Ancient Faith Ministries

Feb 14, 2024 • 38 min

What would our lives look like if we embraced our bodily limitations and understood that they could be offerings to the Lord? Dr. Aaron Haney and Brian Whirledge continue their conversation with Pres. Melanie on such a life - that of their friend Kevin McCarty. At Kevin's funeral, Archbishop Paul of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA) of blessed memory who was then Kevin's father confessor told those present, “In the lives of the Saints, we read about the Fools-for-Christ. God has granted us to know one personally in Kevin.” Listen to hear how Kevin's unique life story is an inspiring witness of what a person can become when they "take up their cross and carry it" with the Lord. Presvytera Melanie reads portions of the blog entry Blessed Kevin from the Arms Open Wide website throughout this podcast. Visit original blog post here: https://armsopenwide.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/blessed-kevin/

Feb 13, 2024 • 3h 12m

Information, and even intrigue, exists about the beheading of St. John, including the discovery of his head, which the Church also remembers. We'll take a historical and patristic look at the lives, motivation, and ultimate fates of those involved in this diabolical act.

Feb 7, 2024 • 2h 21m

It’s hard to understand, at first, why the man who hid his one talent in the parable of the talents was so harshly punished by his master, says the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Basil Russin. Drawing on related texts in Deuteronomy, Dn Harrison explains by emphasizing the importance of receiving God’s blessings in gratitude, cultivating them, and offering the first fruits back to Him and one’s neighbors in need. This grateful heart and willingness to multiply, offer back, and share one’s gifts are nothing less than the way we are to be saved.

Feb 7, 2024 • 39 min

In today's generation, we do better to remain poor and in need of healing, but together in Christ; than to be healed alone and segregated through disunity. The community is learning this while walking with people like Judy.

Feb 7, 2024 • 57 min

Dr. Aaron Haney and Brian Whirledge share reflections on their relationship with Kevin McCarty of blessed memory. Kevin spent most of his life battling cancer which resulted in losing one eye in infancy and the other in his final years. Despite his limited physical vision, Kevin was a gifted artist. As Kevin's godfather and godson, Aaron and Brian recount aspects of their shared spiritual journeys, and the ways Kevin's disability and health issues fueled an enthusiasm for life and a search for connection with God and people. Presvytera Melanie reads portions of the blog entry Blessed Kevin from the Arms Open Wide website throughout this podcast. Visit original blog post here: https://armsopenwide.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/blessed-kevin/

Feb 6, 2024 • 3h 2m

More parables in Matthew 13 teach us about the nature of the Kingdom, its hidden and dynamic qualities, the power of the apostles despite overwhelming opposition by the world, and the tenacity required by the faithful and their ability to acquire the Kingdom.

Feb 5, 2024 • 54 min

Bobby Maddex interviews Father Dragos Herescu who is the Principal of IOCS (Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies) in Cambridge, United Kingdom. For more information please visit their website @ https://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk

Feb 1, 2024

⁠The story of the Orthodox Deaconess is largely unknown today. When did they exist, and what was their function? In recent decades, there has been a call for restoring the female diaconate, causing no small debate between Orthodox proponents and opponents.⁠ In the first special edition of Ancient Faith Today Live, Fr. Tom Soroka and John Maddex take a deep dive into the topic with a full-length audio documentary, which will feature scholarly experts from both sides of the issue and reflect upon the views shared and what we can conclude about the Church’s wisdom on this issue today.

Jan 31, 2024 • 1h 6m

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Matushka Rozanne Rucker, who offers her many years of experience as a Marriage & Family Therapist. The conversation highlights the three pillars of parenting teens: consistent limit setting, strengthening emotional attachments, and improving communication.

Jan 31, 2024

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...

Jan 30, 2024 • 2h 49m

This strange statement actually appears in all four gospels and Acts of the Apostles and is a prophecy about Christ. Why was this prophecy so crucial in the early Church, and why didn't Christ just explain or enlighten people so they could see and understand?

Jan 26, 2024 • 1h 25m

Have you ever met a true missionary, ministering to hundreds of people and caring for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs? SVOTS alumnus Fr Simon Menya (M.Div. '19) is one such inspiring figure. In this conversation with Sarah Werner, Fr Simon describes his upbringing in his wartorn home country of Uganda, his conversion to Orthodoxy, his journey to and through the M.Div. program at St Vladimir's Seminar, and the many facets of his ministry in Uganda as an Orthodox priest and as founder of the Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project (NUSSP). Fr Simon conducts church services daily; translates Orthodox service books and other texts from English into the local language, Luo; and travels to many small towns and villages in his region to visit the sick, celebrate the sacraments, and catechize new inquirers. Last fall, he oversaw the completion of a new church building dedicated to St Catherine and baptized 33 catechumens into the Orthodox Faith. In addition to this prodigious work, he works with NUSSP to organize medical treatment and the building of new clinics; improve local water infrastructure; offer secondary schooling for children; and facilitate opportunities for adults to practice animal husbandry and farming, among other professional skills. Listen now to hear directly from a true missionary and servant of Christ, Fr Simon Menya.

Jan 26, 2024 • 1h 52m

The Feast of Theophany is an occasion to meditate on the cosmic nature of Christ’s entering into the waters of the Jordan, preaches the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield. By entering the water to be baptized, Christ shows us the way we must also follow, and sanctifies all of creation, the cosmos itself. We are then sanctified and born anew in the waters of baptism, and sealed with the sign of the Cross as we join Christ’s flock, anticipating His coming again.

Jan 24, 2024 • 2h 9m

On the feast of St Herman of Alaska, His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth, Auxiliary to the Diocese of the South (OCA) calls us to consider how St Herman embodied the fruit of the Spirit described by St Paul: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and self-control. Raising many examples from St Herman’s life about his enaction of these qualities, Bishop Gerasim exhorts us to follow his lead in serving the Church lovingly and beautifully.

Jan 24, 2024 • 43 min

Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Joylynn Blake, director at St. Raphael School and Presbytera Maria Koulianos,SRS Principal Tutoring Center CSLD Manager. To learn more about the St. Raphael and Schole Academies please visit ; https://raphaelschool.org and https://scholeacademy.com

Jan 23, 2024 • 3h 5m

Christ told the disciples they would understand the mysteries and receive more. Others "seeing would not see and hearing would not understand" and would receive less. Why aren't the mysteries of heaven understandable to all? Does God choose some people over others?

Jan 18, 2024 • 2h 41m

This month, Cynthia and Molly talk with Dr. Ioana Popa about the difference between striving that can lead to burnout and leaning on God that will give us peace. Then, they talk with Matina Kazameas and Kristina Harris, the home organizational experts at Two Tidy Tinas about their top tips for getting organized in our homes.

Jan 17, 2024 • 23 min

William Gall joins Pres. Melanie and shares about the inspiration for Arms Open Wide, a weekly blog and virtual storehouse of Orthodox Christian disability resources. Listen as he enumerates the resources and links accessible on Arms Open Wide and the various needs they address. Visit the blogsite at https://armsopenwide.wordpress.com/

Jan 17, 2024 • 1h 38m

During the Nativity Fast, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield points out, four recurring themes stand out in the hymnography: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. We must be especially watchful during the fast, striving to pay special attention to our relationship with the Living God, lest we move away from Him, which is self-destruction. Referring to the baptism of a seminary baby earlier in the service, Fr Chad emphasizes the freedom that comes from being born in Christ, breaking the chains of sin and death.

Jan 17, 2024 • 27 min

The dynamis of Theophany is towards new life and communion. We see this in the community, as God is bringing healing to Jacob, while also opposing the flattening (or "alienation of the spirit") that so often happens in modern culture.