Orthodox Life

The understandable, deeply authoritative and bestselling book on the Orthodox Church, in a fully updated and revised Third Edition.

Immerse Yourself in the Inspiring Lives of Orthodox Saints! Step into the world of venerated Saints, where you'll uncover profound lessons in morality, courage, and unwavering faith. From martyrs to theologians, explore the diverse paths of these extraordinary individuals who shaped Orthodoxy.

Anyone who prays or has tried to pray and given up in discouragement knows praying, really praying, is not easy. Praying consistently seems almost impossible. Too often and too easily, prayer becomes a burden: one more item on an already overcrowded to-do list. Failing to pray becomes a source of guilt and stress as we must once again admit our inconstancy and procrastination to our father confessor. The purpose of this audiobook, then, is not to add to the burden, but to ease it by distilling the advice and experience of those who pray.

It's typical to be burdened, frustrated, and easily triggered today. Feeling trapped in finances, work, or relationships isn’t remarkable, either. Most folks have lost a sense of peace, playfulness, and any semblance of order and simplicity. But the middle is no place for someone of your caliber. You're Too Good to Feel This Bad, and you know it.

To many in the West, Orthodoxy remains shrouded in mystery, an exotic and foreign religion that survived in the East following the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian world into two camps - Catholic and Orthodox. However, as the second largest Christian denomination, Orthodox Christianity is anything but foreign to the nearly 300 million worshipers who practice it. For them, Orthodoxy is a living, breathing reality; a way of being Christian ultimately rooted in the person of Jesus and the experience of the early church.

This revised edition includes a new epilogue, "Coming up on Twenty-Five Years" since the entry of the Evangelical Orthodox into the Holy Orthodox Church. This is the story of a handful of courageous men and their congregations who risked stable occupations, security and the approval of life-long friends to be obedient to God's call. It is also the story of every believer who is searching for the Church.

Annalisa Boyd knows motherhood has its challenges, its joys, and its potential for spiritual growth. In this prayer book, she offers a wide selection of prayers mothers can use to intercede for their families as well as to grow in virtue themselves.

In the services of the Orthodox Church, we pray for a good death—a “Christian end.” Yet many people approach the end of life unprepared and fearful. In Painless, Blameless & Peaceful: Orthodox Christian Reflections on Death, Dying & Eternal Life, author and longtime parish priest Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis shares some of his pastoral experiences, both good and bad, with families of the dying and with those who are facing death. He discusses ways we can understand and accept death, help prepare our loved ones, and find hope when that final day arrives for each of us.

Sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes convicting, these stories of life in an inner-city immigrant Orthodox parish are guaranteed to shake your assumptions and make you see your life and faith in a new way. They are not for the faint of heart, but they are very much for all who want to embrace the truth more fully!