Every Orthodox person should own this Study Bible. It is the Key to understanding how the Old and the New Testament are seamless, and how Scripture leads the Divine Liturgy.

Beautifully done and very helpful in preparing meals during fast times! This can easily be a heirloom treasure for anyone and it makes a wonderful wedding gift for the Orthodox couple.

A whimsical and rhythmic story that is as entertaining as any Dr. Suess book. The Cellarer's Celery will be a family favorite!

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Finding the way to Christ in a complicated religious landscape. The book was written by Father Andrew Stephen Damick and narrated by the same. This book is amazing. It is one I have wanted to read for a long time and thanks to Ancient Faith Publishing I was finally able to listen to it. This book was everything I was hoping it would be and more.

First the writing style was easy to understand, clear and concise, but also from a different worldview than I am used to. This was a good thing not a bad thing. I had taken world religions in school and I did a lot of seeking before I became Christian and Roman Catholic, however most of the learning I did and the knowledge I acquired was always from a protestant view or at best a roman catholic view but mostly protestant. This was my first real foray into the subject matter from an Orthodox perspective. Also, as the narrator was also the writer, the narration was smooth and flowed well, though I did speed it up just a hair bit due to the fact that I prefer a slightly faster speech as my speech patterns are faster. That is my own preference and not a negative in any way to the book. The chapters were a good length and the material went in a great order starting with Orthodox itself and then branching out. It covered subjects in a way you would think of as a pyramid. Orthodoxy at the top roman catholic next … then the reformation… evangelicalism.. Branching out further from orthodoxy to even include religions that werent mainstream and then non christian faiths. The main tenants of each were covered and how it related to orthodoxy if at all. So far I”ve listened to the book twice and I”m sure I will again. I would recommend this book for anyone and everyone. Orthodox or not.. Christian or not. The knowledge you will gain is incredible. I learned so much of what relates … what doesn’t … it was truly fascinating. I cannot wait to read the other books the author has written and I hope that it happens sooner than later.

Wonderful kid's book. The bounciness of the words keeps children interested and it's honestly kind of impossible not to be happy while reading it. Highly recommended.

great book

As a life long Protestant I learned so much about the historical origins of my own Christian faith and how it is seen from the Orthodox view.

Excellent Concise Easy Reading!
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick's newest book is great. I very much liked that the book was concise. It was very easy to understand. Fr. Andrew described this book as simply organizing what might be called scattered thoughts into one coherent and concise book. It follows a very direct set up to define what the gospel is and what it is not detailing exactly what Christ has done for humanity and what the appropriate response is. Though it's small and concise, this book can completely change one's perspective on who God is and what Orthodox Christianity believes about God, people, demons, angels, and the life-giving death and resurrection of our Lord. It makes clear what has always been taught in the East concerning salvation and disambiguates from the western atonement theories. In terms of the physical copy of the book, I absolutely loved the size as it is not terribly large and I could take it anywhere. It is not terribly long and makes for an excellent book to read leisurely and still remained educated and edified afterwards. Highly recommend!!

Little Lost Nun by Melinda Johnson is a sweet story where one small peg doll creates a string of events that open the eyes and hearts of those involved. Two little girls from very different family dynamics find love, faith, and friendship through their personal struggles and actions. This heartwarming story gives us a peek into an Orthodox monastery, where the nuns are warm and welcoming and children are free to explore the beauty of God’s creation in their garden. It is a safe place where the girls ultimately find that God truly has a hand in all things.
This story is a beautiful tale to share and discuss with our children. From it we can learn about empathy and compassion, patience and forgiveness. The “think and talk” section and “you can visit a monastery” section at the end of the book provide a guide for discussion and some valuable tips on how to prepare for a monastery visit.
I highly recommend adding this wonderful little book to your children’s bookshelf or church school classroom!

This book is an absolute gem. For years I have lamented the lack of a detailed treasury of Orthodox saints for children. I’m a homeschooling mother of seven, & we always start our school days with Morning Time, when we all gather together for prayers, scripture reading & memorization, saint stories, poetry, & a read-aloud. For years I have pieced together our saint stories from various books, including some Catholic resources, & I’ve always wished for a single (Orthodox) book that would fit our needs. 101 Orthodox Saints is that book! Not only does it give detailed information about the life of each saint, it also gives information about where they lived (& the modern-day name of that location, with a map), where they were born & where they reposed, what their vocation was, when their feast day is, & even the little traditions associated with particular saints. One of my very favorite parts is the illustrated timeline, which shows the dates & era of the lives of the various saints in this book. What a helpful reference!

My older kids are often curled up in a chair reading it, & the illustrations are so engaging & pleasant that even my younger kids love to just thumb through the pages. I really appreciate that it’s a sturdy hardcover book because that means I don’t have to worry that it will fall apart easily from so much love.

One of the main reasons we homeschool is to impart a love of our faith to our children through our daily life as we follow the rhythms of the Church. 101 Orthodox Saints is a lovely & valuable tool to assist us on that path.

This adorable, little board book would be a great edition to any little ones library, Church book store or Sunday school. It mentions specific saints and their attributes. What is extra special about this book is that it will motivate children to learn more about each of the Saints featured and their stories! Because this book is small, it's the perfect book to pack in a purse or diaper bag for your little ones to read at church. Perhaps, they can look around their church to find icons of these saints as well! The pictures are simple, yet easily understandable as they match the bold/artistically highlighted words on each page.

A Sacred Beginning is a book written for the postpartum Christian mother, specifically Orthodox Christian. It begins with some introduction about why the Orthodox Church gives a mother forty days away from church to rest and heal, as well as advice about using the time for self-care. Following that is a chapter for each of the forty days.

The content in this book is rich and solid. There are many quotes - two to four per chapter - from the Church fathers. Each chapter has a spiritual focus with a section about the focus, a mother’s reflection from one of the authors, and a practical tip or activity for mother or baby care. Each chapter is about four to five pages long.

There is no doubt this kind of book filled a gap for Orthodox mothers and that the authors put their hearts and souls into writing it. However, personally I do not resonate with this book. Like I said, the content is solid and well written. For me it is too much solid content all at once. As a mother of five, my youngest being one and a half, I found it hard to read a whole chapter at the end of a long day. Maybe if I was a newly postpartum mother, I could read parts of the chapter throughout the day as I nurse the baby. (Unfortunately, the book is large and thick and would be hard to hold with one hand.) Realistically, I imagine it would only be picked up occasionally. I think different formatting would have made the book more visually pleasing and easier to process.

Overall, it is a well written book with lots of quality content. It just may not be exactly what every postpartum mother needs. I can see it being a good Lenten devotional for women who are wanting to dive into spiritual growth as a mother.

Oh my. This is a beautiful book for both introducing our littlest kids to Christlike conduct in their friendships and also teaching them about saints whose lives embodied these virtues. Isaac was really drawn to the illustrations and wanted to know more about these new friends. I love any work that presents the lives of the saints in an approachable way for kids, but this is especially good for the smallest of hands, focusing on what a Christian friends ought to do and be. This sort of topical focus with simple and direct examples really connects with young children! I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Cellarer’s Celery is such a joyful book! The words are written with a lot of fun wordplay that is fun for my kids to say. The illustrations are high quality, showing lovely scenes from a desert monastery and, of course, showing lots of celery!

It is a new favorite book with my four kids!

I was deeply moved by this book. In my family we use the phrase "Do you feel the breeze my love?" often, mostly when we actually feel a breeze, and it is a reminder of God's grace and provision in trial. It is a lovely refrain, and there are many other gems to be gleaned as well for children and adults of all ages.

Arise, O God by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick is a short book on the true focus of the gospel. Saturated with historical facts, theological truths, and a bit of humor, Fr. Andrew does a commendable job engaging the reader (or listener) of this book. The audiobook is an engaging listening experience, as Fr. Andrew has an expressive voice.

Although I am Orthodox, I personally learned a great deal from Arise, O God. One of the details that especially fascinated me in the book was that Fr. Andrew explained several ways of how pagan worship was practiced and some of the similarities and differences between worship of God and worship of idols. This book was also the first time I ever heard such a detailed explanation of demons in terms of their role in the story of salvation. As I listened to the audiobook, I found myself rewinding the audio several times to make sure I didn’t miss any of the rich details.

Arise, O God is well-rooted in theology and describes a number of concepts key in understanding the salvation Jesus brings. I appreciated the ties between the Old Testament and the New Testament, as the story of salvation cannot be separated.

One aspect I wonder about after listening to this book is how this message of the gospel can be conveyed without diminishing the importance of an intimately personal relationship with Christ in accepting the Orthodox faith. Regardless, Arise, O God is both engaging and informative, and I have already recommended the book to several people to read.

When I was inquiring into the Orthodox Church one of the first podcast I listened to was Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damak. Fr. Damak's teaching and explanation about the similarities and differences between the Orthodox Church and many Prostestant denominations was very instrumental in not only my entrance into the Church but also many of my closest friends. To hear him so clearly explain the traditions of the Church as well as the why's of the Church was very enlightening to me. At the time if his newest book, Arise O God was written I believe without a doubt that I would have had many questions answered much quicker and my entrance into the Orthodox Church would have been even quicker or maybe I should say smoother. This is a masterclass on what the Gospel message is, how that message came to be, it's origin and it's reasons why it's to be proclaimed. Of course it centers around our Lord, Jesus Christ. I greatly appreciate Fr. Andrew's respect for history. He begins at the beginning and beautifully takes the reader on a journey through the Old covenant and into the New Covenant while pointing to the good news of why Jesus came to the earth. He speaks of man's fall and redemption. It's really the book I wish I read many years ago as a protestant. I can't recommend it enough to be required reading in any Catechesis or even the perfect book to read during Great Lent for a parish desiring to journey to Pashca with a better knowledge of why Christ Himself had to make that journey. Read this book. Then give it away, purchase another and read it again.

Arise O God: The Gospel of Christ's Defeat of Demons, Sin, and Death by Andrew Stephen Damick, is a short book that carries a big message. Damick helps place the listener's mind in the time of Christ (as well as one can) to give a more comprehensive understanding of what a gospel is and therefore what is Christ's Gospel. He clearly lays his outline of what a gospel is into 3 parts and then explains how Christians can understand and live out each part. The book gives the listener a broader understanding of not only Christ's Gospel, but our role in it. It becomes easier to understand why early Christians would be martyred even when given so many opportunities to avoid death by making very small concessions. Those martyrs saw themselves as part of a spiritual warfare that did not allow them to give an inch to the enemy. However, in the world today, most can not understand the reasoning behind accepting a sentence of death when the opportunity to avoid it required so little. Damick's book clears any questions as to why one would not simply concede a little.



The writing is clear and concise so that people from any background will be able to easily follow what the author is saying. The author narrates the book himself and does a fantastic job. Having multiple podcasts he is more than adept at delivering the book well. I strongly recommend this book to listeners.

Absolutely phenomenal book for all kids of all ages-- and even adults! This comprehensive reference book did such a good job summarizing the lives of each of the 101 saints featured. I believe the book featured an even distribution of genders, vocations, and countries in the saints mentioned. More importantly, they had an even distribution between the Oriental Orthodox saints and the Eastern Orthodox. As a Copt, I appreciated the representation greatly.

Not only is the written content phenomenal, but its greatness is only compounded by the superb illustrations throughout. Each saint picture seems like a modern-day icon, where the life of the saint can be "read" by observing the image. Each page is so bright and colorful, it's hard to flip to the next page.

Thank you to AF for making such an awesome book so accessible to all! I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.

“Renewing You” could be one of the most useful books for anyone at this point in time, with everything going on in the world. "Renewing You" shares with us the wisdom of Scripture, and is interlaced with helpful tips from psychology, Fr. Nicholas and Dr. Roxanne Louh help guide the reader on a path to a better life. This book really helps to narrow down some destructive habits we may have built throughout our lives. At the end of each chapter there's useful questions for group discussion or book clubs. I would definitely recommend this book to friends, family and anyone wondering how to change the way they think for their personal life, career and spiritual wellbeing.