This is a quality job. No surprises. The description is right on and exactly what you get. It’s amazing that this book can be sold at this price.

Excellent as a home Bible and as gift.

I love this little book! I carry it in my purse and use it often!

I love it. Very excited to have it and totally pleased with how quickly my order was completed. Great job Ancient faith!

As a member of the Antiochian Archdiocese, I know Fr. Peter Gillquist for his instrumental role in leading the former “Evangelical Orthodox” into the Antiochian branch of the Orthodox Church. My parish, St. Anthony the Great in San Diego, was founded and led for many years by Fr. Jon Braun, who worked closely with Fr. Peter in searching for and joining the Orthodox Church.

Written near the end of Fr. Peter’s life, Memories of His Mercy was published after his falling asleep in the Lord in July 2012. As the subtitle states, the book is filled with “Recollections of the Grace and Providence of God” that appeared throughout his life.

It was delightful to get to know more of Fr. Peter’s life story in this remarkable, encouraging book. It felt like Fr. Peter was sitting beside me and regaling me with stories of his life. The conversational tone makes the book a quick and easy read.

Fr. Peter’s legacy is one of a great evangelist. As such, it is no surprise that when he speaks about the Christian faith, he makes profound truths sound straightforward. In one chapter, he discusses the need for evangelical Protestants and Orthodox Christians to dialogue with each other clearly about their beliefs. In writing about the famous debate over whether we as Christians are saved “by faith” or “by works,” Fr. Peter explains, “The fact is, none of us, either through our works or through our faith, are ever going to come up spotless or in any way able to merit our salvation. In the end, it’s got to be the mercy of God that qualifies us” (113). I feel like he boiled this concept down in a way that just makes sense, without sounding complicated or confusing.

I love to hear the stories of how God provided for the Gillquist family’s needs, often at just the right time. That’s the kind of story that strengthens my faith, helping me to keep trusting that God will provide for my family. Fr. Peter writes about finding a $10 bill in the mail when he and his wife were early in their marriage, had no money, and needed to go grocery shopping: “Throughout our lives this kind of thing happened. That day, we hadn’t even known we needed the money, and yet there it was, a total surprise! Over the years, these loving gestures of provision from our Lord have caused us to give thanks to Him; He has known our needs before we even asked Him” (48).

Another quote from the book that I love is, “God would always give us the strength we needed to accomplish any task He asked us to undertake” (62). These are words I want to live by.

Toward the end of the book, Fr. Peter discusses his battle with cancer. He describes deciding to “rely more heavily on the prayers of other saints, both on earth and in heaven” (155). I found this to be an interesting idea, because I tend to think that maybe I’m being lazy or neglectful if I ask others to pray for my needs but don’t remember to pray for those needs myself. I thought he made a really meaningful point by saying that “an illness can easily degenerate into a pity party” if we turn inward instead of casting our cares upon the Lord (156). I like the idea that maybe God doesn’t want me to focus on my needs and difficulties as much as on “the greater reality of Christ, His Church, and His Kingdom” (156).

According to the back cover, Fr. Peter’s stated goal for this book was “to share with other people the faithfulness of God in a way that I hope will motivate them to trust in Him more than they do now.” That purpose motivated me to read this book, and I’m so glad I did. It is a strong source of encouragement and enrichment for those pursuing the long race of the Christian life.

As a chanter, I tend to build family and work commitments around the church calendar, and seeing a whole season at once is really helpful. The stunning photos and information about fast / feast days are a bonus!

Once upon a time, Numbers was one of those books that I could take or leave. It’s a census with a lot of repetitive stuff that is neither here nor there for my walk with God. I mean, seriously, why does it matter where who marched? They were probably all in a crowd a la The Ten Commandments movie, anyway, right?

Wrong.

Fr. Reardon opened up the meaning of this book for me in so many ways, turning one of the books I had the least interest in to a book with powerful imagery for what it means to walk with God.

Each chapter of this book is a summary and exposition of the corresponding chapter in Numbers with a number of intermediate excursuses in which Fr Reardon calls out a particular point in the text, say, the Growth of Aaron or the Structure of the March, for further reflection. His style is easy to read and engaging and I took notes throughout the book. Out of Step would work very nicely as a church Bible study.

In sum: Numbers is a book chock full of proof that God “is a God not of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). It also presupposes Christ’s admonition that we should not be afraid because God even knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). We aren’t supposed to mill about willy-nilly (a short form, by the way of the phrase “will He or nil He”). We are to be orderly in our lives and in our worship, both of which God Himself leads from the midst of us.

5 stars

Full Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to do this, AFP!

As an Orthodox convert, mother of 3 little ones, and new Church School Director I found this book educational (for myself and children!), spiritually enriching, and simply an enjoyable read. The included crafts, activities, and recipes also applied to my family's interests and ways to refocus on the real importance of the Christmas season. By turning our minds back to Christ following the Feast of the Nativity, this book encourages spiritual growth in a way that engages even the youngest audience. I would recommend this for parents and Church School teachers alike.

Ever since converting to Orthodox Christianity with my young and growing family ten years ago, I've had a nagging, awkward uncertainty about how to celebrate both the holidays I was accustomed to as well as the Feasts of the Church. I was uncertain whether I should abandon familiar Christmas traditions, and was reluctant to do so. Further, celebrating the Nativity was a wonderful shift to celebrating just Christ in the Christmas season, but as part of an Old Calendar church, that left me wondering what to do on December 25th. My family's tentative solution was to have a secular, indulgent Christmas celebration in December, and a more pious, "Church Christmas" on January 7th.

This seasonal awkwardness has pervaded the last decade of our spiritual journey, so I'm understandably glad to find this delightful little book, packed full of craft ideas, recipes, readings about the saints, and layers of depth following what I used to think was a nonsensical Christmas song.

I think this will be a helpful bridge for my family, building on a more familiar Christmas theme, while explaining what the song of the twelve days might mean and giving us more meaningful ways to celebrate the afterfeast.
The book is laid out very accessibly, in short compact sections, packed with several ideas for each day: A craft or a recipe, a Saint, their story, and a way to celebrate with a little more love and generosity to others. The book is written simply enough for children who can read on their own, but offers enough to engage a family. It also offers a variety of activities to accommodate different interests: stories and songs for the story-and song-oriented, crafts for the creative types, like my eight- year-old daughter, and enough recipes and edible suggestions for my ten-year old son, who enjoys holidays and celebrations mostly for the food!

I am looking forward to going through the book with them. Now my only hard descision is whether to keep it for the afterfeast or use some of the ideas to tide over our celebrations From December 25th to January 7th...

As an Orthodox convert, mother of 3 little ones, and new Church School Director I found this book educational (for myself and children!), spiritually enriching, and simply an enjoyable read. The included crafts, activities, and recipes also applied to my family's interests and ways to refocus on the real importance of the Christmas season. By turning our minds back to Christ following the Feast of the Nativity, this book encourages spiritual growth in a way that engages even the youngest audience. I would recommend this for parents and Church School teachers alike.

Parenting Toward the Kingdom by Dr. Phillip Mamalakis, is a combination parenting book, self-reflection prompt, and spiritual guidebook for the Orthodox Christian parent seeking to guide their children into the life of the Church in ways that help children to develop into whole persons. Dr. Mamalakis takes us on a journey of how to raise our children intentionally by learning the art of responding vs. reacting, by parenting toward our long-term vs. our short-term goals, and by respecting our children and venerating them as we do the saints.

This book is important because it gives a parent vital support in how to accomplish these high standards, while also providing reminders to fall back on repentance when we lose our way, and the importance repentance plays in Christian parenting.

This book worked for me personally because it spoke to me as a child development major and an avid lover of self-examination and a desire for constant growth. The author provides ample methods that work together to help children to see the bigger picture of the challenges they are facing, as well as emphasizing the importance of struggle, while not leaving them alone in their challenges. He also highlights how parenting will change as your child grows. Also, a parent reading this book will be brought face to face with their own shortcomings and given ample opportunities to examine the reason behind their reactions to their children. The benefit of this book is that Dr. Mamalakis doesn't leave us in that seemingly discouraging place, but instead helps to guide us into the life of a Christian parent and pushes us on toward salvation.

I would recommend this book for parents, god parents, and anyone in a caregiving role with young children. I have found it to be extremely beneficial and edifying, and believe it to be a whole and complete, well rounded work. I highly recommend this book!

Ever since converting to Orthodox Christianity with my young and growing family ten years ago, I've had a nagging, awkward uncertainty about how to celebrate both the holidays I was accustomed to as well as the Feasts of the Church. I was uncertain whether I should abandon familiar Christmas traditions, and was reluctant to do so. Further, celebrating the Nativity was a wonderful shift to celebrating just Christ in the Christmas season, but as part of an Old Calendar church, that left me wondering what to do on December 25th. My family's tentative solution was to have a secular, indulgent Christmas celebration in December, and a more pious, "Church Christmas" on January 7th.
This seasonal awkwardness has pervaded the last decade of our spiritual journey, so I'm understandably glad to find this delightful little book, packed full of craft ideas, recipes, readings about the saints, and layers of depth following what I used to think was a nonsensical Christmas song.
I think this will be a helpful bridge for my family, building on a more familiar Christmas theme, while explaining what the song of the twelve days might mean and giving us more meaningful ways to celebrate the afterfeast.
The book is laid out very accessibly, in short compact sections, packed with several ideas for each day: A craft or a recipe, a Saint, their story, and a way to celebrate with a little more love and generosity to others. The book is written simply enough for children who can read on their own, but offers enough to engage a family. It also offers a variety of activities to accommodate different interests: stories and songs for the story-and song-oriented, crafts for the creative types, like my eight- year-old daughter, and enough recipes and edible suggestions for my ten-year old son, who enjoys holidays mostly for the food!
I am looking forward to going through the book with them. Now my only hard descision is whether to keep it for the afterfeast or use some of the ideas to tide over our celebrations From December 25th to January 7th...

Bearing Much Fruit:
A Book Review of Apostle to the Plains: The Life of Father Nicola Yanney
by The Saint Raphael Clergy Brotherhood

Reviewed by Brandi

In 1904, a Syrian immigrant – newly widowed, deeply grieving, and struggling to raise his four young children alone on his rural Nebraska homestead – became “the first man to be ordained [an Orthodox priest] by the first Orthodox bishop consecrated in the Western Hemisphere [Saint Raphael of Brooklyn]” (p. 5). That man - Fr. Nicola Yanney – had already endured a harrowing immigration to the United States from the small village of Fi’eh al-Koura, located in modern Lebanon. Struggling as many of his fellow Christian Syrians did under the rule of the Turks, Fr. Yanney sought a better life in America and endured weeks of wretched, sickly travel to pass through ubiquitous Ellis Island in 1893 with his young bride. Eventually making his way to Nebraska, he obtained a homestead and a small “soddie" (a mud brick house), which served as the setting and source of a hardworking and faithful life with his young and growing family for a decade.

However, tragedy struck, and Fr. Nicola Yanney entered into a spiritual destiny that would result in the pouring out of his own life while he, in turn, poured life into thousands of others on the Great Plains.

What is the cost of faith in such a life? And more importantly, what is its reward?

So explores a new book from Ancient Faith Publishing: Apostle to the Plains: The Life of Father Nicola Yanney. This biography provides an engaging and emotional narrative of the life and ministry one of America’s most important Orthodox missionary priests whose labors helped form what we now know as the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. Written by the Saint Raphael Clergy Brotherhood, which researched, translated, and pieced together years of Fr. Yanney’s life (including his handwritten sacramental records he kept while traversing thousands of miles across the Midwest until his untimely death in 1918), Apostle to the Plains captures in inspiring and heartbreaking detail the choices, sacrifices, crosses, and ultimate legacy of a man, nearly forgotten, whose faith brought “the sacraments to Syrian immigrants who otherwise would [have] starve[d] spiritually” on the Great Plains (p. 269).

Reading this biography was deeply personal for me, for I attend and serve, as best I can, my own small parish on the plains. Families who either directly immigrated to the United States or are related to immigrant families also helped establish our small parish on the plains: St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church. Through their faith, hard work, sacrifice, and vision, these early parishioners, set apart from their brethren on the South Plains and hungry for the spirituality of their homeland, helped form the church in which I would one day become Orthodox.

Without these faithful people – and the traveling and permanent priests who were willing to come to minister to them on the South Plains – Orthodoxy would not be alive right now in West Texas. I was humbly reminded as I read Apostle to the Plains that I, as an Orthodox Christian living in the American Southwest, am indebted to Fr. Nicola Yanney. “Father Nicola was responsible for baptizing almost one thousand souls,” writes the Brotherhood. “Through his constant missionary journeys across the plains, he ministered to many thousands more” (p. 266). Only God knows how the souls Fr. Yanney touched spread their faith and how these early channels of Orthodoxy in America lead to my own encounter with the Church.

This biography presents to a world of modern readers a man almost forgotten in time, but one to whom all Orthodox readers should be immensely grateful. To understand the impact of Fr. Yanney’s life and what his legacy means for Orthodox Christians living in America today means tracing not just my own church’s roots, but also the entire history of the Orthodox faith in America, including early priests, like Fr. Yanney, who sacrificed for others to the point of martyrdom. As this beautiful biography points out, Fr. Yanney was “a worthy model of the Christian life,” for he died as he lived: ministering to those around him. “Having loved his own,” Fr. Yanney, likewise, “loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

I highly, highly recommend this powerful book to anyone interested in Church history in America – in particular, those who live across the Great (and Southern) Plains – or who want to know more about the impact one can make in so short a life. “Through the daily sacrifice of his priesthood, Father Nicola laid down his life for his friends in imitation of his Master. Truly, ‘unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit’ (John 12:24)” (p. 267).

Fr. Nicola Yanney – and the biography the Saint Raphael Clergy Brotherhood has produced in his honor – bears much fruit, indeed.

Apostle to the Plains: The Life of Fr. Nicola Yanney is available in print and eBook at Ancient Faith Publishing and Amazon. Thank you to Ancient Faith Publishing for providing an advanced copy for review.

"Finally!! An easy to follow kid friendly Christmas Devotional for the whole family. This book is amazing at getting to the core of each Christmas celebration day in a straight forward family friendly way. The beginning of this book gives the reader a great purpose, how to use this book, along with great ideas for encompassing the whole season. The next section of the book gives a beautiful breakdown of each of the 12 days starting from Christmas Day and ending on the day of the Theophany/Epiphany. Each day starts off with a wonderful description, followed by Troparion and Kontakion. Lastly, the end of each day has a wonderful activity, rather it be a family activity or craft. Each activity is a well thought out and encompasses the day’s message. The last several pages of the book is the appendix. Here parents can find additional information with a recipe, further information on Jesus’ Disciples and crafts. From cover to cover, you can see the work and attention to detail that went into preparing the book. The author AmandaEve did a marvelous job and this year our Christmas devotional and family time will be more meaningful and true to the season. I cannot wait for the Christmas season to go through each and every day with this book in hand."

Our job as parents is to help make the soil healthy and ready to receive the words of the Gospel; God will bring the harvest.'

Being a parent is my most rewarding and difficult job. Teaching your children to not only be good people but also how to be Orthodox Christians is an even more challenging job. I highly recommend this book, Blueprint for the Little Church: Creating an Orthodox Home by Elissa Bjeletich and Caleb Shoemaker, as the handbook that every Orthodox parent needs to help your family grow in the Orthodox faith. The book covers many aspects of Orthodox parenting: at church, at home, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Both the seasoned Orthodox parent and those parents who are new to the faith will find this book helpful tool for their family's faith journey.

'Always remember that we fall down and we get back up, and we fall down and we get back up. This is the true rhythm of the Orthodox life.' This book provides the reader with practical step by step directions for ways to carry out the faith in our homes and with our families. The authors discuss how to create a sacred space, finding a practical prayer rule, different ways of fasting, and the value of giving. They give strategies and suggestions for troubleshooting common problems that families face over the years as their children grow. With four children in our family all at various stages of development, this book gave me practical advice and ideas to help each of my children grow in their faith.

The book concludes with a review of the liturgical year, all of the feast days and fasting seasons. Practical suggestions are provided for each part of the liturgical year with simple explanations and crafts to accompany the teachings of the church. This book will enhance your faith and the faith of your family through it's thoughtful and practical review of church practice and the way that Orthodox faith is practiced in the home. 'We often forget that we are all God's children first, and parents are merely trusted stewards of His beloved children.'

*Disclosure: This book was gifted to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

(This book was given to me for reviewing purposes, but I would buy twenty copies of this book to give to all of my friends, if I could!!)

If ever you thought your life was chaotic between Parish Council meetings, work meetings, raising children or teaching Church school, Monday morning commute traffic, crowded elevators, or even just trying to rush out the door in time for Vespers after a long work day, I encourage you to read “Apostle to the Plains: The Life of Father Nicola Yanney” by The Saint Raphael Clergy Brotherhood. The story of the newlywed Syrian immigrant turned circuit-riding missionary Priest, Father Nicola Yanney, is a whirlwind of ascetic struggle, nearly unbearable heartbreak, and complete surrender to Divine Love.

The life of the Holy Priest - the first ever ordained by Saint Raphael Hawaweeny of Brooklyn - begins amidst the poverty of his native Fi’eh, where many of the younger generation are beginning to set sail for America in hopes of a prosperous life. The young Nicola is torn between his beloved homeland, kinsfolk, and nearby monastery where he has grown up, and the necessity of traveling to a strange land in order to send help back home for his remaining relatives. Upon deciding that he must leave for the New World, he and his betrothed, Martha, are hastily married, and immediately set sail.

After a harrowing journey across the sea, narrowly passing through Ellis Island, and an equally long train ride from New York, the newlyweds arrived in Nebraska. Faced with the uncertainty of a new life in a barren, unfamiliar land, Nicola quickly set to work. Learning the trade of peddling goods proved to be the means whereby Nicola and Martha would eventually have their own homestead on the outskirts of Kearney, Nebraska, filled with the fruits of his farming labor and their own beautiful children.

As a leader in the local Syrian Orthodox community, Nicola often gave counsel and lead prayer services amongst his brethren. No Church existed in the area, and indeed, not anywhere in the region was there an assigned Priest to serve the Holy Mysteries. The Saintly Archimandrite Raphael Hawaweeny was sent from New York to visit the communities in the rest of the diaspora, but he rarely made a visit as far as Nebraska. When Father Raphael at last had made a visit to the people of the Plains, the Yanney family, living far enough out of town not to hear the news until it was too late, was devastated to have missed an opportunity to receive the blessing of an Orthodox Priest after so many years. Upon hearing this news, the angelic pastor made a special point to visit the Yanney family upon his next return — traveling late into the cold night in an open horse-drawn cart, to arrive at their homestead doorstep well before dawn. The Yanney family were astonished, and fell at the feet of the Priest, praising God for His great mercy, and for answering their prayers. Father Raphael stayed at the Yanney house on their very couch for several days, confessed them all, baptized their children, and served the Divine Liturgy - the first Divine Liturgy they had attended since they had set sail from Fi’eh.

Tragedy would soon strike, however, when Nicola was widowed not long after Father Raphael’s visit, at a young age and with four children to care for. His brothers had moved to the homestead to help with the farm labor, but with Martha gone, the children could not be left alone all day. Nicola faced a tough decision; should he re-marry, or abandon the homestead?

God revealed His plan for the widower before long. The local Syrian community was growing quickly, and in desperate need of an established Church with a regular Priest. The community wrote to Father Raphael, asking for his help with the matter. Having stipulated that the community must purchase a building, choose one of their own to have ordained for this purpose, and pledge to pay him a respectable wage, Father Raphael joyfully blessed their endeavor. The community immediately and unanimously elected Nicola as their representative, raised funds to purchase a local abandoned school house, and sent word to Father Raphael.

Nicola had reluctantly, but eventually, agreed to this new calling. He knew he must move his family off of the homestead and into town so that his children could attend the local school and he could minister to his new flock. When the approval came from Father Raphael, it came with the news that he himself was to be elevated to the Episcopacy, and that Nicola would be ordained immediately thereafter, by the new Bishop’s own hand. Once Nicola had been ordained to the Holy Priesthood by the new Bishop, he was sent back from New York to his community to begin his missionary work.

From the time Father Nicola arrived in Nebraska after his Lenten ordination, he almost never stopped. The new Priest made sure he was home for Pascha (if not all of Great Lent) and Nativity, but otherwise traveled continuously for over a decade. His missionary territory went as far west as the Rockies, all the way up to Michigan, as far as western Kentucky, Tennessee and the surrounding areas, and everywhere in between. He was the sole clergyman for this region for the majority of his missionary time. By the end of his life, he had baptized over a thousand souls, not to mention the marriages, funerals, Divine Liturgies served, confessions heard, and peace restored continuously amidst community turmoil.

When following the log of his travels, which he kept strict record of in the back of his family Bible, the reader of “Apostle to the Plains” quickly has a sense of the immensity of Father Nicola’s great missionary work. Regularly traveling several hundred miles by train and several hours by horse drawn cart, to be met with the task of baptizing a dozen children, performing a handful of marriages, confessing all and serving the Divine Liturgy - all in the same community - only to travel twice the distance a few days later to another community to perform some similar feat, the reader follows Father Nicola on a nearly fifteen year missionary journey that almost never stopped, truly, even until just a few hours before his own death.

In all things, Father Nicola served God first, remaining blameless before men and God. As his last words to his sons proclaimed, he kept his “hands and heart clean”. This Saintly missionary Priest can easily be likened to the ranks of our Holy Fathers who have served to bring the Love of God through the One, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, to our “New World”. May we have his righteous prayers, and may we all attain to the immense humility and neighborly love that Khoury Nicola Yanney showed in his daily life. Amen!

Simply beautiful.

I thought it was a realistic novel, as these types of religious persecutions are going on in various ways throughout the world today. I read it in a day and a half because it was interesting and intriguing and I couldn't wait to see how it would turn out. I was a bit surprised by the ending - but I won't give that away. I recommend it for anyone age 12 - 83! I'm 71 and haven't read a novel where the main character was a teenager since my children were teenagers. My oldest grandchild just turned 12, so I guess I'll be starting over again. Thanks to the author for a wonder-filled work!

Excellent book for kids and adults alike!

I have enjoyed using this prayer book. Easy carry in my pocket book so I can use when out of the house. Seems durable and the print is easy to read. The prayers that I want are all there. Thank you so much for the fine job. Aloha, Charlotte Collord in Hawaii