Piggy in Heaven by Melinda Johnson, illustrated by Soraya Bartolome (Paraclete Press, 2019).

18. Book 1: The Dormition of the Theotokos from the series The Twelve Great Feasts for Children by Sister Elayne, now Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2004) Book 2: Snuggles: The Bunny who Helped Me Find God by Myra T. Johnson (Conciliar Press, 2007) Book 3: To Plant a Cross: The Story of Saint Kosmas Aitolos Who Fought a War with Words by Angeline Eliakopoulos, part one (Destro Publishers, 2004: 773 561 2332)

Enter once again into the rustic cell of Fr. Seraphim Rose with Kevin Allen as he talks with Fr. Damascene, the biographer and spiritual child of Fr. Seraphim. This is part 2 of a 3 part series and provides a unique glimpse into the life of a man who many say will someday be venerated as a Saint.

6 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 are clinically infertile. Infertility presents a heartbreaking struggle for many Orthodox couples who wonder whether it is God's will for them to be childless, or whether new fertility technologies (and which ones?) are appropriate. In this edition Kevin speaks with Orthodox theologian and ethicist Fr. John Breck about infertility and what options Orthodox Christian couples have to deal with it within an Orthodox context.

"Mama Maggie" Gobran, a Coptic Christian who has been called the “Mother Teresa of Cairo,” speaks at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary on October 21, 2016.

Members of the community reflect on the margins of our existence; where seemingly-forgotten people dwell; and yet, in the margins is where they find their faith strengthening...

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 Hill discusses on the struggle for salvation as evidence that we are on the right path.

Silicon Valley Sleuth reported this morning how several stories about Google buying Sun suspiciously made it to the front page of Digg.com. These "baseless rumours" were all submitted and promoted by a small group of Digg members that seemed to be working together. I found this story through Digg itself, where it was posted on the front page. It later... (381 words)

Kingdom Struggles In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is one. Amen. On this Meatfare Sunday we are urged by the Church not to eat meat for the next week, as we prepare ourselves for Lent that begins on Monday, the 2nd of March. The challenge is to practise self-discipline, to experience that we “eat to live,” not “live to eat.” Yet in the Gospel today from the 25th chapter of St Matthew, Jesus Christ praises those righteous people who gave Him food when he was hungry and drink when He was thirsty. The righteous are puzzled, because they have not seen Jesus Christ. However, He explains to them that when you gave food and drink to those in need, you gave that nourishment “to Me.” It appears that possibly the Gospel and the theme for Meatfare Sunday might be in conflict about what attitude to take to food. However, in fact, the Gospel and Meatfare Sunday strongly support each other, because what is being considered is not our attitude to food, but our relationship to Jesus Christ. Meatfare Sunday urges us to become more self-disciplined so that we can draw closer to Christ. The Gospel today urges us to help those in need, to seek social justice, so that we can draw closer to Christ. In brief, both Meatfare Sunday and this Gospel are urging us to draw closer to Christ. In this Gospel “the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Later, in the Gospel of St John, Jesus Christ states: “I am the good shepherd; [and] the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” So, why are the sheep praised so much and the goats so rejected? The correct translation of this Gospel verse is “As the shepherd separates the sheep from the young kids.” St John Chrysostom points out that “indeed from sheep great is the profit—as from the milk, as from the wool, and from the young, of all which things the young kid [does not have]” [cited by The Orthodox New Testament: The Holy Gospels, Volume 1, Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, p. 123]. To put it bluntly, the sheep have grown up and reached spiritual maturity, but the young kids have only begun their lives and are not yet spiritually mature. The division between sheep and young kids in this Gospel passage from St Matthew is linked to judgment on our lives, both God’s judgment of us and our own judgment of ourselves. Metropolitan Antony Bloom has written, and I quote, of how: “the day will come when we shall stand before God and [we will] be judged, but as long as our pilgrimage [on earth] continues, as long as we live in the process of becoming [that is, of growing closer to Christ], as long as there is ahead of us this road that leads to the full measure of the stature of Christ [that is, the importance of following Christ in our lives] which is our vocation [our calling], judgment must be [given on ourselves] by ourselves…. On [this] road [that leads to Christ] judgment is something which is happening all the time with[in] us; there is a dialogue, a … tension between [on the one hand,] our thoughts, emotions, feelings, actions and [on the other hand,] our conscience, which stands in judgment upon us…. There is a continuing dialogue with[in] us through our life,” concluded Metropolitan Antony [Meditations: A Spiritual Journey, Dimension Books, pp. 3-4]. In the reflection that Metropolitan Antony has set out, the sheep could be viewed as our consciences—our awareness of what is right—in conflict with many of “our thoughts, emotions, feelings [and] actions,” that represent the young kids. If Metropolitan Antony is right that “judgment is something which is happening all the time with[in] us”—and that is certainly an Orthodox Christian approach—then this separation between sheep and young kids is happening within us throughout our lives, as well as on the Final Day of Judgment. Essentially, we are trying now to rid ourselves of sin, through sinning less and less, as well as confessing whenever appropriate. However, we can’t rid ourselves of sin through willpower, but rather through prayer and listening to our consciences and listening to the Lord. In our lifelong battle with the tendency to sin, Metropolitan Antony points out; and I quote: “We very often walk in darkness, and this darkness is the result of our darkened mind, of our darkened heart, of our darkened eye; and it is only if the Lord Himself sheds His light into our soul, upon our life, that we can begin to see what is wrong and what is right in [our souls].” Metropolitan Antony then draws upon the writings of the Russian Orthodox priest, St John of Kronstadt, who boldly and rightly claimed that “God does not reveal to us the ugliness of our souls unless He can [observe] in us sufficient faith and sufficient hope for us not to be broken by the vision of our sins. In other words,” continues Metropolitan Antony, “whenever we see ourselves with our dark side, this knowledge increases, as we can understand ourselves [better and better,] more [and more,] in the light of God, that is, in the light of the Divine Judgement…. This means two things: it means, indeed that we sadly discover our own ugliness, but also that we can rejoice at the same time, because God has granted us His trust. He has entrusted to us a new knowledge of ourselves as we are, as He always saw us … [but in His mercy] He did not allow us to see ourselves [earlier] because we could not [yet] bear the sight of truth….[Thus] judgement becomes joy, because although we discover what is wrong [with our thoughts and our actions], this discovery is [given to us with] the knowledge that God has seen enough faith, enough hope and enough [courage in the face of pain and suffering] in us to allow us to see, because He knows that now we can act,” concludes Metropolitan Antony [Meditations, pp. 4-5]. I find those insights from Metropolitan Antony and St John of Kronstadt quite inspiring. When we seek to draw closer to Christ’s unique will for each of us, we still face problems and challenges in our lives However, we can be confident that as we see our sins more clearly this is itself a beautiful sign that God trusts us and is telling us that we are now ready to face and remove those sins from our lives. We are all in the midst of the pilgrimage on earth to draw closer to Christ, with the support of the Theotokos, the Mother of God, and the angels and the saints. This is not a mystic journey reserved for a few holy and sinless souls. On the contrary, precisely as Metropolitan Antony says: on this journey of drawing closer and closer to Christ, “the first step is to get to know ourselves”—our strengths and weaknesses, our hopes and our fears—both within ourselves and with regard to others. “The first step … in our evaluation of ourselves will be to measure this state of disruption [caused by the sin that presently exists within us].” To encourage us to evaluate ourselves, Metropolitan Antony sets out a number of tough questions that each of us, whatever our age, must answer for ourselves: “How much are my heart and my mind at variance [that is, not consistent] with one another? Is my will directed to one unique goal [of drawing closer and closer to Christ] or is [my will continually] wavering? How far are my [thoughts and my] actions directed by my [conscience and by my] convictions [or] how far are [my thoughts and my actions] under the [influence] of unruly impulses [that is, the sudden desire to do something without thinking of the consequences]? Is there any wholeness within me? … How separated am I from God and my neighbour?” [Meditations, p. 5]. These are tough questions that Metropolitan Antony poses to each of us. However, the very fact that we are asking ourselves these questions now is a sign that God is with us and that He will guide us to face our sins and draw closer to Him. Meatfare Sunday and this Gospel about the sheep and the young kids offer us encouraging guidelines for how to prepare for the season of Lent that will soon be upon us. Let us each face our sins, bring them to Confession, and get to know ourselves, so that we will then come to know Christ in His full, resurrected Glory. And so, we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Father Emmanuel Kahn

Bobby interviews Elizabeth Crispina Johnson, the author of the new Ancient Faith Publishing children's book The Miracle of the Red Egg.

Fr. Pat discusses the parable of the rich man's barns.

On the Sunday of All Saints Fr. Pat looks at three aspects of Christian holiness.

The 9th chapter of the Gospel of Mark opens with the account of the Transfiguration, then is immediately followed by the the story of Jesus healing a boy possessed by an unclean spirit, a spirit which Jesus’ disciples were unable to cast out. Fr. Pat makes three observations about faith which we can learn from this story. The painting Fr. Pat refers to is The Transfiguration by Rafael.

"For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21) Sticking to our daily prayer rule can be tough! But why? We'll explore the simple reason prayer can feel crammed into our day rather than a natural part of it. And we'll offer a simple way to help you transform wasted moments into opportunities for connection with God. As a special bonus, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you focus on how you can act on what you'll learn. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee150

For most people in our society the Christmas season is a time of celebration, with holiday parties, and unleashed consumerism. For Orthodox Christians however the Advent Season is a time of fasting, prayer and ascetic struggle. Why? In this edition of Ancient Faith Today, host Kevin Allen discusses with Father Gregory Jensen, author of the book The Cure for Consumerism, the reason for the ascetic struggle for Orthodox Christians.

St. Paul reminds us to concentrate on those things that will last for ever. Mark's Gospel today shows us that we have to work hard to come to the feet of Christ. God bless your Lenten struggle! Hebrews 1:10-2;3, Mark 2:1-12

Tagging has been all over the place recently and apparently Google couldn't resist. Now you can tag sites in your search history for later retrieval.

I couldn't get my camera to focus by pressing the shutter button down half-way. It has always worked in the past. I didn't understand what had happened. I started with checking the modes – was I in a different mode than normal? Nope. Then I went to the settings. I set the focus setting correctly. ... Read more

The post Do you know your focus toggle? appeared first on Chris Lema.

Jack Draper wins the biggest title of his career at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna as the British number one's breakout season reaches even greater heights.

Senior coach Richard Wigglesworth says the pressure for England to get results is all part of the privilege of representing the national side.

John Higgins loses his quarter-final tie with Chris Wakelin in frustrating fashion at the International Championship in Nanjing, China.

Warren Gatland has a week to lift his players enough to prevent a record 11th Test loss in a row.

County Tyrone 19-year-old Nick Griggs produces a Parkrun world's best at Victoria Park in Belfast when he clocks 13 minutes and 44 seconds.

Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins reacts to his side's disappointing 2-0 defeat by Drogheda in the FAI Cup.

Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins and midfielder Michael Duffy give their thoughts on the Candystripes' 2-0 defeat by Drogheda United in the FAI Cup final.

Teenager Nick Griggs admits he didn't set out to break the Parkrun world record after achieving the feat in Belfast on Saturday.

An off-duty officer who allegedly assaulted two colleagues at a wedding said he "shrugged" them off.

A woman attacked by a convicted murderer on home release feels "gagged" by a confidentiality agreement to attend his parole hearing.

Sheffield Steelers will take on German champions Eisbären Berlin at Sheffield Arena.

Campaigners say it should be easier for plus-size walkers to enjoy the countryside.

Eoghan was a contestant on the same series Liam and recalls their time together.

The average home cost £581,000 at the end of September - down from £651,000 a year earlier.

What happened to them?

The post The stragglers appeared first on Dave Walker.

Following our latest update on our preparations for the DMA (Digital Markets Act), we're sharing more details about what publishers can expect to see in regards to new search results in European Economic Area (EEA) countries, and how they can express interest in these experiences.

Siemens is well known for ambitious efforts in knowledge management, providing a series of innovative tools and applications within the intranet. References@BT is such a web-based application with currently more than 7,300 registered users from more than 70 countries. Its goal is to support the sharing of knowledge, experiences and best-practices globally within the Building Technologies division. Launched in 2005, References@BT features structured knowledge references, discussion forums, and a basic social networking service. In response to use demand, a new microblogging service, tightly integrated into References@BT, was implemented in March 2009. More than 500 authors have created around 2,600 microblog postings since then. Following a brief introduction into the community platform References@BT, we comprehensively describe the motivation, experiences and advantages for an organization in providing internal microblogging services. We provide detailed microblog usage statistics, analyzing the top ten users regarding postings and followers as well as the top ten topics. In doing so, we aim to shed light on microblogging usage and adoption within a globally distributed organization.

1. Struggling DNA-testing site 23andMe to lay off 40% of its workers  BBC.com
2. 23andMe lays off 40% of its workforce, ends therapeutics division  CBC.ca
3. Genetic testing firm 23andMe cuts 40% of its workforce amid financial struggles  The Guardian
4. 23andMe reports sales decline a day after announcing plans to cut 40% of workforce  CNBC
5. 23andMe warns of ‘substantial doubt’ over its survival without new funding  Financial Times

(Belga) La multiplication des désastres météorologiques, qui pousse sur les routes des millions de personnes, est aujourd'hui l'une des "causes principales" du trafic d'êtres humains, selon un rapport onusien publié mardi, évoquant également les risques posés par la guerre en Ukraine.

"Le changement climatique accroît la vulnérabilité au trafic", souligne cette étude de l'Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime (ONUDC), basée sur la collecte des données de 141 pays sur la période 2017-2020 et l'analyse de 800 affaires judiciaires. Au fil du temps, "des régions entières vont devenir inhabitables", ce qui "affecte de manière disproportionnée" les communautés pauvres vivant essentiellement de l'agriculture ou de la pêche. Elles se retrouvent "privées de leurs moyens de subsistance et contraintes de fuir leur communauté", devenant une proie facile pour les trafiquants, a expliqué à la presse en amont de la publication Fabrizio Sarrica, auteur principal du texte. Rien qu'en 2021, les catastrophes climatiques ont provoqué le déplacement interne de plus de 23,7 millions de personnes, tandis que de nombreux autres ont dû partir à l'étranger. Le rapport cite des typhons dévastateurs aux Philippines, ou encore le Bangladesh, particulièrement exposé aux cyclones et tempêtes. Dans les deux pays, une hausse des cas de trafic a été constatée, avec par exemple l'organisation de "larges campagnes de recrutement" pour piéger dans le travail forcé les plus démunis. Le Ghana, victime de sécheresses et d'inondations, et la région des Caraïbes, soumise aux ouragans et à la montée du niveau de la mer, sont aussi en première ligne. Autre terrain propice au trafic, les conflits armés. Si l'Afrique est de loin le continent le plus touché, l'instance onusienne pointe une situation potentiellement "dangereuse" en Ukraine, tout en saluant les mesures prises par les pays de l'Union européenne pour accueillir et protéger les millions de réfugiés. (Belga)