I think I've decided that my favorite type of Orthodox book is the kind that gives as much information as possible about the lives of saints. Whenever I read the paragraph-long lives of saints that appear in places like The Prologue from Ochrid, I always have so many questions! There are so many saints about whom we know just bits and pieces, a few small facts about how they lived and often the most about how they died. I am always hungry for more details, all the elements of a saint's story that added up to a life of becoming more and more like Christ.

Imagine my delight, then, when on the same day I received two such books: an audiobook review copy of Apostle to the Plains: The Life of Fr. Nicola Yanney and, in the mail, a book ordered by my husband just a few days before, The Romanov Royal Martyrs: What Silence Could Not Conceal. We are still reading and loving the second; this review is about the first, which I so enjoyed listening to while doing chores over the course of a week.

Fr. Nicola is a person whom I think every Orthodox Christian in America should know about! His story opened my eyes to many aspects of American Orthodox history that I had never heard about. I didn't know what it was like for a young man living in a small village in Lebanon in the late 1800s, or what he would have experienced immigrating to America in a steamship with his new wife, Martha. Learning about the experience of immigrants made me think about how blessed I am to be born in a country with religious freedom and access to opportunities. As a newly-married nineteen-year-old, Fr. Nicola left his home not because he wanted to, but because he couldn't safely raise a family there. He knew he would probably never be able to return to his beloved homeland. The book describes the difficult two-part sea voyage and the tense wait to see if he and Martha would pass inspection at Ellis Island and be deemed healthy enough to enter America. I felt like I was recovering pieces of American history that I really should have known about.

I was intrigued by how much detail The St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood was able to compile to tell the story of Fr. Nicola's experience in Nebraska, as a peddler and then a farmer, and finally as a missionary priest with a massive territory (nearly all of the middle third of the contiguous U.S.). His story reminds readers of the gift it is to have a priest and an established parish in our own towns. He and his family spent years without any opportunity to see a priest, to go to confession, to receive Holy Communion, or to have their children baptized. The Yanneys were finally visited by the future bishop and saint, Fr. Raphael, on their remote homestead, when he baptized their children and stayed for a few days to offer church services and give the sacraments to the local Syrian Orthodox community. In the following years, they again had no access to a priest, since Fr. Raphael was based in New York and was traveling all over the U.S. to find the scattered Syrian Orthodox people. When Fr. Nicola's wife, Martha Yanney, tragically fell ill and then died in childbirth, she was not able to receive the sacraments or have an Orthodox funeral, because there was no priest. These experiences of having so little connection to the Church were formative for Fr. Nicola.

When his community all agreed that he was the best candidate to become their priest, Fr. Nicola was ordained by the newly consecrated Bishop Raphael of Brooklyn. In accepting ordination, he assumed a life of incredible self-sacrifice. While a single father with four still-young children, at Bishop Raphael's request Fr. Nicola began serving not only his local community in Kearney, Nebraska, but the Syrian Orthodox people throughout numerous Mid-Western states. After years of pouring himself out, he literally gave his life for his flock when he contracted the Spanish flu while confessing and communing ill parishioners, during the pandemic of 1918.

With the publication of Apostle to the Plains last summer and now its availability as an audiobook, we have the huge blessing of access to an in-depth look at Fr. Nicola's life and ministry. It was a treat to listen to the audiobook, because I love being read to while I work around the house. I'm very picky about narration, and I thought the read-aloud style of this recording was well done. The reader's straightforward manner doesn't distract from the text, allowing it to take center-stage. More importantly, the reader demonstrates an obvious respect for Fr. Nicola.

While I am glad to have the audiobook version and am already listening to it for a second time, I am planning to purchase the hard-copy version of the book, as well: I want to be able to reference it easily, and I want to see how names are spelled and have the full experience that comes with reading a book. As you can see, I highly recommend Apostle to the Plains!

I believe that a sign of a good spiritual teacher is that, having read their words, you find yourself desiring to read the scriptures. A desire to read more of their work, or be moved again by their words, may just be a sign of skilled rhetoric or charisma.

Abba Matta makes me want to open up my bible at every page. His enthusiasm for scripture and for the spiritual life is potent throughout the whole book. His wisdom is accessable, spoken plainly, and with great encouragement and softness. That is not to say that there is no challenges presented in the book. Every page seems to offer challenges and monumental spiritual tasks for us. But Abba Matta's kind voice throughout assured me that they need not be impossible tasks, and that we will find great help along the way.

Of particular interest to me were the chapters on the psalms. They are exquisite, and I plan to read the chapter "The Meaning of the Psalms" at least three times over. Few things have filled me with such genuine excitement and desire to dive into the book of psalms.

This is vol 2 of Abba Matta's works in english. I highly recommend this book, even if you have not read the first volume. It stands solidly on its own, and you will not regret the time spent with it.

I was mesmerized by the simple yet profound conversational teachings of this renowned 20th century Egyptian monk and spiritual teacher.

Words for Our Time contains a selection of Matthew the Poor’s informal talks arranged in four sections: Spirituality, Christian Living, On Scripture, and On Feasts and Fasts. Its intimate tone made me feel as if I was sitting in a cozy pilgrim’s gathering, leaning forward, eager to absorb the richness and depth of each spoken word. The audiobook format is perfect for this volume. I appreciated the narrator’s moderate pace, which allowed just enough time for the words to penetrate without feeling ponderous.

Many quotes ended up transcribed into my notebook, but I will mention just one here. Abba Matta explains that Jesus’ admonition, “Take up the cross, and follow me” means “to be always ready to abandon the self for the sake of others.” This is a perspective I had never considered – I thought my cross was about my own struggles and burdens. How much harder it is to bear a cross for others, knowing my own self-interested heart and selfish tendencies. This is now a point of prayer and repentance.

I recommend this book to anyone hungry to grow spiritually, to deepen her relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I’m grateful that Ancient Faith Publishing offered me the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Because this first volume of The Spiritual Words of Matthew the Poor was so meaningful to me, the second volume, Words for Our Lives, is now on my short list of must reads (or must listens).

I believe that a sign of a good spiritual teacher is that, having read their words, you find yourself desiring to read the scriptures. A desire to read more of their work, or be moved again by their words, may just be a sign of skilled rhetoric or charisma.

Abba Matta makes me want to open up my bible at every page. His enthusiasm for scripture and for the spiritual life is potent throughout the whole book. His wisdom is accessable, spoken plainly, and with great encouragement and softness. That is not to say that there is no challenges presented in the book. Every page seems to offer challenges and monumental spiritual tasks for us. But Abba Matta's kind voice throughout assured me that they need not be impossible tasks, and that we will find great help along the way.

Of particular interest to me were the chapters on the psalms. They are exquisite, and I plan to read the chapter "The Meaning of the Psalms" at least three times over. Few things have filled me with such genuine excitement and desire to dive into the book of psalms.

This is vol 2 of Abba Matta's works in english. I highly recommend this book, even if you have not read the first volume. It stands solidly on its own, and you will not regret the time spent with it.

I love the design of the cross. This is my second time I bought one for a friend.

The American heartland is vast. We forget this today with our extensive road system, ubiquitous automobiles, and sprawling suburbs and metropolitan regions, but you can still attain something of a feel for the wide open spaces if you should ever drive across the Great Plains, as they stretch from northern Texas in the south, to Minnesota and North Dakota, and on into Canada, and from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River, and arguably even across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. If you have ever driven, hour after hour, across Nebraska or Kansas, you begin to grasp the true scale. Imagine crossing it on foot, or by horse-cart, or even by a 19th century steam train, where the hours turn into days, or the days into weeks. This was Father Nicola Yanney’s territory as a circuit-riding priest.

Father Nicola would eventually perform over a thousand baptisms, numerous weddings, and a great number of funerals, including his own daughter’s, when she was 12. He faced a perpetual struggle to balance the needs of his own local parish with the needs of scattered Orthodox communities in his vast territory, and the book often recounts him arriving home, only to be required to travel again within days due to some emergency or other. He often had to play peacemaker too, either within the Orthodox communities, or between them and others. He even served as an Orthodox priest at the replica of the Holy Sepulcher church built at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

Even by today’s standards of travel, Father Nicola’s schedule was punishing, and the distances enormous. But from this schedule, and surviving records, correspondence, and family recollections, Fr. Nicola’s devotion is readily apparent. He served even when financial support was lacking, acquiring significant debt to keep his 3 remaining children housed, fed, and in school while serving far afield. This is in marked contrast to other priests ordained after him, who sometimes would leave their assigned parishes for wealthier locales, forcing Nicola to keep up a longer travel schedule than he should have. It was his great piety that led his home community to nominate him to the priesthood, and that piety remained undiminished throughout his career.

In this time of the COVID pandemic, it is especially fitting to remember Father Nicola, for it was in the Spanish Flu pandemic that he lost his life, visiting with the sick and the dying in his own home town. Just as we are sometimes unaware of the size of our nation, we are often forgetful of how much our ancestors had to struggle, and how recently they lived with dangers that today we consider long forgotten. Apostle to the Plains is a worthy look at what service and devotion meant a century ago on the Plains, through the eyes of an itinerant immigrant priest.

Nota Bene: Ancient Faith provided me with a copy of the audio book for review.

Absolutely amazing!

I bought this to go with the Pancreator Icon, featured on the cover. I was informed the icon was placed on view in a place where all can see it, and the accompanying book went down well with the children. It makes a nice set if gift-giving.

I loved the Paschal Egg cards. They were beautiful! Also, the recipients commented on how beautiful they were.

Excellent! Super practical advice. A must read.

Excellant

I was so very excited to review this book. Summer offers a beautiful, in-depth, insightful, and thorough discussion of the ways in which the Church can reach out to and assist parents and families who live with disabilities. Her background in theology shines through. I appreciated the wide variety of topics that Summer covered. Her practical suggestions and tips were a very thoughtful addition to the book, helpful for other-abled families as well as those who want to help them.
Summer's premise that the Church doesn't do enough to fully include *everyone* is correct. I know the reasons behind this fact are multiple and varied. But it's still painful for those of us whose children are neurodivergent and have to deal with hurtful comments, hurtful looks, and lack of positive attention toward our kiddos at church. Sadly, such behavior from fellow believers can make it extremely tempting to stay home. And it shouldn't be that way.
Finally, as a single parent, I also felt Summer's book spoke very strongly to my own experiences (beyond having a neurodivergent child). The church needs to find ways to include and care for single parent families; Summer's book can also provide a framework for that. Her suggestion to offer smaller groups in home for those with disabled children resonated with me; such a step would also be helpful to many single parents.
Thank you, Summer, for your beautiful offering!

The cards were beautiful and we received them in a timely fashion. Everybody my mother sent them to said they were the most beautiful cards they have gotten in years and years, so thank you!

Great content! Simple language, deep insight, and perfect amount of commentary to maintain a balanced reading pace/flow, although I’m not a fan of the printing style at all.

In fair disclosure, before I start this review, I have to share that I was provided a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. If you want the brief version of this review, please skip to the end and read the quote from St. Theophan the Recluse - Father Webber includes this in his book, and it sums up the biggest takeaway from listening to the book.

When I agreed to review the book, I had barely taken the time to read about it - I knew the title, but knew little more than that. I barely even looked at the cover before I obtained the code and downloaded the book.

When I began listening, however, I was surprised. The narrator of the book, Kristina Wenger, has narrated a couple of other books that I've listened to, and I had associated her voice with the voice of another - Ileana of Romania, also known as Mother Alexandra. I had to go back to look at the book again to see who the author was (Archimandrite Meletios Webber). I found it disorienting at first to listen to a female voice reading the work of a male author, especially when that voice is affiliated with another individual. I moved past that through listening longer.

While I had anticipated that the book would provide easy listening for the duration, I was pleasantly surprised that the first part of the book unexpectedly tied faith and psychology together (Father Meletios Webber is both a priest and psychotherapist). As a mental health counselor, I appreciated the tie in to my own work, and the words of the author resonated with the directions of my own practice as a therapist. I found myself wanting to dive deeper into the book, to go back and listen again, and again, and to take notes - this is the first audiobook I've ever taken notes on, and then ordered a paper copy of. I have also started listening to it - again (also a first; most audiobooks don't stay downloaded on my phone, but this is one that I may listen to over and over until I find that it's sticking more).

The first part of the book, for me, focused on the differences between the mind and the heart. It tied into our daily lives, how we interact with others and with God. It helped to distinguish between knowledge and faith, and laid it out in a way that was easy to understand if you have the mind to listen to it (this is not a book to listen to for a few minutes here and there, but to listen to in bigger chunks).

That first part sets the stage for the second, where we hear more about the mysteries of the Orthodox Church expounded in ways that can't help the listener to know a little more about the Orthodox Church and faith. This book helped bring to life those mysteries - reminding us that it is not about going through the motions, but about living in relationship with God and with one another. It shares with us that the motions and the words all have the goal of helping the faithful to get out of their minds and into their heart.

In the words of St. Theophan the Recluse:

'You've got to get out of your head and into your heart. Right now your thoughts are in your head, and God seems to be outside you. Your prayer and all your spiritual exercises also remain exterior. As long as you are in your head, you will never master your thoughts, which continue to whirl around your head like snow in a winter's storm or like mosquitoes in the summer's heat. If you descend into your heart, you will have no more difficulty. Your mind will empty out and your thoughts will dissipate.

Thoughts are always in your mind chasing one another about, and you will never manage to get them under control. But if you enter into your heart and can remain there, then every time your thoughts invade, you will only have to descend into your heart and your thoughts will vanish into thin air. This will be your safe haven. Don't be lazy. Descend. You will find life in your heart. There you must live.'

A great resource to use alongside your OSB

These commentaries provide a beautiful supplement to Bible study, especially for a person coming into Orthodoxy from Protestantism. Thank you for making them available.

In fair disclosure, before I start this review, I have to share that I was provided a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. If you want the brief version of this review, please skip to the end and read the quote from St. Theophan the Recluse - Father Webber includes this in his book, and it sums up the biggest takeaway from listening to the book.

When I agreed to review the book, I had barely taken the time to read about it - I knew the title, but knew little more than that. I barely even looked at the cover before I obtained the code and downloaded the book.

When I began listening, however, I was surprised. The narrator of the book, Kristina Wenger, has narrated a couple of other books that Ive listened to, and I had associated her voice with the voice of another - Ileana of Romania, also known as Mother Alexandra. I had to go back to look at the book again to see who the author was (Archimandrite Meletios Webber). I found it disorienting at first to listen to a female voice reading the work of a male author, especially when that voice is affiliated with another individual. I moved past that through listening longer.

While I had anticipated that the book would provide easy listening for the duration, I was pleasantly surprised that the first part of the book unexpectedly tied faith and psychology together (Father Meletios Webber is both a priest and psychotherapist). As a mental health counselor, I appreciated the tie in to my own work, and the words of the author resonated with the directions of my own practice as a therapist. I found myself wanting to dive deeper into the book, to go back and listen again, and again, and to take notes - this is the first audiobook Ive ever taken notes on, and then ordered a paper copy of. I have also started listening to it - again (also a first; most audiobooks dont stay downloaded on my phone, but this is one that I may listen to over and over until I find that its sticking more).

The first part of the book, for me, focused on the differences between the mind and the heart. It tied into our daily lives, how we interact with others and with God. It helped to distinguish between knowledge and faith, and laid it out in a way that was easy to understand if you have the mind to listen to it (this is not a book to listen to for a few minutes here and there, but to listen to in bigger chunks).

That first part sets the stage for the second, where we hear more about the mysteries of the Orthodox Church expounded in ways that cant help the listener to know a little more about the Orthodox Church and faith. This book helped bring to life those mysteries - reminding us that it is not about going through the motions, but about living in relationship with God and with one another. It shares with us that the motions and the words all have the goal of helping the faithful to get out of their minds and into their heart.

In the words of St. Theophan the Recluse:

You've got to get out of your head and into your heart. Right now your thoughts are in your head, and God seems to be outside you. Your prayer and all your spiritual exercises also remain exterior. As long as you are in your head, you will never master your thoughts, which continue to whirl around your head like snow in a winter's storm or like mosquitoes in the summer's heat. If you descend into your heart, you will have no more difficulty. Your mind will empty out and your thoughts will dissipate.

Thoughts are always in your mind chasing one another about, and you will never manage to get them under control. But if you enter into your heart and can remain there, then every time your thoughts invade, you will only have to descend into your heart and your thoughts will vanish into thin air. This will be your safe haven. Don't be lazy. Descend. You will find life in your heart. There you must live.

In fair disclosure, before I start this review, I have to share that I was provided a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. If you want the brief version of this review, please skip to the end and read the quote from St. Theophan the Recluse - Father Webber includes this in his book, and it sums up the biggest takeaway from listening to the book.

When I agreed to review the book, I had barely taken the time to read about it - I knew the title, but knew little more than that. I barely even looked at the cover before I obtained the code and downloaded the book.

When I began listening, however, I was surprised. The narrator of the book, Kristina Wenger, has narrated a couple of other books that I’ve listened to, and I had associated her voice with the voice of another - Ileana of Romania, also known as Mother Alexandra. I had to go back to look at the book again to see who the author was (Archimandrite Meletios Webber). I found it disorienting at first to listen to a female voice reading the work of a male author, especially when that voice is affiliated with another individual. I moved past that through listening longer.

While I had anticipated that the book would provide easy listening for the duration, I was pleasantly surprised that the first part of the book unexpectedly tied faith and psychology together (Father Meletios Webber is both a priest and psychotherapist). As a mental health counselor, I appreciated the tie in to my own work, and the words of the author resonated with the directions of my own practice as a therapist. I found myself wanting to dive deeper into the book, to go back and listen again, and again, and to take notes - this is the first audiobook I’ve ever taken notes on, and then ordered a paper copy of. I have also started listening to it - again (also a first; most audiobooks don’t stay downloaded on my phone, but this is one that I may listen to over and over until I find that it’s sticking more).

The first part of the book, for me, focused on the differences between the mind and the heart. It tied into our daily lives, how we interact with others and with God. It helped to distinguish between knowledge and faith, and laid it out in a way that was easy to understand if you have the mind to listen to it (this is not a book to listen to for a few minutes here and there, but to listen to in bigger chunks).

That first part sets the stage for the second, where we hear more about the mysteries of the Orthodox Church expounded in ways that can’t help the listener to know a little more about the Orthodox Church and faith. This book helped bring to life those mysteries - reminding us that it is not about going through the motions, but about living in relationship with God and with one another. It shares with us that the motions and the words all have the goal of helping the faithful to get out of their minds and into their heart.

In the words of St. Theophan the Recluse:

“You've got to get out of your head and into your heart. Right now your thoughts are in your head, and God seems to be outside you. Your prayer and all your spiritual exercises also remain exterior. As long as you are in your head, you will never master your thoughts, which continue to whirl around your head like snow in a winter's storm or like mosquitoes in the summer's heat. If you descend into your heart, you will have no more difficulty. Your mind will empty out and your thoughts will dissipate.

Thoughts are always in your mind chasing one another about, and you will never manage to get them under control. But if you enter into your heart and can remain there, then every time your thoughts invade, you will only have to descend into your heart and your thoughts will vanish into thin air. This will be your safe haven. Don't be lazy. Descend. You will find life in your heart. There you must live.”

Well researched and written. Reads well and is very engaging.