The Louhs interview Molly Sabourin, one of the individuals behind the "Filled with Less" movement, a ministry of Holistic Christian Life.

Christmas is a special time, but it can be a difficult one. If you're feeling stressed, unable to be with loved ones, and wondering how to celebrate in a year when so many things are out of control, join Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne live for words of comfort and practical ways to find peace and joy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Do you struggle to help your little ones participate in Lent? How can we make this great spiritual season meaningful for the youngest believers? Join Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne Louh for a conversation with Pres. Michelle Triant about Love at Lent, a set of colorful activity cards that encourage kindness, humility, and mindfulness in daily practice.

Joining the Louh's are Cynthia Damaskos and Molly Sabourin from Filled With Less.

Fr. John exhorts his listeners (despite being a published author himself) to read the saints first.

Miss Jane gets a tongue lashing, Mr. Bodine speaks in tongues. Things go dark as Fr. Joseph interviews Dr. Indadark. In the end, lacking the main ingredient, it's all just peas and carrots. Suffice it to say: Love covers a multitude of podcasts.

Thanks to a superb pair of handlers/chauffeurs, Fr. Joseph goes a house blessin' in Houston.

Fr. Joseph reads a creative letter from the Orthodixie Mailbag. It's not what it seems. Or, is it?

Fr. Joseph revisits "The Tonight Show" and dreams of hosting, guesting and side-kicking (featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Conan O'Brien, Carnac the Magnorfodox, David of Wales, Red Skelton, "the world's greatest grape catcher" and more)!

Fr Joseph is lost. Perhaps you are, too? Great. Salvation loves company! A 2008 rerun about recalculating. Keep coming back!

What does John the Baptist have in common with bees, mead, honey and moons—even honeymoons? Fr. Joseph fills in the details and answers the question: If Zacharias and Elizabeth knew then what they know now, would they have gone through with it all?

Whether in tuxedo or collar, whether playing the role of smart aleck or slow learner, one thing is certain: Stuff happens. Be prepared. Say your prayers . . . and wear clean underwear.

Fr Joseph rants and runs for cover—raising concerns, but not hands (please).

It's not often that Bruce Jenner, St Photios, Hipsters, and Fabio make it into the same sermon. Maybe it's time for Fr Joseph to upgrade his reading glasses.

Fr Joseph interviews Kh. Erin Kimmett about her forthcoming book Hospitality and Joy—available at hospitalityandjoy.com.

This ecumenical Thanksgiving tale has developed over the years—in large part thanks to AFR listeners. Enjoy!

You ever had a wreck with the bishop in the car? Yeah, well, lemme tell ya before he does: I have!

Christ is Risen and He is Ascended! What can we say? Hallelujah!

On St. Michael's Day of 2012, the parish of St. Michael the Archangel (UOC-USA) in Woonsocket, RI suffered tremendous damage from a fire. In this podcast, Fr. Anthony, the priest of St. Michael's at that time, shares hard-earned advice on preparing for, dealing with, and recovering from parish disasters. The most important advice? Keep the One Thing Needful top on the list of priorities at every step of the process.

In this talk, Fr. Anthony shares his thoughts on heroism, dragon slaying, and how we can use the power of Christ to tame chaos and bring order to our lives and relationships with others. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony Perkins interviews Rdr. David Kessler. Rdr. David is the choir director at Holy Annunciation parish in Berwick, PA and a graduate of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary. They talk about how important good communication is between parish priests and music leaders. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory Jensen talk about how to live with - and even love - your limitations and then begin a discussion on the sorts of things that should be part of our annual check-up. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony Perkins speaks with the Vice-President of the International Orthodox Theological Association, Gayle Woloschak (PhD, DMin.) about the vocation of lay theologian. Gayle is a way-cool scientist and theologian with a life-time of service to Christ and His Church. They talk about why this vocation is not always supported by the clergy of the Church and why they should. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with his long-time friend and evangelical co-conspirator about strolling across the Holy Island of Iona, memories and/of music, and the joy of being in Christ. Enjoy the show!

This year I (Fr. Anthony) decided to take a unit of "Clinical Pastoral Education" at a local hospital as part of my professional development. While the scheduling has been difficult, it has been well rewarded. In this episode I talk with my CPE supervisor, Mary Catherine Cole (M.Div. Candler School of Theology; Network Director of Pastoral Care and Library Services at St. Luke's University Health Network) about why CPE is so effective and how it can make help make all of us better at whatever we are called to do.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry talk about one of the Demons of Noonday: self doubt. They point out the role that participation in the Divine Liturgy can have in diagnosing and overcoming it and encourage anyone who is suffering from pernicious self doubt to spend more time with their supportive brothers in the priesthood.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory Jensen talk about some of the themes in St. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with theologian and professor Carrie Frederick Frost about her book, Maternal Body: A Theology of Incarnation from the Christian East (Paulist Press, 2019). She shares what it was like to study with Vigen Guroian, her thoughts on why the book elicits such varying (and emotional) reactions, as well as some of the theological lessons we can learn from each of the stages of motherhood from conception through weaning. Along the way, they talk about the process of discernment and what to do (and not do!) when the Church teaches us or does things that trouble us. Like her mentor, Professor Frost makes full use of Orthodox hymnography, iconography, service texts, and personal experience in her work. Enjoy the show!

Listen as Dn. Nicholas talks about Ivan Ilyin, the benefit of reading fiction (even for priests!), the role of Orthodoxy in developing healthy creativity, and what Russian culture has to offer Orthodox Christians in America. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony next to his back porch in Hartwell GA as he talks with Professor Carrie Frost, PhD about clericalism, ritual, and the risks and benefits of lay hesychasm. There were some audio problems with the YouTube livestream; our editor (Doug) made the best of it for the podcast version. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks about cooperative story-telling, liturgy, and the joy of Ukrainian Orthodoxy with Fr. Yuri Hladio, the priest of St. Maria of Paris mission in West Hamilton, Ontario and the host of the wonderful "Prying Priest" podcast (pryingpriest.com). Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with the COVID-stricken Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about parish life and the implications of recent survey results from Gallup (on further declines in American church membership) and Pew (on American religion and the COVID). Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry Linsinbigler talks with Fr. Anthony about the moving, standing, kneeling, and sitting postures of prayer and worship that Orthodoxy prescribes, some of the confusion that surrounds them, and what they do for the believers who participate in them.The article they discuss is found at https://christinourmidst.com. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry Linsinbigler address the often misunderstood necessity of withholding sacraments. Framing it as a normal process (to include preparation for Baptism/Chrismation) allows us to see it less as a political power play or punishment (as the world would have us see it) and more as a valid and necessary part of our life in Christ. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Robert Holet is the author of The First and Finest: Orthodox Christian Stewardship as Sacred Offering, one of the best practical guides to fostering a healthy parish culture that you can find. Fr. Robert is also one of Fr. Anthony's mentors, something that comes out clearly in this, their conversation on the role of leadership in fostering a healthy mission culture. What do horses have to do with that? Listen and find out!

Fr. Anthony continues his discussion with Fr. Robert, author of "The First and Finest: Orthodox Christian Stewardship as Sacred Offering" about some of the necessities, joys, and struggles that come with starting and nurturing a mission. This time, they focus on how to pay for (and NOT to pay) the bills. The key is to make everything - to include financial stewardship - resonate with and in the Eucharist. Enjoy the show!

Elissa encourages us to teach our children some prayers to say to themselves while they're standing in line for Communion.

Elissa interviews Jenny Stasinopoulos, the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the GOA Metropolis of Denver about a big change she made this year at Camp Emmanuel. Perhaps we should all consider innovative ways to empower our kids to take responsibility for their own faith lives!

Fr. Michael shares about discernment. "We all have to begin where we are, with the limited ability and grace we have.... If we follow what we know, maybe God will reveal to us some of what we do not know."

This morning my wife and I took one of our occasional half-day vacations. It’s a warmish 19 degree day (68 Fahrenheit) with the sun poking through the clouds. We walked a mile or so up a trail in the hills and then afterward stopped by a country tea and scone place for a bite and a chat and just some quite time together, Bonnie working on her knitting project and I reading a book (what else would I be doing?). Bonnie asked me what I was reading, so I read her a little quote from from Archimandrite Aimilianos. What does it mean to be dispassionate? It means turning exclusively to God, with all your strength, energy, power, and love. There is no turning aside to anything else whatsoever….

One of the greatest frustrations in my spiritual life has been caused by a passion for certainty. You might call it a need to know, a need to know what God is doing in my life, a need to have some explanation for or feeling for why my life is the way it is right now. When I don’t know—or when I don’t have some explanation that I can tell myself is the reason why things are happening to me and around me the way they are happening—if I don’t have something I can say to myself that gives reason and explanation to the pain and apparent arbitrariness of my experience, then because I don’t know, I have a great deal of inner turmoil. And it often happens that the inner turmoil of not knowing—or not thinking that I know—why things are the way they are or what God is doing in my life and in the lives of those around me through the painful, unfair and unbearable circumstances I or we are experiencing, the pain of this not knowing is more tormenting than the actual suffering I experience from the circumstance.

It seems the future of the Church, the future of the next Great and Holy Council (or the continuation of the one that has already begun) depends mostly on us, the people: the moms and dads, the brothers and sisters, the laity in general and the married priests and simple monastics. We’re the one’s whose holiness or lack thereof determines the holiness of tomorrow’s generation of leaders in the Church.

You will often hear people speak of the importance of having balance in our lives. And generally speaking, it is a good idea to have a balanced life. This is especially true if by having balance in our lives we mean that we try to avoid extreme attitudes or behaviours. However, the trouble with the concept of having balance in our lives is that it is not a Christian concept. That’s not to say that the concept is not useful to Christians. It can be quite useful in some contexts to think of having balance in one’s life. It can be useful especially in identifying when something is wrong in our life—when we feel that our life is out of balance. Nevertheless, using the concept of balance as a criterion for the Christian life can also be dangerous.

Some of us may be facing death at this time—just as Lazarus did. Some of us may have a loved one who has or will soon die—as Mary and Martha did. And some of us, most of us probably, are just largely inconvenienced. And with the Churches closed, all of us may be wondering with Mary and Martha where Jesus is, for if Jesus were here, surely He would not let this happen. But Jesus is here. The same Jesus who raised Lazarus from the tomb, also first allowed him to ‘fall asleep’ in the tomb.

One of the problems with vainglory, according to St. Isaac the Syrian, is that “it hands that person over to” either fornication or pride. But before we can talk about how vainglory hands one over to either fornication or pride, we need to understand what vainglory is. Nowadays the word vain means to have a high opinion of oneself, but that is not what it originally meant, nor what it means in the Bible or in the hymnology of the Church. This is why many English-speaking Orthodox Christians have no idea what vainglory means.

Steven and Christian discuss being exposed to darkness through art and whether or not there is merit in pressing through things that are difficult to watch. They deal with themes of light and dark, weaker brothers and stronger brothers, and why neither of them could make it past (or in Christian’s case through) the first episode of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. As always, the guys end with a top 5 list.

The guys watched Get Out, a film with all the makings of a paranormal horror film, except no paranormal stuff: just rich, white New Englanders. They discuss the racial implications of the film, what it means to be a human person, and the centrality of the body in the human experience. They close with the Top 5 people they wished they were as kids.

The girls took their moms to see the new film Lady Bird. They discuss how the wisdom of faith opens the door to deeper love, how learning from failures is an ongoing reality, and how everyone’s suffering is unique and incomparable. They close with their Top 5 Nun Characters.

You asked for it, so the guys did it. They finally took on The Office. They discuss the beauty of the ordinary, the centrality of relationship, and the dynamics of human personality. They close with their Top 5 Bosses.

The girls take on the 2018 novel, Bridge of Clay. They discuss how stories shape the way we live, how grief is a complex process, and how repentance doesn’t always look like what we imagine. They close with Christina’s Top 5 Greek Myths.