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In our broken world, many Christians find their spiritual progress hindered or stalled by psychological wounds from their past. But these wounds can be healed with the proper treatment. Priest and licensed therapist Joshua Makoul shows how we can draw on the insights and resources of both the Church and modern psychology to help us come to terms with the past and use it to further our path to union with God.

Many centuries ago in the wilds of Africa, a startling and mystical friendship developed between a lion and a saint. St. Gerasim served the lion by removing a thorn from its paw, and in turn the lion served St. Gerasim and his monastery for the rest of his life. This small gem of a story shows us this extraordinary friendship through the eyes of the lion, and of a baboon he befriends along the way, allowing us to participate in the lion''s transformation-through contact with holiness-from an undifferentiated dumb beast to a particular lion with his own name and destiny. The Lion and the Saint may be enjoyed by good readers from preteen to adult.An Orthodox Christian young adult book from Ancient Faith Publishing.

No end of books these days offer us techniques for self-improvement. Taking a different tack, Robin Phillips shows that God meets us where we are, in the pain and heartache of the present moment. Instead of looking for a way to escape from hardship, we can cultivate an attitude of gratitude, peace, and self-acceptance that will transform our experience of suffering.Drawing on his own experiences and his work as a consultant in the behavioral health industry-as well as stories of saints and sufferers, teachings of the Fathers, and recent discoveries in neuroscience-Phillips shows us that the journey to personal well-being is one we can all travel, regardless of the hardships we may face.

In The Whole Counsel of God, popular writer and podcaster Fr. Stephen De Young gives an overview of what the Bible is and what is its place in the life of an Orthodox Christian, correcting many Protestant misconceptions along the way. Issues covered include inspiration, inerrancy, the formation of the biblical canon, the various texts and their provenance, the place of Scripture within Orthodox Tradition, and how an Orthodox Christian should read, study, and interpret the Bible.

In this follow-up volume to Big in Heaven, stories of life at St. Alexander the Whirling Dervish parish continue. Gather with the boys at Shooky's Taproom or hang out in the church hall with the Teuta Ladies Baking Society and catch up on all the gossip about Father Naum and his friends and parishioners as their lives unfold in struggles, hope, temptations, faith, and love. You'll come away seeing your own life and those around you with new, more compassionate eyes.

In modern parlance, the word sacrifice conjures images of suffering, loss, and even martyrdom. But sacrifice as practiced in the Old Testament and throughout the ancient world was most often the occasion of joyous celebration-a way of drawing near to God and to the other members of the community. Welcoming Gifts explores the history of sacrifice, the meaning of Christ's sacrifice, and what the concept should mean for Christians today-a way of expressing and cementing our relationship with God.

Forget your old name. Forget your parents. These are the things Euphrosyne's grandparents and counselor tell her. But if Orthodox Christianity is a lie, why did the icon so dramatically save her life? And what can she do to get the icon back?In a post-Christian America, where going to church, praying, or owning holy things means death, a twelve-year-old girl searches for the truth. Finding it may cost her everything.Thanks to many reader requests, Georgia Briggs has created a Discussion Questions guide for her novel that can be used by book clubs, youth groups, homeschoolers, or anyone who'd like to start a conversation about this thought-provoking story! The guide is in included in the second printing of the book, now available.An Orthodox Christian young adult book from Ancient Faith Publishing.

Are you struggling in your walk with Christ? Do you want to rediscover your reason for living, the person you were created to be? Renewing You: A Priest, a Psychologist, and a Plan gives you the keys to unlock areas of your life that hold you back from fully experiencing the renewal and transformation God has in mind for you. Co-authored by a priest and a psychologist, Renewing You combines principles of spiritual growth with psychological tools to help you become your best self, fully connected with God's purpose for you.

What do African American spirituality and Orthodox Christianity have in common? More than you might think. Drawing on both his own background as a biracial convert to Orthodoxy and historical resources that span St. Athanasius to Frederick Douglass, Fr. Paul Abernathy details the many intersections between these two traditions, including a redemptive understanding of the Cross and a faith shaped by suffering and persecution. In so doing, he points to a new path whereby Orthodox Christianity can uniquely answer the spiritual needs of African Americans.

"The lesson of love can never be taught simply by words . . . Rather, it is taught by truly giving yourself and communicating the love and longing for Christ to those you serve. . . . How awesome and dignified is Christian service! And how good is the trustworthy and loyal servant who can say along with Christ, 'Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart' (Matt. 11:29)." (from the Introduction) This book is essential and inspiring reading for all who would devote their lives to the service of Christ and His Church. ¿Originally published in Arabic as El-khedma by the Monastery of St. Macarius the Great, Wadi el-Natrun (Egypt), 1980. Translation published by permission.

Continuing the epic of Christendom told in earlier volumes, The Age of Paradise and The Age of Division, the author explains how, between the Italian Renaissance of the fourteenth century and the Russian Revolution of the twentieth, secular humanism displaced Christianity to become the source of modern culture. The result was some of the most illustrious music, science, philosophy, and literature ever produced. But the cultural reorientation from paradise to utopia-from an experience of the kingdom of heaven to one bound exclusively by this world-all but eradicated the traditional culture of the West, leaving it at the beginning of the twentieth century without roots in anything transcendent.

The tragic war in Syria along with the plight of the Christians there remains among the most misunderstood situations in the world today. Syria Crucified seeks to contribute to better understanding in the West by giving a voice to individual Syrian Christians living in exile from their homeland. These men and women have undergone horrific trauma and loss without losing their faith in God or the ability to forgive their persecutors. Their first-person accounts, framed by the authors' narration for historical, cultural, and geopolitical context, are both edifying and inspiring.

Infanticide. Holy war. Divine wrath. Violence in the Old Testament has long been a stumbling block for Christians and skeptics alike. Yet conventional efforts to understand this aspect of Scripture-whether by downplaying it as allegory or a relic of primitive cultures, or by dismissing the authority of Scripture altogether-tend to raise more questions than they answer. God Is a Man of War offers a fresh interpretation of Old Testament accounts of violence by exploring them through the twofold lens of Orthodox tradition and historical context. Instead of avoiding or invalidating problem passages out of discomfort, Fr. Stephen De Young inquires into what they reveal about the nature of Christ and His creation. In doing so, this book bears witness to a world filled not only with pain and suffering-often of human making-but also with the love of God, poured out through the endless centuries and generations of human strife that preceded and necessitated the Incarnation of Christ.

Katie discovers that the valley behind her grandmother's garden is more mysterious than it seems. After tumbling into tenth-century England and encountering Saint Edith of Wilton along with her wild animal menagerie, she is helped home, wondering whether her adventure was truly real. But after Katie, her cousins, and a neighborhood friend are drawn back in time once again, she realizes her grandmother's garden gate is a portal into faraway worlds, where patron saints are real people making real-life decisions.Join Katie and her cousins as they mingle with Rachel and Jacob, meet Saint Mary Magdalene up close, trek across the sand with the matriarchs Naomi and Ruth, and have a nail-biting adventure with the heroic Saint Katherine of Alexandria. In seeing the richness of the family of God, they glimpse how very much they are a part of it all.A chapter book for children ages 7 to 12.An Orthodox Christian children's book from Ancient Faith Publishing.

"The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about what Jesus can do for your life. It is not even the answer to the question, 'How can I be saved? It is the declaration of a victory. In His coming to earth, His suffering, and His Resurrection, Christ conquered demons, sin, and death. In Arise, O God, author and podcaster Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick introduces us to the spiritual war that Christ won by His victory, how we are caught in that wars cosmic crossfire, what the true content of the gospel is--and how we are to respond".--Back cover.

The Orthodox Church's reverence for Mary the Mother of God can be a stumbling block for converts, and a fulfilling relationship with her can prove elusive for converts and lifelong Orthodox Christians alike. In this deeply personal but beautifully universal memoir, Brandi Willis Schreiber relates her own quest to know and love the Virgin Mary and to incorporate her as a vital participant in her spiritual life. Brandi's sparkling, vulnerable account invites the reader to join her in this quest.

Father Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God podcast and blog, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.

Traditionally, the Orthodox Church has appointed forty days of rest and seclusion after childbirth for mothers to recover from the rigors of birth and get to know their new babies. In the modern world, it can be difficult to understand how to use this time to the fullest in the way it was intended. The authors of A Sacred Beginning-a therapist and a pediatrician who are both mothers themselves-come to the rescue with a resource that addresses the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of a mother's recovery from birth and embarkation on her new life. Whether you are preparing to birth your first baby or your tenth, you will find in this book a wealth of spiritual food, comfort, encouragement, and sound advice to guide you, one postpartum day at a time.

In this hauntingly beautiful novel, a nameless Lightkeeper, ageless and outside of time, is pulled through time to tend lighthouses on far shores, battling danger, loneliness, uncertainty, and despair. What begins as the burial of a lighthouse keeper on a routine assignment soon transforms into the greatest adventure of her life and a path to a more distant shore. Through this journey she learns what it means to be human and to love, especially when death is a certainty.

Infertility ranks among the hardest griefs a couple can face. Yet this painful issue is all too often neglected in both Church and society. Under the Laurel Tree traces one God-fearing couple's journey through the emotional turmoil of childlessness. By following the story of Saints Joachim and Anna, this book helps individuals and couples navigate the loss inherent in infertility amid the pain of shame, separation, anger, bargaining, and blamelessness. In walking alongside Joachim and Anna, we encounter not only a life-giving template for grief, but also the path back to ourselves, our partner, and our God-given vocation of eucharistic thanksgiving.

Whether you are a young person embarking on the grand adventure of finding a life partner, or a member of a courting or engaged couple, Two Become One will help you be sure your partner is right for you and help the two of you together lay a firm foundation for the lifelong adventure of marriage. Married couples will also find much of benefit for strengthening their relationship. Weaving ancient wisdom and modern psychology into a single approach, the authors address difficult contemporary issues related to sexuality and marriage and help couples reach a sound and profound understanding of what marriage is all about.

The doctrine of hell as a place of eternal punishment has never been easy for Christians to accept. The temptation to retreat from and reject the Church's traditional teaching about hell is particularly strong in our current culture, which has demonstrably lost its sense of sin. Fr. Lawrence Farley examines the Orthodox Church's teaching on this difficult subject through the lens of Scripture and patristic writings, making the case that the existence of hell does not negate that of a loving and forgiving God.

Our first parents departed from what it means to be truly human when they ate from the forbidden tree. Ever since, humans have been working with corrupted minds and wills, employing a distorted approach to life. Kevin Scherer calls this "psycho-logic," and he knows how it can lead us on a downward spiral to misery. How do we get back to the Garden? By allowing Christ to renew our minds, using the tried-and-true spiritual practices of the Orthodox Faith.

How we care for and nurture our bodies has implications for all areas of our development-physical, emotional, and even spiritual. The body is a living and organic revelation of the unseen spirit inside-a kind of garden. Garden in the East is a poetic exploration of how the care of the body can lead us towholeness and wellness in every area of our lives.

Many modern readers think of the Book of Numbers with a groan. And it does begin slowly, with several chapters detailing the census of Israel. But once we get past those chapters, Numbers becomes a thrilling narrative of Israel's journey through the desert as well as a cautionary tale about how not to respond to the saving mercies of God. Fr. Patrick Reardon's chapter-by-chapter analysis will help the reader glean the greatest possible profit from this oft-neglected book.

Archpriest Gordon T. Walker served God for his entire life, from his childhood as a Baptist in Alabama through years as a Protestant pastor and finally, after decades of searching for the true Church, as an Orthodox priest. One of the founding leaders of the former Evangelical Orthodox Church, Fr. Gordon had a special heart for youth and founded Grace Ministries to facilitate serving them. In the course of his ministry, he touched hundreds of lives with the boundless love and grace of God. This memoir, compiled and edited after his repose by his brother Philip Walker, reveals the servant heart of a dedicated man of God.

Popular author and speaker Archpriest Michael J. Oleksa has spent most of his life serving the Church in Alaska and advocating for the Native populations there. But he has also had many adventures in other parts of the world. The unifying thread in all his experiences is the providence of God, leading him, providing for him, and guiding him through miracles large and small. In this collection of reminiscences, Fr. Michael relates story after story of the wondrous love and mercy of God working in his life and the lives his ministry has touched. His faith and enthusiasm are contagious.