f Daring to Follow Jesus By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-06-11T18:35:39+00:00 Full Article
f The Huge Difference Between Loneliness & Solitude By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-08-01T23:24:16+00:00 Full Article
f The Power of Boundaries By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-09-19T14:43:08+00:00 Full Article
f The Poison of A False Narrative By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-09-26T18:44:22+00:00 Full Article
f I am Crucified with Christ By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-09-26T19:30:51+00:00 Full Article
f 6,595 Words on a Traffic Generation Tactic You’re Not Using (But Should Be) By www.viperchill.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Jan 2016 16:58:42 +0000 I would argue that when it comes to making money online, the most important skill you need is not in being able to find untapped niches, knowing how to do A/B testing, creating attractive websites or even having a great ability to write. Instead, the most sought after skill in my eyes is being able […] The post 6,595 Words on a Traffic Generation Tactic You’re Not Using (But Should Be) appeared first on ViperChill. Full Article Social Media
f The State of Link Building 2016: What I Learned Manually Analysing 1,000 Search Results By www.viperchill.com Published On :: Wed, 22 Jun 2016 14:37:31 +0000 Do private blog network’s still work? Does a higher word-count help your pages rank better? Did Glen really spend 60 hours on this article? I hope to answer all of these questions and many more in my new behind the scenes report on the current state of link building. I can clarify I did spend […] The post The State of Link Building 2016: What I Learned Manually Analysing 1,000 Search Results appeared first on ViperChill. Full Article Social Media
f PIN’s: The Future of Private Link Building By www.viperchill.com Published On :: Mon, 25 Jul 2016 17:53:11 +0000 What I’m going to reveal in this blog post is a strategy that will likely weed out a certain section of the ViperChill audience. In other words, I’m fully aware that this blog post will make a particular type of person unsubscribe from ViperChill and likely never return. It’s certainly not going to end up […] The post PIN’s: The Future of Private Link Building appeared first on ViperChill. Full Article Social Media
f 51 Profitable SEO Niches to Dominate with Low Competition By www.viperchill.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Aug 2016 16:06:35 +0000 Today I’m going to reveal some of the most interesting online niches where there is a lot of money to be made. These are niches which have a level of competition that allows you to compete, and fast. In other words, I wouldn’t expect to be waiting years (or even months, in many cases) to […] The post 51 Profitable SEO Niches to Dominate with Low Competition appeared first on ViperChill. Full Article Social Media
f Doubt and Faith By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2015-06-25T12:52:20+00:00 If we are honest, we will all admit that we struggle from time to time with doubt. Michael reflects on that reality and helps us understand the meaning of doubt as well as faith. Full Article
f A “Sign” of the Times By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2015-08-31T17:23:04+00:00 Michael observes a sign in a bookstore and reflects on how it symbolically speaks to the state of Christianity in our country today. Full Article
f What Is Life? By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2015-09-28T14:58:37+00:00 Michael explores and explains Christ’s teaching on life and the perspective and priorities we should have as a result. Full Article
f The Force, The Holy Spirit and Star Wars By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-01-05T21:59:29+00:00 Michael examines the Star Wars phenomenon from an Orthodox Christian and sacramental point of view, and with a special focus on comparisons between the Force and the Holy Spirit. Full Article
f Regrets of the Dying By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-02-26T21:02:52+00:00 Michael discusses the top five regrets of the dying from the popular article and best-selling book of the same name by Bronnie Ware. What do we typically regret and why? What can we do to avoid such regrets? Michael explores these and other related questions from an Orthodox Christian perspective. Full Article
f The Spirituality of Eating and Hunger By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-03-11T02:34:24+00:00 In the Book of Genesis God says not to eat from the Tree of Life, yet in Revelation He invites us to eat from the Tree of Life. Michael explores the reasons why from an Orthodox Christian perspective. He discusses the sinfulness and sacredness of eating and hunger as taught to us through the Scriptures, specifically Genesis and Revelation, and our Holy Tradition; and what we are really doing when we fast and prepare for and receive the Eucharist. Full Article
f Racism and the Tragedy of How We Deal with Differences By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-03-22T02:59:30+00:00 Racism is a serious wrong that no one should argue. However, from an Orthodox Christian point of view, it is a far deeper wrong than is ever portrayed in the public debate. Join Michael as he explains why racism goes against the core of Christianity, and through story and anecdote describes why it seems is so hard for us to celebrate and embrace differences. Full Article
f It's Not Your Fault or Is It? By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-06-02T11:41:46+00:00 Michael describes his recent experience, while recovering from a concussion, of viewing key scenes from the Academy Award winning movie Good Will Hunting through an Orthodox Christian lens. Using these scenes and their circumstances as illustrations, he discusses understanding sin as sickness, condemning self-judgment and judgment in general, the fine line between our sense of personal accountability and self forgiveness, and both God’s love for us and our love for each other as it should be. Full Article
f Comfort, Complacency and Spiritual Death By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-07-05T18:07:29+00:00 Comfort, and feeling comfortable, is a desire all of us have and we strive to fulfill this desire. But it can come at a cost because the root of our desire and the means by which we achieve it are not always in our best interests. Join Michael as he explains why comfort can lead to spiritually harmful complacency and blind us to the real purpose of our faith. Full Article
f Prophet or Profit: The Struggle to Keep Our Church Priorities in Order By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-07-31T21:21:24+00:00 Financial pressures in our Orthodox Churches are very real and often cause great worry and anxiety. As a result, we, both clergy and laity, can lose our focus and get our priorities out of order. Using the terms “Prophet” and “Profit” to symbolize two different mentalities (not suggesting Churches are trying to make a profit in the conventional sense) join Michael as he discusses what our priorities should be and what results proper focus on them would yield. Full Article
f Guilt and Self-Judgment By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-10-14T16:06:33+00:00 Have you ever felt so bad about something you said or did, or something you continue to say and do, something you know is wrong but can’t seem to help yourself and you feel wracked with guilt? Do you judge yourself as a result? Join Michael as he uses examples from the Gospels and everyday life and discusses the difference between healthy guilt and lingering guilt, and the dangers of self-judgment that lead us to cutting ourselves off from God. Full Article
f The Divided States of America: A Spiritual Reflection on Wholeness and Division By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-10-24T16:19:24+00:00 Are we living now in the Divided States of America as opposed to the United States of America? Does the political divide we see and hear about it each day in the news speak to who we are now as persons and a society? What can it teach us about ourselves and our own hearts? Join Michael as he discusses wholeness and division from a spiritual point of view, and what we need to do to be Christ-like in today’s current climate. Full Article
f Prayerfulness and Mindfulness By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2016-11-15T03:58:02+00:00 Mindfulness is a growing movement in the United States. It’s finding its way into schools as well as into the daily practice of the lives of many. So what is mindfulness and what are its many benefits? How is it different from prayerfulness, or is it? Join Michael as he discusses prayerfulness and mindfulness, nepsis or watchfulness, and what some Orthodox Christians who are also priests, professors and psychologists have to say about mindfulness. Full Article
f Grace and the Guiding Hand of Providence in Our Lives By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2017-02-01T01:23:51+00:00 How do we understand God’s grace and providence in the direction of our lives? Is there such a thing as chance and coincidence, or is it simply our lack of spiritual perception that makes it seem so? Join Michael as he thoroughly explores this topic and shares personal examples, thoughts and the insights that apply to all of us. Full Article
f Lent, Fasting, and God's Presence By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2017-02-15T01:14:28+00:00 How should we fast as Orthodox Christians? Is there really a right and wrong way? What is the real intent and purpose of fasting? Join Michael as he discusses the deeper meaning of fasting and compares the various ways people fast, how we often misunderstand fasting, and how it relates to our awareness of God’s presence in our lives. Full Article
f The Complex World of Parenting By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2017-03-04T13:08:52+00:00 Love, joy, worry, and anxiety are just some of the emotions we experience intensely as parents. Join Michael as he offers a personal story and reflection about the complex world of parenting, and our need for Christ to be the best parents we can be. Full Article
f God and the Second Law of Thermodynamics - Thoughts on the Holiness of Order By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2017-04-13T20:56:30+00:00 Join Michael as he uses science and examples in everyday life to discuss order and disorder, why it is important to understand what they mean spiritually, and how we must be deliberate and committed in our choices to be holy and grow in Christ. Full Article
f Confession, Adulation, and Social Media By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2017-06-07T01:48:23+00:00 Exploring what the Sacrament of Confession teach us about the dangers of popularity and hero-worship in this age of social media. Full Article
f How Harry Healed My Inner Frodo: Reflections on the Mystery of Love, Sacrifice, and Choice By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2017-06-29T01:13:00+00:00 Exploring the characters of Frodo, Gollum, Harry, and Voldemort from these two great works beloved by millions, and what they remind us about concerning love, sacrifice, choice, and more. Full Article
f The Blessing of Brokenness By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-03-20T14:29:17+00:00 It feels awful when we break an object we love and it is beyond repair. Yet Christ loves us and tells us we as persons must be broken for Him to “repair” us. He tells us we have no choice and that the alternative to not being broken is to be crushed. What does He mean? Join Michael as he explains Christ’s teaching and what brokenness looks and feels like. Full Article
f Falling into the Hands of Mercy By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-04-17T21:15:36+00:00 Join Michael as he takes a deep dive into what mercy is, why we often misunderstand it, why we sometimes misperceive God as harsh or even vengeful, and what we need to understand to open our hearts to God’s ever-present mercy. Full Article
f What Do You Want – Fair or Me? Choosing God Amidst the Unfairness of Illness and Affliction By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-05-26T21:26:03+00:00 Life’s often not fair and we all suffer from illness and affliction at times that are not of our own making. It is then we are often confronted with a choice – to continue to want to be with God even though we don’t understand why certain things are happening to us; or to let the seeming unfairness of our circumstance drive us away from Him. Join Michael as he uses a whimsical episode of the Brady Bunch to illustrate and discuss this profound truth we all experience. Full Article
f A Tale of Two Icons: Reflections on Hope, Healing, and Miracles By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-08-30T03:37:29+00:00 Michael offers thoughts and personal reflections of his recent experience with the miraculous icon of St. Anna at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Waymart, PA, and the Kardiotisa, “The Tender Heart” myrrh-flowing, miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary at St. George Orthodox Church in Taylor, PA. Full Article
f Suffering When Loved Ones Suffer By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2018-11-02T00:00:57+00:00 Watching and supporting a loved one who is suffering often causes us to suffer just as much and even more. Join Michael as he uses scripture and real life experience to illustrate five things we need to do and remember to get through this type of suffering. Full Article
f Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Holiness By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-01-25T01:11:21+00:00 Join Michael as uses a disturbing trend among young adults when it comes to the Constitution and the Bible as a springboard to discuss happiness versus holiness, and why the Holy Fathers surpass the Founding Fathers when it comes to truly understanding how to form “a more perfect union.” Full Article
f Sacramentality in the Lord of the Rings By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-02-05T18:48:34+00:00 Join Michael has he discusses in-depth how J.R.R Tolkien and his work were formational in preparing him to accept the truth of sacramental reality as experienced and taught in Orthodox Christianity. Full Article
f Wrestling with God: Struggles, Wounds, and Transformation By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-04-23T21:05:41+00:00 Have you ever felt like you were wrestling or struggling with God, like your life was out of control, the future was unknown or something to be feared, and you were at a loss about what to do? Your prayers seem unanswered and God seems silent. Join Michael as he recounts the story of Jacob and shows how Jacob’s story and his struggle with God is our story. Full Article
f Threads of Life and Tangled Webs: How to Make Sense of Our Lives and See the Beauty Amidst the Chaos By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-06-18T16:07:28+00:00 Join Michael as he explores the webs and patterns of our life, and uses poem, story, myth, metaphor, and examples from his own life to show how we can recognize God and continuity within our myriad choices, and know His peace. Full Article
f The Action of Contemplation By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-07-09T17:38:14+00:00 We live in a pace driven and action oriented culture where we are always on the go. We achieve much yet feel mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. We have forgotten how to just be. Join Michael Haldas as he explores this topic in depth and offers some thoughts on the hierarchy of action and contemplation in our lives. Full Article
f Suffering and Unconditional Love of Others By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-08-11T22:03:21+00:00 How do we continue to love unconditionally amidst our suffering, especially when this suffering is caused by the people we love best? How do we attain and maintain the maturity of faith we need to be Christ-like, let God be in control, and recognize the grace in our lives despite the pain. Join Michael as he shares his thoughts and experiences on this very difficult topic. Full Article
f Hope When Feeling Hopeless By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-11-13T13:32:35+00:00 It’s terrible feeling to lose hope and feel like our circumstances are hopeless. It’s not how we are meant to live, but we can lose sight of this because of what we are going through. Join Michael as he shares his thoughts and experiences on this very difficult topic and how we can maintain or recapture hope no matter what we are experiencing. Michael also shares some exciting developments occurring with Ancient Faith Ministries and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, an author whose fiction deals a lot with hope amidst hopelessness. Full Article
f Freeing Ourselves from Bondage By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2019-12-01T23:43:16+00:00 Bondage to sin and wrong behavior and struggling with things we can’t seem to overcome plague us all to lesser or greater degrees. Join Michael as he talks about three typical forms of bondage that grip us and what we need to do to overcome them. Full Article
f Being a Life Giver in a Culture of Death By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-01-04T01:27:30+00:00 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. Full Article
f Capturing our Minds in a World of False Images By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-02-25T19:45:49+00:00 Join Michael as he talks about how to capture and protect our mind from the world of false images we live in, and how doing so also supports our mental, physical and spiritual health. Full Article
f Fear and Control By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-03-25T21:44:06+00:00 The St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral has been holding nightly classes/discussions, seven days a week at 7 PM EST. Led by Father George Kokhno and Father Valery Shemchuk, each night either one of them, or guest speakers such as Michael Haldas, Archimandrite Sergius of St. Tikhon's Monastery, Father Maximus Urbanowicz, and others have led discussions. Michael recently led a class in which the topic was Fear and Control. All are welcome to join future classes. Download the Zoom App to your smartphone or tablet, or join through the web at (https://zoom.us/j/2100687480). If you use the app simply open it, use code 2100687480 to join. Full Article
f Panic, Fragility, and the Plight of the Immanent Man By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-04-01T15:23:46+00:00 Inspired by the conditions of the coronavirus, but not about the virus itself, Michael reflects on why either our transcendent or immanent mindset makes a huge difference on how we cope with such trying circumstances. Full Article
f The Office of the Child: Hope in Christ as the Eternal Son of God By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-04-07T18:58:35+00:00 Retaining the hope of a child is not easy, especially in today’s coronavirus pandemic environment. Yet this is what Christ want us to do according to the Gospel. Using thoughts from Orthodox teacher and professor Vigen Guroian’s chapter on childhood from his book The Orthodox Reality: Culture, Theology, and Ethics in the Modern World, Michael explores this topic in depth, and explains how by remembering that Christ is the eternal child of God can rekindle our sense of hope during this difficult time. Full Article
f Praying in the Name of the Lord By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-04-20T19:42:34+00:00 The circumstances of the coronavirus and the global pandemic give us an opportunity, amidst the suffering, to reexamine aspects of our faith, and refresh and renew our thinking and practice. Join Michael as he takes a deep dive of what it means to pray in the name of the Lord, especially during this time of great need. Full Article
f Mary the Mother of God and the Value and Restoration of Women By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-05-12T00:01:50+00:00 In celebration of Mother’s Day, join Michael as he explores the language of the Genesis creation stories and what they teach us about the value of women and the feminine and motherly nature of God. He then reflects on the Theotokos and how her life and Christ’s demonstrate the value of women established in Genesis, and how they restore women to the place God intended for them. This podcast is based on a Zoom class Michael gave to a Church community and also includes responses from the question and answer period of the class. Full Article
f I Don't Feel God By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-09-22T17:04:05+00:00 Join Michael as he discusses what we should do when we feel like God is absent from our lives, and how we can overcome the tyranny of our negative thoughts and feelings that create this false sense of separation. Full Article
f Self-Denial or Self-Desire By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2020-10-07T14:12:52+00:00 Join Michael as he discusses the danger of giving into the wrong desires, some of which seem benign but aren’t; the struggles we encounter on the journey from self-desire to self-denial; what authors such as Lewis, Tolkien, and others can teach us; and ways we can frame our thought to help us with this important struggle. Full Article