I'll try to be succinct: If you're skeptical, don't be afraid to read this. I found it helpful even just to read the callout quotes from other couples - it was incredibly freeing to see my own thoughts and feelings reflected on the pages. Worth picking up just for that alone, but the rest of the content is excellent as well.

Philoptochos requests this Blessing Book for each newborn being churched her at St. Katherine GOC. We are the bookstore managers and we personally donate them from our own personal funds. Excellent content and inspirational as well as informative information.

Absolutely beautiful!!

Beautiful pictures and a lot of informative of saint and fast days

This is the planner I have always wanted! Beautifully laid out, and puts the focus right where it should be: on church and the spiritual life. Well done!

Fascinating, inspiring and beautifully written. Thank you for sharing this history!

The 2020 Icons of our Lord is something I use both at home and at work. It gives me daily reminders of His love for me and all of humanity and creation.

A must read, re-read, game changing book for any/all Christian who is knowingly struggling to live a "better" life.
I'm presently on my third read attempting to more fully understand this book and "The Ladder of Devine Assent" instructs us how to live our lives. "Thirty Steps To Heaven" helps us to accomplish that.

Such a spiritual blessing to pray and meditate on these!

Excellent read

It;s absolutely beautiful, a little larger than I thought but beautiful thank you

It is very usefull

Such a beautiful calendar! As I opened it to place it on the wall, the visual impact was one of beauty and expansiveness. Several months before my eyes stirred a joyfully calm excitement about the coming liturgical year. Thank you so much for this calendar whose design is more than the keeper of dates.

Prayers by the Lake by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich is a collection of 100 insightful prayers that can be used as daily meditations. The topics covers a wide range from offering repentance to praising God and the daily struggles in between. While the audio version of the book was great and made for a great listening in the car or on the go sometimes I wished for the written version so I can highlight my favorite parts,and there were many. I just wish that instead of just numbers, the prayers were labeled to make it easy to go back to a specific prayer and use it in time of need. The prayers are so deep and profound so similar to the psalms of David, they make a good addition to your daily readings.

(audio version) Melinda Johnson, author and narrator, does great work with her writing and reading of the Barn and the Book. My kids, ages 9, 7, 5, and 3 were all interested in the audio version and enjoyed hearing the narrator's reading of her story. My 5 year old is a busy boy who often doesn't care to listen to audio books, but with this audio book he was bringing the tablet to me and requesting a listen. It's a middle reader book that is just perfect in story plot and length to keep more reluctant listeners engaged while still entertaining those voracious readers/listeners that might be budding in your home.

Highly informative reading of Eastern Theology.

Wonderful. I like the reflections and homilies as well. Being outside of the States, I was happy that I could find it available at Ancient Faith. Thank you.

As Mother Alexandra attests in her epilogue, as a child she herself saw her own guardian angel. This recollection at the end of the book was also the foundation, and as she says, the beginning of The Holy Angels, recently re-released, after nearly 40 years being out of print. The Holy Angels sets forth what our understandings of angelic beings are as revealed through scripture, and through the writings of the early Christians, and with a short concluding discussion of how angels have been depicted in art throughout time.
At times it seems that even among the faithful (especially if you grew up Protestant like me), the angels get short shrift, probably because their popular depictions are so muddled and obviously problematic that we are uneasy at the speculation. This is not to suggest they go unmentioned - many have been the pastors I’ve heard at multiple churches in multiple denominations, who have been quite pointed on the subject, encouraging or warning congregations to take them seriously, and to ignore the popular glittering fairies or other depictions. But they just did not seem to form a real part of our lives. And as Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” and perhaps this is so with the angels as well - setting aside how impure we adults are, we certainly are jaded. Certainly within the Orthodox churches one hears from time to time of children perceiving them, but rarely adults. And yet, as Mother Alexandra details, their presence is often attested to in scripture.
What emerges, and what Mother Alexandra discusses, is of beings wholly other than ourselves, and certainly more varied than the white-robéd blonde ladies perched atop of nativity sets or covered in glitter on greeting cards. Some theologians, in studying in detail the visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel, have surmised a number of different types. We know for certain the references to Cherubim and Seraphim, as well as angels and Archangels, and the church Fathers perceived glimpses of others. What we do know for certain is that all are servants of the Most High, and their appearance, when perceived, is wholly other.
In this Christmas season, the re-release of this book is appropriate and well-timed. It is difficult to review or summarize a work like this, other than to endorse it. Mother Alexandra is herself careful to, as much as possible, limit herself to a thorough cataloging and discussion of the angels in scripture and patristic writings, without inserting herself. As such that makes the work quite valuable as a reference work. But it is not a reference work alone. The angels serve their Maker, and it is to Him she is also directing our eyes. And as she herself attests, she once perceived them too. When you sing the Christmas hymn, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, consider for a moment that those singing angels are mighty indeed, and perhaps far different than what you might imagine.

Nota Bene: Ancient Faith Publishing provided me with a review copy of this book.

This book made it easy to learn about and understand both the history and order of Orthodox Divine Liturgy. I really appreciated that the authors made the effort to lay out the history separately and before the order of the service. I think mixing the two together would have made the book longer and more complicated. I couldn't give it 5 stars because I felt there were times that the authors were making an appeal to change parts of divine liturgy that came across as political rather than informative. Narrating was a bit monotone but after I bumped the speed a bit it was better. I am inclined to purchase a hard copy because I would revisit some of the explanations and its easier to do that in print form. I would highly recommend this for anyone just learning about Orthodoxy as well as those who are already orthodox.

Disclaimer: I received a link for the audiobook from Ancient Faith in exchange for an honest review.

Note: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for a review

This book was a fantastic read. In the first part of the book the authors show the historical development of the Divine Liturgy and how it grew out of liturgical Jewish worship. While I knew that Jewish Temple worship was liturgical I did not know that synagogue worship was. It helped me see Jesus, and later the apostles, preaching in the synagogue in a new light.

The second part of the book is an in-depth breakdown of the Divine Liturgy. The authors show how each part developed historically and what the spiritual significance of the part is. For instance they discuss why the Creed was developed and how it was inserted into the liturgy as an assent to the core doctrines of the Church before Communion. I also enjoyed their description of the liturgy being a journey from earth to the throne room of God and how we are are transformed along this journey. It really helped show me how the liturgy and our participation in it transcends time and space. In conclusion I would highly recommend this book. Whether you are an inquirer, catechumen or born Orthodox you are sure to gain valuable insight from it.