St. Theophan the Recluse may have lived a reclusive life, but his was a life of prayer and asceticism, and that closeness to God granted him much wisdom. His writings and teachings have been recorded, preserved, and translated from the Russian so that we are able to read them and learn from them. “Raising them Right” is a collection of his writings and teachings for and about young people, intended for youth and those who raise or teach them. It is a small but powerful collection of teachings.

“Raising them Right” begins with a few pages telling about the life of St. Theophan the Recluse. That is followed by 7 chapters of his teachings: “The Christian Adult”, “Baptism: the Adult and the Child”, “The Developing Child”, “Forming Attitudes”, “The Years of Youth”, “Understanding a Young Person”, and finally “Preserving God’s Grace”. Each chapter contains timeless wisdom. Even though St. Theophan was born more than 200 years ago, his words are applicable to adults and children today.

“Lights on the Mountain” by Cheryl Anne Tuggle is Christian fiction at its best. The characters are so believable that you expect them to step right out of the book so you can marvel at the sunrise together, or share a cup of tea. Their struggles are real, as is their growth: painfully real, as is our human experience. Their story is carefully and beautifully told. This book is written as though it were already a classic.

Tuggle’s writing is lyrical and poetic. She refuses to spoon-feed her readers, instead inviting them to mull over the story, perhaps re-read sections, and ponder the reading. Her expertly-crafted sentences are clad in words befitting their message, saying just enough to allow the reader to find the pieces of the many puzzles in the story. Tuggle’s words spin ordinary farm life into gold, without sugar-coating the dirt.

“Lights on the Mountain” is filled with purposeful pain, glazed with moments of joy. How else could the story of a boy-becoming-a-man be genuinely told? The readers follow pensive Jess Hazel from his late boyhood through the moment when he fully embraces his adult responsibilities. Constant to his tale is the everyday glory of life on the farm. A host of colorful characters appear in different parts of his life, and not until the end of the book does the reader fully understand each one’s significance. True to life, some parts of this account leave the reader hanging until the parts come full circle, and there is beautiful completion.

This lovely book begins with a few introductory pages which offer some background and suggested ways to use it; an explanation of what a Psalter group is; and many quotes from Holy Fathers about the importance of reading/praying the Psalms. Prayers to pray before and after the reading are included next. After that, the book settles into a routine. Each kathisma (grouping of chapters from the book of Psalms)’s text is printed right in the book, in numerical order. Following each, Sylvia has written a short meditation focusing on a theme from that kathisma or on a particular verse found therein. These meditations are concise, but beautifully insightful and stimulating. Each meditation also includes a related quote from a saint or Church Father which enhances the meditation.

Following each meditation are a number of lined pages for journaling. This section is large enough that even if the reader is one who regularly joins Psalter groups, there’s plenty of space to write, multiple times. Readers who journal each time they pray the kathismas will thus create a record of their own growth. Later on, they will be able to read back over what (and how) they were learning at points along their journey.

Orthodox Christian women who desire to grow in their walk with God will be grateful for this beautiful tool. “Songs of Praise” has the potential to greatly help any woman who will put some thought, time, and prayer into her study of the Psalter. All who set aside time to read it carefully, meditating on the words with pen in hand, will be blessed.

“Laurel and the Wind” arrived at our home in the middle of the global pandemic when we’ve been focused on the danger of breath and transmission. In this beautifully written book by Gaelan Gilbert, we are instead reminded of the Breath of Life breathed into Creation, fallen Adam, and ourselves wherever and whenever we may be. Laurel dreams of a journey in the heavens on the wind to ancient Byzantium, Paradise, and Salvation, and we are able to adventure along with her and her innocent faith. Ned Gannon’s illustrations highlight all the best things in Gilbert’s prose, and are imbued with consistent movement, peace, and contentment. The colors are reminiscent of the icons which depict the different stages of Creation. Gannon does not miss a detail, and manages to portray the grandeur of the Agia Sophia, the lightness of flight, the power of Christ as he Harrows Hades.

“Laurel and the Wind” is a story to grow with your child. As I read it with my seven-year-old daughter, she traced the movement of wind and breath in each illustration on each page, which she called “the guiding path of wind.” She spotted sheep in the clouds, on the dome of Hagia Sophia, and next to Laurel as she encounters Christ. My oldest daughter, nearly twelve, marveled in the melodious language and appreciated the rich symbolism in both word and art. Each time I, myself, have read the book, I’ve found something new to appreciate. Gilbert engages young readers with figurative language and exciting syntax. This book is a springboard into a sea of discussions with your child about Orthodoxy, literature, and history. “Laurel and the Wind” is quality children’s literature and I believe it will become a timeless classic, becoming a “guiding path of wind” towards Christ to many generations of Orthodox Christian children.

I find this book useful in the sense that it connects the past history of the church with our present times, by providing us with a list of saints as a reference point of what we can strive for.

I really liked the book, since it offers encouragement and hope to the people.

I believe that this book connects The Lord of the Rings very well with the Christian point of view, so I think it is a good reference point for younger generation, due to the popularity of the Tolkien's works.

Captivating story in a cozy boat ! Beautiful prose and fantastic pictures make every page special.
Loved it !

My daughter absolutely loves it, we’ve been reading it every bedtime. It’s a great way for us to encourage her to pray in every circumstance.

Beautifully Done!

It was exactly what I was looking for.....I don't know what the prayers were in they're original language but it seems to me perfectly translated and most importantly in contemporary English!, I can't understand why in 2020 there are still prayer books out there that still use words like thou, thee etc... The book is nicely put together with a nice decorative hard cover and 2 helpful ribbons and gold edging around the page edges.....All in all its exactly what I wanted it to be, a series of supplementary prayers to the Theotokos in a package that will hold up over time... I'm happy.

I love this book. I sent it as a gift. I did not get a delivery confirmation. I do not know whether the recipient received it or not.

This was a wonderful addition to our observance of the Nativity Fast. I hung the pictures on my Christmas card string against a wall in my drawing room, but you could also hang them on a tree branch.
It would be great to have something similar for Great Lent, celebrating the Sunday themes and the saints of March etc.

A wonderful story of a holy bishop who served at the time of persecutions under Stalin and Khrushchëv. He was an outstanding doctor who healed bodies and souls and fearlessly proclaimed his faith.
St Luke - pray for us!

Really nice bible.

Great quality and this gift was well received. I emailed customer service a question about separating the knots a bit and got a prompt and helpful answer. This item arrived in a timely manner and as advertised.

"Woven: An Interactive Book for the Modern Teenage Girl on Orthodox Christianity" by Edna King and Zoë Pappas is so much more than just a book! It is a journal that walks an Orthodox girl through many of the challenges she will meet in her teen years. It is also the centerpiece of an experience that a group of young Orthodox girls can share, to help them grow both individually and together. The heart of the book is to help Orthodox teen girls to embrace the reality that they are created by God and have been woven together on purpose, so that they can accept and share the love of God.

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the characters in this book. Take for example, the nun, Sister Anna. She learns a lot over the course of this story, and the reader will do well to learn along with her. First of all, she finally learns to stop comparing herself to others. She comes to understand that she must completely trust her gerontissa, and not to test God, demonstrating with both of these learnings the humility that comes with truly trusting those in authority over us. With her choice of how she handles frustration, Sister Anna teaches us the value of having (and using!) a prayer garden, and demonstrates how the act of stepping out of our routine to pray helps us to calm ourselves as we entrust our frustrations to God. Other characters’ experiences in the story remind us of things like the fact that miracles can happen, while also leaving us wondering whether animals really can talk at midnight on Christmas. Perhaps most importantly of all, an ordinary boy named Sam learns that being present in the moment and choosing to be thankful while in that moment is the most magical thing one can experience. This lesson is an important one for readers of any age.

“I Pray Today” takes its readers by the hand and guides them through a day in the life of a young girl. Throughout her day, she wakes, eats, misses a sick friend, plays, gets hurt, and eventually unwinds and goes to bed, just like we all do. But at every turn, she prays, “Lord, have mercy.” (Well, one time she forgets, oops! But Daddy helps her to remember!)

Angela Isaacs has beautifully worded this book. Throughout her day, the little girl’s activities are conveyed in rollicking verses that are fun to read and delightful to hear. The clever rhymes are likely to be memorized in a short time, after a few re-readings. And at each moment, there’s a “Lord, have mercy!” as she turns to Christ in prayer throughout her day. Children will be drawn to the verses, and want to read the book again and again.

Still reading it. Well written, engaging story.