sade065

In the past few days I cannot seem to put this book down. The life of Elder Iakovos Tsalikis of Evia has inspired me more than I can express, and it's been awhile since I've come across such a book. So, if anyone out there is in search of a simple but profound life story, I highly recommend this gem, and this remarkable holy man of our time. Some of my favorite moments from the book are during his youth, which really offer us parents much to think about. From a child, he kept the oil lamps lit in the small church of St Paraskeve each night, and chanted the hymns zealously and barefoot during the Divine Liturgies because in his times, everyone was poor, but Iakovos was even poorer. On one occasion he and his brother were sent to take the family pig to the local butcher to provide for the family, but along the way, a jealous old man cast a demon into the pig which caused it to fall down immediately and foam at the mouth. Little Iakovos acted quickly. He ran to fill a can with wat...

There are several excellent Orthodox events happening around the U.S. this fall. I encourage everyone to check the list recently posted here for something near you, in the hopes that maybe you will be enriched spiritually in the great struggle for our salvation. This has been passed on to me, and I share it with you. Here are a few sample topics: Building an Orthodox personal life, home and parish How to be a clergy wife and still go to heaven Care for the severely challenged patient Christ the eternal Tao God's Green Earth: Ecology & Theology Orthodox Thinking on other Religions Being Orthodox on today's college campuses Islam and Christianity A Christian ending to our life Salt of the Earth: An Approach to Peacemaking Orthodox Holy Mothers, Women Martyrs and Women New-martyrs: The Consummate examples of Liberated Women Once again, for more information click here to view the appropriate contacts and websites affiliated

This great idea comes from the Phyllis Onest website . We've found a simple photo album, this one bearing a Cross and Scripture verse on the outside, with standard plastic 4x6 pages on the inside. Then we've added our favorite Saints to make a personal book to enjoy! It's a nice way to keep small icons protected and organized for fun learning. Plus it has encouraged us to be on the look out for more icons to add. The pages are easy to turn for little ones, and the older kids enjoy deciding who to put where. We kept the desert ascetics together, then the female martyrs, etc... with more room to grow, we've enjoyed this little book during challenging moments in Church, and on road trips. We hope it can be a useful idea to your families as well.

" Oh, I get it"  replied a small girl.  "The Saints are like stain glass windows because the light of Christ shines through them." For another easy and creative project, use your traced transparency sheet icons to make beautiful stain glass windows of the Saints. With a pack of tissue paper and glue, layer multiples colors and shapes behind the transparency, and secure them easily with a touch of glue. The more layers, the better really, if you begin with the lightest colors first. Be sure to have a few references to copy for accurate vestment colors, etc. Here's a sample with St Nektarios of Aegina. When completed, tape these lovely projects in your windows to get the full effect! I couldn't bare to part with any of the ones our kids made. They were each beautiful in their own way, even the slightly unfinished ones. I've also tried markers with this project but didn't like them as much. Hope you enjoy!

Here's a quick and easy way to create your own hand drawn icons for various art projects and Orthodox coloring pages. Purchase a pack of overhead projector transparency film from your nearby office supply store, and a black sharpie marker with a thin tip. Then, find all your favorite icons, preferably size 8x10, and begin tracing! For younger students, tape one sheet to each icon. It's best if the sheet is a bit bigger than the icon so that you eliminate the risk of drawing on the icon itself. Don't forget to include the name of the Saint, since God knows each of us personally! These sheets can easily be photocopied onto white paper to distribute to many students. Just look for the transparency setting on your photocopier and be sure to keep your original tracings for future use. Who knows, maybe this project could encourage the creative kids and teens out there to become iconographers! Stay tuned for another creative project using this method! *Special attention should b...

What are the things you do daily without thinking twice? We brush our teeth, we put on clothes, and we never leave the house to begin our day without a pair of shoes on our feet to equip us for the road ahead. In the same way, we can strive to see prayer as an essential part of our day, for the benefits are greater than fresh breath or comfortable feet! Let us teach our children to start small, with an icon of Christ and just five minutes, but strive for consistency. The goal is to remember, thank, and glorify God each and every day by coming to meet Him face to face. By doing this, we grow to rely on Christ and He becomes the center of our lives. Remember, when we pray, we open the communication between us and God in a very personal way. There’s no one who knows us better than our Lord. He is with us each step of the way, and He knows exactly what we need. The Blessed Elder, IERONYMOS of Aegina +1966 encourages us in his writings "Do not leave off prayer. No matter how tired yo...

Have you ever said to yourself, where are the miracles of today? Or wouldn't it be something if we were able to witness a miracle in today's day and age? What was it like to be in the presence of our Lord during His Transfiguration (which we celebrate today) or at His first miracle at the Wedding in Cana? Without a doubt, that water became wine to all who witnessed His first public miracle, and to all who called themselves followers of Christ. Then it happened. This morning, as we knelt for the consecration of the Holy Gifts. We too witnessed a miracle. In fact, the greatest of all miracles. The same One who was capable of transforming water into wine, displayed His glory again and continues to do so for us in every Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church. He accepts the bread and wine from our hands, and offers us Himself in return. How? By miracle. Just as the disciples, we too become eyewitnesses of His majesty (Peter 1:10-19) Therefore, if you believe in the God who transfo...