Ancient Faith Ministries

Jul 18, 2023 • 2h 36m

At the end of the week-long Diaconal Liturgical Program and the 2023 Summer Music Institute on June 23, 2023, His Grace, Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth (OCA) encouraged all participants to heed Christ’s call to live a life of service to others. By turning away from self-centeredness to God-centeredness, we can follow Christ’s example and become transformed by the relationships we build based on service, respect, and communion. As an illustration of a life dedicated to service to others in Christ, His Grace recounted the life of St Jacob Netsvetov, missionary to Alaska in the 19th century.

Jul 18, 2023 • 3h 3m

As the Lord wraps up the Sermon on the Mount, He issues warnings to us about false prophets and about how we must bear fruit and build a solid foundation for our lives on the Rock. Join us as we breathe in the flowers of the patristic garden.

Jul 16, 2023 • 1h 49m

In this homily for the great feast of Pentecost, Fr Vincent Temirov demonstrates how Pentecost, like Pascha, is about the transformation of the human condition. In Christ’s Resurrection, we die and are resurrected with Him; at Pentecost, our new resurrected nature is shaped and molded by the Church and is filled with the Holy Spirit. It is our responsibility then, to ensure that we continually open our hearts to this transformation of the Holy Spirit, so as not to let our Orthodox faith become a mere intellectual assent to religious tenets.

Jul 14, 2023

On this Sunday before Holy Pentecost, the Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur gives some historical background on the feast of Pentecost and how it was celebrated in ancient Israel, primarily as a celebration of the giving of the Law. Connecting this to the feast of Ascension, Fr Bogdan points out how Moses ascended Sinai to bring back the gift of the Law to Israel, and Christ ascended to Heaven to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jul 12, 2023 • 1h 44m

The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield opens his sermon on the feast of Holy Ascension by calling us to recognize how unique and powerful the Orthodox view of the human body really is. The accounts of our Lord during the 40 days after His Resurrection leading up to His Ascension all involve physical actions–partaking of food, traversing a road, touching the wounds left by the nails and the spear, and finally, Christ ascending bodily up to heaven. Fr Chad encourages us to meditate on three themes in the Gospels having to do with the body: Christ our God becoming incarnate as a human with a body, inviting us to partake in His Body through our physical partaking of the Holy Eucharist, and promising the resurrection of all believers into His Heavenly Kingdom.

Jul 11, 2023 • 2h 58m

The "Golden Rule" is considered by many to be the greatest ethical instruction in the history of mankind. Did you know that there is also a "Silver Rule" that is found in other religious traditions? What make's Christ's instruction superior to all others?

Jul 10, 2023 • 54 min

Bobby Maddex, the Director of Digital Media of Ancient Faith Ministries, interviews Fr. John Manuel, Greek Orthodox priest and author of the book, Fable Hood Trilogy; What I learned as a Child published by City Bear Press. Available for purchase on Amazon or at citybearpress.com

Jul 7, 2023 • 34 min

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Dr Sofie Azmy, clinical psychologist and clergy wife, on suggestions for reframing our parenting role and relationship with our growing children.

Jul 6, 2023 • 3h 39m

Orthodoxy has declined from 20% of global Christians in 1910 to 12% in 2010. We are not yet making Orthodox "disciples of all nations" to the degree our Lord instructed us. Why? Some answers can be found in the latest leadership, innovation, and change management best practices and research.

Jul 5, 2023 • 44 min

Bobby Maddex interview with Ann Van Fossen, the Chief Academic Officer for the Classical Learning Resourse Centre, also known as the CLRC, as well as, two of her teachers at the centre; John Bassett and Michelle Wib Band. To learn more about the CLRC please go to; clrconline.com. email @ info@clrconline.com Also the CLRC is offering a discount code until August 3,2023 which is AFR10

Jul 4, 2023 • 3h 8m

The admonition to "judge not" may be the most misunderstood or misused verse in the Bible. Are we never to identify anything as sin? In addition to this verse, Dr. Jeannie will discuss Bible manuscript variations to clarify an earlier lesson and respond to queries.

Jun 28, 2023 • 32 min

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Jun 28, 2023 • 2h

The story of Christ’s healing of the man born blind, read on the last Sunday of Pascha, is far from a simple account of one of the many miracles our Lord performed. The Very Rev. Alexander Rentel explains that this story is also a radical warning to the spiritually blind, those who are incapable of seeing the glory of the Lord because of their blind belief in their own knowledge and righteousness. We must take extreme care to always submit ourselves to the Lord in humility and faith.

Jun 27, 2023 • 3h 7m

After finishing his instructions on prayer the Lord continues with emphasizing forgiveness, the secret pursuit of virtue, seeking the Kingdom and the impossibility of loving both God and money. As usual, we will hear from the Fathers on all these matters!

Jun 21, 2023 • 1h 50m

On the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, Fr Vincent Temirov highlights how gentle the Lord’s interaction with her was–He called her to purify herself first by confessing her sins, and then offered her “living water”. In this same way, we are called to repent of our sins to remove all obstacles which hinder us from partaking in the life of Christ.

Jun 21, 2023 • 1h 25m

Sometimes inquirers are not sure if they'll ever reach the point of desiring to be baptized or chrismated into the Orthodox Faith. In this pressure-free episode Lynnette examines three common struggles in becoming Orthodox, as well as the blessings within the difficulties.

Jun 21, 2023 • 32 min

Priests and lay leaders do not necessarily have pastoral training or personal experience to help them minister to people with disabilities, and so are often unsure of how to connect with and enfold our families effectively into parish life. Presvytera Melanie DiStefano interviews the Director of the GOA Center for Family Care, Fr. Alex Goussetis, discussing his lessons learned as a priest for nearly 30 years, suggestions for making sacramental accommodations, encouragement of families with disabilities to lead parish ministries, and more!

Jun 20, 2023 • 3h 7m

Why does God allow temptations? Are some trials or tests different from others? Since God is only the source of good, but He allows temptation for our benefit, why does the Lord instruct us in the Lord's Prayer to ask, "lead us not into temptation"?

Jun 18, 2023 • 2h 34m

In this month’s episode Cynthia and Molly talk with Michael Haldas about dealing with difficulties and setbacks and Cynthia provides helpful tips for sticking to your health goals while traveling. For the Productive Life Segment, Cynthia and Molly draw from their FWL Book Club pick, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.”

Jun 14, 2023 • 1h 41m

At the Divine Liturgy on the day of Commencement for the Class of 2023, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) called all in attendance, especially those preparing to begin their ministry to always accept the will of God. This acceptance is the beginning of humility, a virtue that enables us to escape the sins that ensnare us.