or Facebook (@Nicole M. Roccas). Mentioned in this episode: The quotes I read by Dietrich Bonhoeffer are from the Advent collection of his prison writings entitled God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas. The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Some thoughts on how trauma affects our capacity for hope and our attitude toward the future. Send listener questions to Nicole via email (timeeternal@ancientfaith.com) or as private message on Instagram (@nicoleroccas), Twitter (@nicoleroccas), or Facebook (@Nicole M. Roccas). The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Some thoughts on how liturgy holds space for those of us carrying trauma. This episode is an excerpt from a webinar talk I gave in December 2021 entitled “Remembering All Things: Holding Space for Trauma in Liturgy and Life,” hosted online by Ancient Faith Ministries. LIVESTREAM EPISODE: Next week’s episode will feature listener questions and air first as a livestream on Wed Jan 5, 2022, 2:30-3:30 Eastern on Nicole’s Instagram page: @nicoleroccas (https://www.instagram.com/nicoleroccas/). To join in realtime, follow her on Instagram and open the app at the correct time. SEND QUESTIONS: If you can’t join in realtime, send your questions to Nicole via email (timeeternal@ancientfaith.com) or as private message on Instagram (@nicoleroccas), Twitter (@nicoleroccas), or Facebook (@Nicole M. Roccas). The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Nicole addresses listener questions about time, trauma, and Orthodox faith. This was originally recorded as a livestream program on January 5, 2022. View the video here (instagram.com/p/CYXNDaKoopZ). The final episode of the Time in Trauma series will air next week! Mentioned in this episode: - Time in Trauma theme music: “Wonder” by YVEN (youtube.com/watch?v=xIkIT5wosVc) - Diane Langberg, Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church (Brazos Press, 2020) - The FYI religious/spiritual abuse toolkit: thefyi.org/toolkits/spiritual-abuse-toolkit/ - An Orthodox reflection on spiritual abuse: Fr. Mike Gillis, “Our Father: A Reflection on Spiritual Abuse,” (blogs.ancientfaith.com/prayingintherain/2015/10/our-father-a-reflection-on-abuse-in-the-church) - Spiritual Abuse Resources.com: Lots of videos and learning resources to better identify and heal from diff forms of religious abuse: spiritualabuseresources.com - Trauma-informed coaching with Nicole: nicoleroccas.com/coaching The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

This is the final episode of the Time in Trauma series! Today we review what we've learned together in the past two months and talk about where we go from here. Thank you to everyone who's been along for this important journey - let's stay in touch! Keep in touch with Nicole on Instagram (@nicoleroccas), Twitter (@nicoleroccas), or Facebook (@Nicole M. Roccas). The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Following up on the April 30 episode, Bill continues to explore ways to encourage our youth and emerging adults to be faithful to the Church.In the last segment, he is joined by Steven Christoforou for some very practical insight.

In this program, we discuss with Christian medical professionals Dr. John Kelley and Dr. Constantine Kokenes the wonderful and diverse ways they have found to live their callings and serve their churches, communities and God’s people and creation.

While Orthodox Christians understand the place of the homily in the hierarchy of our Divine Liturgy, St. Paul was clear on the importance of homilies and sermons in 2nd Timothy 4:1: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ…: Preach the Word! …Convince, rebuke, exhort….” On this episode, Bill Marianes and Fr. Barnabas Powell talk about the importance of effective preaching.

Tonight's Stewardship Calling on Ancient Faith Radio is the second in a 3-part series on some things we can do to have the most effective and impactful homilies and sermons from the perspectives of both those who preach them and those whom they reach. These programs are important and can be helpful to both laity and clergy alike. Bill's guest tonight is one of the greatest homilists - Fr. Nicholas Louh of St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church in Jacksonville, FL.

Join Bill Marianes as he talks again with Wall Street Journal Business bestselling author Jim Huling, one of the co-authors of The 4 Disciplines of Execution. They discuss how each of us can find answers to the questions, “Why are you here on this Earth?” and “What is the Purpose of Your Life?” and explore several specific successful models to discover your specific calling, purpose, and WHY in order to answer those questions.

Our unwillingness to have productive difficult conversations and deal with conflict is at the root of so many issues in our churches, ministries, and lives. This week on Stewardship Calling, Bill and his guest Dr. Mitch Owen will tackle these critical issues. Dr. Owen is the creator of the Elusive Leadership Model for high-performance teams. He is also professionally certified and administers many assessment instruments for professional development, executive coaching, management training, team effectiveness and organization development. Dr. Owen has decades of experience addressing conflict in non-profit organizations, helping them become more effective and collegial, and guiding their leaders to perform at higher levels of excellence. He and Bill explore how and why these issues arise, and we will share specific and helpful strategies and solutions to these challenges. Listen for Part 2 on May 5, 2021.

In Part 2 of their series on difficult conversations, Dr. Mitch Owen and Bill Marianes delve more deeply into some successful strategies and examples of how to have increasingly productive difficult conversations.

Part 3: The Journey Through Death To The Resurrection – Fr. George L. Livanos

Part 1: The Journey Through Life In Search Of Calling – Fr. George L. Livanos

Part 2: The Moment After – The Clarity of Vision From The Partner’s Perspective – Presvytera Dianthe Livanos

Part 4: The Brother's Perspective - Fr. John Touloumes and Dr. Nicholas Loutsion

In part 1 of a 2-part series, Bill presents the empirical data about our current church challenges, how some Christians overcame these issues and built strong church communities, and the 6 primary root cause areas where our parishes are suffering

In Part 2 of this series, Bill provides proven insights, strategies, and solutions from the “Jobs To Be Done” and “Disruptive Innovation” theories developed by Harvard professor Dr. Clayton Christensen. We will also begin to explore an excellent parish assessment that can help diagnose the most critical parish comorbidities and provide solutions

This week, Bill speaks with Matushka Trudi Richter and Presvytera Dianthe Livanos about how we continue to live our Stewardship Callings after our loved ones pass on to the kingdom eternal. If you or someone you love is seriously ill, or if you have experienced the death of a loved one, and you are wondering why and how you will carry on, then this conversation is for you. This is part two with Bill speaking with Presbytera Dianthe Livanos.

This week, Bill speaks with Matushka Trudi Richter and Presvytera Dianthe Livanos about how we continue to live our Stewardship Callings after our loved ones pass on to the kingdom eternal. If you or someone you love is seriously ill, or if you have experienced the death of a loved one, and you are wondering why and how you will carry on, then this conversation is for you. In part three, Bill with his guests Mat. Trudi and Presv. Dianthe reflect together on the topic.

This week, Bill speaks with Matushka Trudi Richter and Presvytera Dianthe Livanos about how we continue to live our Stewardship Callings after our loved ones pass on to the kingdom eternal. If you or someone you love is seriously ill, or if you have experienced the death of a loved one, and you are wondering why and how you will carry on, then this conversation is for you. This is a three part program and part one features the interview with Mat. Trudi Richter.

Doctors know the tests to administer to assess our personal health. Financial planners know how to assess our financial health. However, our parishes lack similar empirical and validated tools to help them. After over 20 years of working with over 500 Orthodox Christian parishes and completing strategic plans that cover over 26% of Orthodox Christians in the U.S., the Orthodox Ministry Services (OMS) team has developed the Effective Parish Assessment (EPA). The EPA is a reliable and easy way for you to assess your parish’s health and effectiveness in the 6 Pillars and 30 Building Blocks of operational excellence. OMS is providing the Effective Parish Assessment Program for free to selected Cohort Effective Parishes with the support of Leadership 100 and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Tune in to these TWO programs and find out if your parish is eligible, and how you can apply, to participate in this dynamic free and helpful parish improvement program. We also welcome your calls and questions. If your parish is an innovator with Clergy and Lay Leaders committed to operational excellence and the best possible parish health and effectiveness, these programs are for you. Join my fellow OMS Team members as over 2 programs we describe in more detail the 6 Pillars, 30 Building Blocks, the Effective Parish Assessment Program, and how it can benefit your parish.

In Part 2 of a two-part show, Bill and colleagues Nick Chakos, Steve Tibbs, and Dr. Mitch Owens continue their exploration of the 6 Pillars and 30 Building Blocks of effective and healthy parishes, and how the Effective Parish Assessment works to provide invaluable information to Orthodox Christian parishes

Every church does some things well and struggles with others. Join Bill Marianes, Fr. Ted Barbas, Dr. Don Khouri, Panos Coufos and Alex Cooley to discuss the process and results from the first-ever parish strategic planning retreat.

Every church does some things well and struggles with others. In Part 2, Join Bill Marianes for a recommended step-by-step parish strategic planning process.

Orthodoxy has declined from 20% of global Christians in 1910 to 12% in 2010. We are not yet making Orthodox "disciples of all nations" to the degree our Lord instructed us. Why? Some answers can be found in the latest leadership, innovation, and change management best practices and research.

Orthodoxy has declined from 20% of global Christians in 1910 to 12% in 2010. We are not yet making Orthodox "disciples of all nations" to the degree our Lord instructed us. Why? Some answers can be found in the latest leadership, innovation, and change management best practices and research.

Orthodoxy has declined from 20% of global Christians in 1910 to 12% in 2010. We are not yet making Orthodox "disciples of all nations" to the degree our Lord instructed us. PART 3: Listen to the latest leadership, innovation, and change management best practices and research

This is the first part of a talk Frederica gave on the influence of the sexual revolution in the movies. We have broken it up into three sections and next time will be part 2. The talk was delivered at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa. They recently held a conference that they called "The Sheptytsky Institute Study Days."

Here is the second part of a talk Frederica gave on the influence of the sexual revolution in the movies. Part 1 was posted on September 4.

Here is the third and final part of a talk Frederica gave on the influence of the sexual revolution in the movies. Part 1 was posted on September 4 and Part 2 on September 17.

This is part two of a pair of special episodes of Frederica Here and Now. It features Frederica Mathewes-Green speaking at the Mother of God Orthodox Church in Princeton, New Jersey, about her new book The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer That Tunes the Heart to God.

Frederica contends that, traditionally and historically, worship was aimed not toward other worshippers, as it is in the modern seeker-friendly church, but toward God.

Frederica explains that worship is for believers to offer to God.

Frederica responds to a question about purgatory and explains why the Orthodox pray for the dead.

Frederica reads "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Part 1 of 5