Fr. Ted explains the theology of the Cross and the place it should hold within our own hearts and within our spirituality as Orthodox Christians.

Fr. Ted encourages us to read the New Testament before the Old Testament.

Fr. Ted reminds us that only in Orthodox Christianity do we have the totality of Holy Tradition.

Fr. Ted discusses the important of confession and the Eucharist. Without them, he argues, we are both dirty and starving.

Fr. Ted reminds us that nothing we have in this life is truly ours.

Fr. Ted reminds us that our journey toward God has already begun.

Fr. Ted explains that finding your calling is a process of discovering who you truly are—who God made you to be.

Fr. Ted reminds us that our relationship with God has to be our first priority.

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

If the window of our soul is clean, then light comes in and illumines all things.

When your soul is not filled with the Holy Spirit, there is room for other things to enter.

Everything we do that has spiritual meaning should happen within the Church.

Fr. Ted encourages us to fully experience the lenten struggle and all that it entails.

Fr. Ted speaks at an adult lenten retreat at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Toronto, Ontario.

Fr. Ted shares his Paschal homily.

We will be judged on what we know and how we live our lives according to that knowledge.

A homily by guest speaker Fr. Tim Prattas from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in East Vancouver.

Fr. Ted tells the story of Fanourios, the patron saint of lost things.

In the act of giving we free ourselves from our material possessions.

Fr. Ted invites us to silence the many thoughts which fill minds, so that we can put our minds in a place where God can speak to us.

Fr. Ted calls us to carry the meaning of Pascha into our everyday lives.

Fr. Ted calls all Orthodox Christians to prayer and humility as the Holy and Great Council begins.

Fr. Ted challenges two lies that we are taught growing up about being a Christian, and offers us a different way of living our faith in Jesus.

Fr. Ted continues his reflections upon a Lenten hymn and how it applies to the call to show mercy to others during our journey through Great Lent.

Fr. Ted shares the story of St. Fanourios and reflects upon the Gospel reading about Jesus' interaction with the Rich Young Ruler.

Fr. Ted calls us to bring our life of faith from the House of God into our homes and our personal lives.

Fr. Ted leads a Lenten Retreat at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Ocean, NJ. In this first session Fr. Ted delivers a talk on how Orthodox Christians are called to use the contemplation of their own death, using the Lenten season, to prepare for their birth into eternity.

In this second session Fr. Ted discusses how the Holy Sacraments of the Church prepare us for our own deaths and allow us to truly see life through the passion.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos addressed the first inaugural Youth Night at St. Savas Serbian Orthodox Church in Toronto, Canada, on the topic of “Connecting To Our Roots.”

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos encourages us to resist the fear of revealing our weaknesses in order to find healing in Christ.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos preaches on the Parable of the Wedding Feast reminding us that we come to the Church for the healing of our souls.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos explains the meaning of Jesus' Parable of the Talents.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos calls us to take up our cross and actively follow Christ through the second half of Great Lent.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos talks about the importance of looking only at our own sin as we enter into the Triodion in preparation for the Great Fast.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos calls us to endure the struggles of life during Holy Week in order to see Christ's glorious resurrection.

Kevin continues his discussion with former Wicca priestess, Sara Hillis. At the end of the interview, he references her music which can be found at http://www.artistopia.com/sarahillis.

A common dillemma for inquirers into the Orthodox Church is either disinterest or outright hostility to the idea of Orthodoxy by their spouse. In this edition Kevin speaks with a couple who lived this scenario. Meet Bruce and Lynn Marie Heying and learn about their family dynamic and what made Lynn Marie decide to follow Bruce into Orthodoxy seven years later.

Hear the fascinating story of Patrick Lansdowne, a 7-year Hare Krishna Temple devotee, about his journey to Christ and the Orthodox Church. In Part One of the interview, Patrick and host Kevin Allen discuss the Hare Krishna sect's unique metaphysics and practices (within Hindusim) and how and why Patrick adopted them! Do any of them "prefigure" Christ?

On this encore program from 2008, Kevin speaks with Fr. Jonathon Ivanoff, Secretary of the Department of Evangelization of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) about the "life cycle" of parishes and how to know whether your parish is thriving, dying or dead on the vine -- and what can be done about it!

Jeremy (Basil) Dannnebohm was an ardent young Catholic. What made him journey from his cradle Church to the Eastern Orthodox Church, only to return to Rome and then revert to Orthodoxy? His story is on this episode of the Illumined Heart.

Meet Sara Hillis, musician and English literature scholar who became a witch priestess before encountering Christ and finding the Orthodox Church!

Fr Michael Plekon, author of newly-released "Hidden Holiness" speaks with Kevin about the "crisis of holiness in our time" and the shape and form holiness can take in our day and age, both within and outside of our Orthodox Christian Tradition. Can St. Seraphim of Sarov and the Dalai Lama equally be called "holy"? Tune in to find out!

Today Andrew continues his practical advise for freeing ourselves from addiction by offering St. Theophan's four spiritual weapons for our contimplation . Read the transcript HERE.

This is hour two of the Andrew Tallman Show that Steve and Bill hosted during Andrew's Christmas vacation.

In this program we continue the discussion of the early Church's interpretation of Scripture and the typology that points to both the birth of Christ and His birth giver. The hymnography of the Church both praises Mary for her faith and obedience but also explicates the Scriptures and teaches us about the dogma of the person of Christ, our relationship to God, Christ, Mary and all the saints.

It is said that if you are familiar with the book of Revelation you will feel right at home in an Orthodox Church. The interior of the Church is modeled after the vision of St. John, who on the Lord's Day in worship, sees the heavenly worship he is participating in here on earth. The 'sacred space' of the Church building is the joining of us who are still 'in the world but not of it' to those who are before the altar of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world in the Heavenly Jerusalem in eternity. This is not mere symbolism, but the mystical reality of the communion of the saints spoken of in Hebrews 12. Steve and Bill give an 'audio tour' of an Orthodox Church building and talk about the meaning of the things that you will see beginning from entering the doors from the west parking lot to the easternmost back wall behind the altar.

We finish this Lenten series discussing the virtues of patience, love, and not judging our brother. Again, the Orthodox axiom of working out the virtues in the body is true, and we learn that patience is not merely a passive state, but also requires spiritual/bodily effort to restrain evil thoughts/actions, choosing to perform God's will instead. Love for God, neighbor, enemies and the whole of creation is our aim, cultivated with our growing awareness of God's pure and captivating eros coming down from heaven. Engulfed in this love we lose interest in the world and adopt the humble mind of Christ, whose words on the Cross, "forgive them for they know not what they do," are to become our own towards all men.

Fr. Chad spoke to the Serbian Clergy Brotherhood last month on the challenges facing our priests in today's culture. We have broken it up into three parts and bring you part 1 today.