Advent is such an incredibly busy time for so many of us. If you are looking for small ways to increase your prayers and your piety during this holy time of preparation, consider spending just a little bit of time with the saints of Advent and Christmas. You can find...
If you’re a reader, you know that writers often refer to characters and stories that came before them. Tolkein didn’t have to make up dragons from scratch. He expected that his readers would have read other stories about dragons, especially the dragon from Beowulf,...
When you became a godparent, you assumed responsibility before God to bring the child up in the Orthodox faith. You pray for your godchildren, of course. You light candles for them every time you enter a church. But if you mean to ensure that your godchild loves the...
What do the saints have to do with being a single mom? Some of the saints were single moms. I remember being told, years ago, that the Orthodox Church lays out for us two paths to holiness: marriage and monasticism. God, of course, wouldn’t send you to hell if you...
I’ve never been a book club person. When my kids were young, I didn’t have the time or energy for a book club. There were years that I barely had time to read at all. Those were hard years. My kids are all grown now, and even though a couple of them still live at...
I said this on my Facebook page a few years ago, and it seems worth saying again: If you can’t think of anything else to do right now, be kind. Find one or two or five organizations that feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, minister...