I thought it was a very good explanation of the liturgy and what was going on. Especially helpful to someone new to the faith.

Angela Doll Carlson invites her readers to reflect with her on the metaphor of the body as a garden that “is organic and alive, intricately woven together by the hands of the One who made me, and it needs my care.” I appreciate Carlson’s poetic use of words, her reflective, self-effacing honesty. I resonated with many of her personal vignettes in ‘me too!’ moments. Judiciously chosen gems from the likes of Thomas Merton, Luci Shaw (one of my favorite poets), and St. Isaac the Syrian add depth to her reflections. On the occasions when I was listening at home, rather than on my daily commute, pause and replay were my friends as I captured thoughts and phrases to which I want to return for my own reflection.

While I am a frequent podcast listener, audiobooks are not my common fare as I prefer a book in hand. However, I have discovered that I enjoy audiobooks that are not overly dense yet offer a new twist or perspective and somehow invite me to become more deeply human. I enjoy audiobooks when I laugh out loud, gasp with surprise, well up with tears, when in my mind’s eye I am there – fully engaged. Garden in the East is an audiobook I enjoyed ‘reading.’ That the book is read by the Carlson herself felt wholly appropriate and I found her voice easy to listen to.

Garden in the East is not a theological treatise on the spiritual life of the body, nor is it a self-help book. It reads like an extended personal meditation, which I personally found both interesting and helpful. While I enjoyed the audiobook, I do plan to purchase a hard copy so that I can soak in the words more deeply and go back to gems that I didn’t take time to pause, replay, and write in my journal the first time around.

In full disclosure, Ancient Faith Publishing provided me with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, this book is gorgeous! The overall design and illustrations leave nothing to be desired. Nicholas Malara’s illustrations are engaging and accessible for children without being too cartoonish as you sometimes see in children’s books. I especially appreciate his rendering of icons -- the images are traditional and recognizable. I was especially happy to see diverse people represented in the illustrations. The font is easy to read. The paperback construction appears high-quality, though the binding is a little hard for small hands to spread open, so we’ll see how it holds up. Speaking of small hands, the book is sized perfectly for them! Not quite pocket-sized, but close to it, and so easy to slip in a church bag or in mom’s purse.

In many ways, this book is actually not at all what I expected. The authors include a very short description of what confession is, but there is no overview of the how, who, or where -- just the what and why. I think I was anticipating more of a “social story” sort of thing -- something that would educate the reader, step by step, about what to expect when s/he goes to confession. It makes sense that this is not included, since the book isn’t so much about preparing for a first confession. Rather, it is designed to help children again and again as they prepare for each confession. The bulk of the book is a self-examination based on 1 Corinthians 13 and it is simply lovely. This is the first time I have seen a self-examination for kids and I have been Orthodox my entire life. I wish this resource had been around when I was young -- I benefited from reading through it as an adult. The questions and examples are appropriate for a range of ages and will help the reader to make a thorough confession. The book also includes a selection of prayers and scripture to read while waiting to confess, as well as a prayer for after confession and a section for adding your own thoughts/prayers/notes.

I would say that this book is appropriate for children in elementary school. My oldest is not yet in kindergarten and he had some difficulty following some of the concepts. With 7 years old being a common age for making a first confession, the authors did a good job keeping content age-appropriate yet not too juvenile -- a child would likely find this book helpful for at least the first 3-5 years of confessions.

Parents, we should all read the “A Short Note to Parents” section! There is some excellent wisdom here! Most notably, Fr. Noah emphasizes how as parents our job is to help our children form a relationship with the priest and with God -- not to micromanage their spiritual life. A hard lesson, I know!

My only quibble with the book is in the glossary section. Overall, I thought it was brilliant to include a glossary and most kids will learn a lot by reading through it. However, somewhat ironically, I cannot agree with the definition for confession that is included. The book states: “Confession --- A holy sacrament in the Orthodox Church. Confession is when you tell God or a priest what you have done wrong so that God will forgive you.” I’m not sure why the authors decided to say “God or a priest.” Yes, we can confess our sins to God privately, but this is not what the sacrament of confession is. It would be better stated “God and the priest,” or possibly “God in the presence of the priest.” I may make a small edit to our copy once my oldest is reading more fluently and using the book independently.

If you and your children enjoy this book, I highly recommend “A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy."

My 7 year old daughter loves it

The body is a garden, proclaims Angela Doll Carlson in the opening lines of her book, Garden in the East: The Spiritual Life of the Body.It is a declaration that should make any reader pause, particularly anyone who has ever struggled with body image, chronic illness, or immobility. Its the line that immediately pulled me into the rest of Carlsons poetic exploration of the relationship she has with her body and its apt metaphor as a garden.I am like this tree, she writes, with roots deep and branches reaching out, and I am this place, this wide world garden. And this body that carries me into the field This body is a garden (10).When Ancient Faith Publishing provided a few reviewers with a free audiobook code to review some of their listings, I jumped at the chance to review Carlsons Garden in the East. I also bought a copy of the book so that I could compare the print and audiobook versions. As a woman, a hobbyist gardener, and a writer, I hungered to read something that could likewise carry me into the field of these themes in particular how Orthodox Christians view the body in light of the fractured identity our modern world induces. What woman or man hasnt struggled with body image or feeling less than when it comes to what we want our bodies to do or look like? How do we navigate those feelings, especially as Orthodox Christians? And how do we avoid forgetting the immense physical and spiritual blessings the One has made possible for us through the body?Carlsons writing exemplifies her poetic background, as she knows how to pace and linger over phrasing in a way that made me appreciate each word and image. I listened to the audiobook in the morning (and later compared it to the print version) as I got ready for work, oddly enough staring at myself in the bathroom mirror most days, putting myself together as the thoughtless phrase goes.Was I not put together before? Not just put together, but fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14, NIV)?Of course. But as I made my way through Garden in the East, I caught myself consciously falling into the habit of complaint about my body, as Carlson puts it in her first chapter, and missing the beautiful ways my body has served me and the world (18). Carlson and I had a lot in common, it turns out, and because of this, reading Garden in the East became a much anticipated ritual, as it helped ground me, challenge me, and ask me to reframe my own views of my body as an Orthodox woman.Carlson divided her book into thirteen chapters, each one exploring different topics: persistence and perception; balance; shortcomings; beauty; aging; testimonials; connection and comparison; setbacks; exercise; avoidance; eating; asking for help; and beginnings and endings. In each chapter Carlson looks doggedly and honestly into her own life. She shares examples and stories of times her body both served and failed her and the lessons shes learned as she challenges the ways she views and appreciates it. Carlson uses gardening as a metaphor for tending the body to illustrate her points and often highlights her desire to care for her body as much as she desires to garden well. Neither, she admits, is easy.Of all the chapters in this book, I enjoyed Chapter Three Falling Well: On Shortcomings the most. In this chapter, Carlson tells the story of how she fell badly on the last, difficult run of a nearly perfect day of skiing. Carlson was exhausted and tense and fell ski over ski, tumbling down the slope until she came to a stop in a heap of snow on the edge of the ski run (39-40). She injured her knee badly in that fall and was transported down the mountain by a youthful ski patrol. It was, she admitted, the most fun shed had all day, because finally she wasnt worried about falling (40).How true is that for so many of us, who likewise rarely think of how to fall well and instead focus on not falling or failing in the first place? We fear falling so tremendously that we dont even try to take risks and miss the glorious beauty around us in an effort to avoid pain. Yet Carlson reminds the reader that this fear of falling might be worse than the actual fall itself (41). I found this chapter inspiring, for I often find myself avoiding risks especially as a writer from fear of rejection or an inability to produce what Im after. But Carlson speaks so truthfully to this universal struggle that peppers every aspect of our days: If I learn nothing else from reading the Desert Fathers, she writes, it is this basic instruction to embrace the struggle (44-45).Along with tending the body, Carlsons longing to be a successful gardener is also a struggle, and she likewise explores this throughout the book. The pages are laced with story after story of how much she appreciates living, beautiful, growing things, yet cannot quite produce an overflowing and gorgeous bounty of flowers, fruits, and edible plants of all sorts (21) as she wishes. Id like to have that view, she admits. Im just not sure I have the patience or persistence for it (21). Carlsons longing is palpable, and as someone who gardens, as well, I understand her desire and disappointment when fruit fails to ripen or the new plantings shrivel up and die of neglect. She writes candidly about how hard she is on herself throughout the book, especially in Chapter Five Seasons: On Aging:I am conflicted then. I want to have walked into this new season prepared and ready for whatever comes next, and yet now as I watch the snow fall I can only see the leaves I did not rake, the bulbs I did not plant. I feel I am lacking. I feel I am failing. It is a terrible way to start a season (81).How often we can relate to these feelings of inadequacy, especially when we rely so much on the illusion of perfection and our own understanding (Prov. 3:5) instead of on the One who made us and planted this garden in the first place. However, Carlson reminds the reader a few pages later in the characteristic hope repeated throughout her book that grace exists to remind us of what is true:I am paying attention and noticing things as small and seemingly insignificant as the green of the moss in the midst of winter. Its all about seeing the light (84).Garden in the East: The Spiritual Life of the Body is a lovely, slow contemplation on Carlsons view of the body as a garden. Through 160 pages or roughly four hours of listening, this book will remind the reader of how precious our physical, aging, self-healing body is and how important it is to tend it as one would consistently and purposefully tend a beloved garden. Although male and female listeners alike will appreciate this book, for Carlsons struggles are common, I found that Carlsons discussion of her body was geared more naturally to a female reader.As I write this, I have just completed a 10-mile hike through the glorious Sierra Blanca Mountains of New Mexico. With each step some easy, most tough I felt my feet firmly on the ground and thanked God for the core that gave me strength, the muscles that held me upright, and the lungs that could fill with sweet air. Carlsons book was on my mind, and following her prompt, I remembered to give thanks for what my body could do, for this experience I couldnt possibly create, and for the wild garden around me that no one could plant but God.This body is a garden, and Im grateful for it regardless of the season, the harvest, the condition, I am grateful. (169).I am grateful, too.

There are already a few reviews here that do a great job of describing the contents of A Child's Guide to Confession, but I will add a few personal reflections from practical use. I have two children in the target age for this guide and we put it to practical use almost immediately upon receiving the book, as one of my kids had a confession scheduled a few days afterwards. Since then, both kids and I have spent some time with it.

My kids especially appreciated the self-examination questions, which help with introspection and examination of conscience and focus first on love and our failures to love perfectly, rather than on sin. My son said that every question it asked could be asked of himself, and doing that made him think of sins to confess. That's precisely what it is meant to do. In short, it gets the child to the same place as some of the more traditional approaches that go in detail through the Ten Commandments or the seven deadly sins, but in a more gentle way.

My kids have also enjoyed the selection of prayers and Psalms. I know that at one point when one of my kids was struggling with feeling badly about having done something, I suggested that the child pick a prayer from that book to pray before going on with the day, and that's what we did. It makes a nice addition to our collection of prayer and sacramental aids for kids.

As a parent, I was grateful to find the shift in focus in a book that is useful for our youngest kids going to confession, because the traditional guides, which appropriately explore the entire range of human depravity, cover some ground that I don't think most of our younger kids need to cover quite yet in any detail. When a child is old enough to need to start worrying about the uglier details of some of the Ten Commandments, they may be ready for one of the more traditional guides, and might even find that this book feels a little too cute for their more sophisticated tastes! I think the transition will happen quite naturally for most families, and that a lot of adults (with less investment in feeling grown up in their older age!) will enjoy using the book, too.

I was also glad for the opportunity this book gave me to be able to give more of the preparation process over to my kids themselves, because the more their confession is their own and not a result of my prodding or asking leading questions myself, the better! The child who had prepared with the book without my help was well-prepared, so we have a winner!

The pages are thick and glossy, and the illustrations are lovely. My one concern is that the binding is stiff enough that the pages want to stay shut, which means that little hands may want to force it open. That will probably change with use, and I will be curious to see how well the binding holds up to wear. In the weeks we have spent with it, however, I find it to be altogether lovely!

Beautiful.

A Child's Guide to Confession is a sweetly illustrated book compiled to help guide your young child in the sacrament of confession. It is broken down into easy to bite off chapters. The book has an introduction beginning with a welcome, then it moves into; what is confession, self examination, a selection of prayers, prayer after confession, a note to parents and a glossary. Each page is easy to read, nicely formatted with an accompanying brightly illustrated picture. The vocabulary is simple for children between the ages of four and nine. I would put this boot at that age group for children due to the simplistic approach in which it helps pave the way for a child, laying a general understanding for the preparation of confession. The prayers in the book; Holy God, Psalm 50 , Nicene Creed, Your Saint, Guardian Angel, Prayer of Saint Ephraim, the Lord's Prayer, and Beatitudes can be used as a prayer book. The size is perfect for little hands to hold and fits in a purse, diaper bag, bag with ease and not too heavy or bulky. The book is soft cover. ---- This book was gifted from Ancient Faith Publishing in trade for an honest review. If interested a video flip through of the inside of this book is available at the Instagram account @thelittlechurch under highlights look for book-stack.

Excellent!

A wonderful read! Easy read and well worth the spiritual lessons!

Spyridon’s Shoes is a delightful story. In this work Kh Christine vividly weaves a connection between a saint and a young boy. While reading this story I felt as if I was with Spryos as he fished, hunted octopus, worked to be a valuable part of his family, and served a saint. Reading this story will encourage your children (and you!) to connect with Christ in both corporate and private worship as they continue on their journey.

Sweet book. Little ones like to kiss the pictures.

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Sometimes a sequel is just as solid, if not better, than the original.

In the case of A Child's Guide to the Divine Liturgy, its sequel- A Child's Guide to Confession- is a good example of that. The "gold book," as it is often called by my youngest daughter, has been a big hit with her and her sister, who've been able to take the book and use it during Divine Liturgy to make connections. Taking the simple text, vivid and relevant illustrations, and pocket-sized portability of the original, A Child's Guide to Confession builds upon it, with simple but meaningful additions such as a guide for parents.

When I told my oldest daughter (who is almost 8), about the book, she was excited, and when it arrived in the mail, she immediately started to look through it, saying she liked the illustrations and the questions that children can use to prepare for confessions. Many of the questions are similar to the simple "red prayer book" that is often sold in Orthodox circles; my daughter, who loves and frequently uses her red book to pray, had no problem making the connections between the two.

For parents who are working to guide their children through the sacrament of penance, this is also a good resource to learn how to best approach it: through more prayer and thought than reading. The process of thinking and preparing highlights the experiential nature of confession in a way that kids and parents can easily understand. There is also space for children to write their own prayers, as well as a glossary to help define unfamiliar terminology. The section for adults, "A Short Guide for Parents," is both encouraging and realistic, reminding parents to not helicopter their children into coerced confessions, but to instead serve as a model of repentance for our kids. Given that parents are encouraged to serve as models, A Child's Guide to Confession is accessible enough for older children to use and model the sacramental process for younger children. It is not only a well-designed resource, but one that should be a vital part of an Orthodox family's bookshelf and icon corner.

Very informative

Great read about one man's questions and answers that led him to the Orthodox faith.. Becoming Orthodox chronicles one man's journey from the Protestant church to the Orthodox faith. It is beautifully written and the audible version plays much like a fireside chat with an old friend. Don't let the age of this timeless book fool you, It is just as relevant today as it was decades ago.

Peter Gillquist did a fantastic job detailing the timeline of his spiritual journey to the Orthodox Church. Being neither a deeply theological book nor a broad-stroke reading, this book weaves its way through the questions, discovery, longings, and emotions of his path to the faith. I love how each section addresses the why's of what the evangelical movement was looking for and the answers that were found. I appreciate his writing style and that this book truly lives up to its name on his personal journey to Becoming Orthodox.

So who should read (or listen to) this book? The answer is simple, Anybody. Whether it is a cradle Orthodox who is wanting to learn why the converts are now joining the church or someone interested in discovering a deeper faith with God, there is something for everyone to take away. It is a regular read for me to remember my own journey to the faith years ago.

I purchased a hard copy prior, but I jumped at the opportunity to review the Audible version. Becoming Orthodox is an easy listen. The reader has a strong calming voice. You could easily understand what he was saying up to 2x's speed. I found the sweet spot to be 1.5x's speed. I love having the audible version to share with my children and play in the car. It also made a great before bedtime audible book.

The positive
Surprised By Christ is an autobiography that reads like a novel underpinned by a theological treatise lived out by someone who sought and found wonder.

As a convert to Orthodoxy from evangelical Protestantism who always heard that Eastern Orthodoxy was very similar in many respects to Judaism, I have always been curious about how. I know very few Jewish people and none of them are practicing. Fr James' book really opened up a whole new vista of understanding how the two faiths are related and where they diverge.

"Why would God want to become man? . . . Jews believed that sacrifices were not necessary for God to forgive. We held that there are no constraints on God's forgiveness other than the repentant heart of the sinner. To view a payment to God as a necessary requirement for His forgiveness was for us akin to saying that God could not absolve sin unless he was bribed. That God had become human in order to be able to forgive sins did not make sense. The belief that God the Father had to kill God the Son in the flesh (a form of God killing himself) in order to forgive sin made even less sense'
"As an Orthodox Christian, I came to understand that the focus of the Incarnation was not to enable God to forgive; the emphasis was on the healing, purification, and ultimate transfiguration of mankind. The goal of the Incarnation was to energize our fallen human nature and to make it godlike--a process variously referred to as deification, divinization, or theosis. The Orthodox teach that God in His wisdom chose to accomplish this by assuming our human nature and transforming it from within--not from without." (p278)

That quote right there solved a personal issue I had always had with the Incarnation since my evangelical Protestant life. It made no sense to be that God'Who owns everything' needed to be paid a ransom or that He would need to pay a ransom to anyone or anything else. And that was always the explanation, that Christ was either a ransom to God for us or to Death for God's sake. These two paragraphs alone explained it simply and beautifully.

The entire book is like this.

As an audio book it reads very well. You can tell Fr James hails from Brooklyn. All of that upbringing is in his voice as he tells his story. And his storytelling is on point. Sometimes his voice can become a little 'drone-y' but the story of his life and the depth of his knowledge overpower that.

The negative
There are times when he seemed to get bogged down in details but that is just me'I like things to get to a point and so Fr James' penchant for telling the ENTIRE story around his point sometimes made me want to skip ahead but there is wisdom in that as well

5 stars

Full Disclosure #1: I was given an Audible credit to purchase this book in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to do this, AFP!

Full Disclosure #2: I listened to the audiobook twice and then purchased the hard copy so I could take notes in it.

I am so glad I bought my copy, it meant so much.

Clear, simple, good illustrations that are relative to a 7 year old.

Absolutely indispensable during Holy Week. For the first time, I was able to follow the services and fully understand what was happening. This had an incredible impact on me and my spiritual journey.

A Child's Guide to Confession, published by Ancient Faith Press, is a wonderful book to help children learn about and prepare for the sacrament of confession. I have 2 young daughters and was looking for a source to guide them and me as they approach their first confessions. This small book is a treasure we will use throughout their youth. What I like best is how it focuses on the wonder and beauty of confession.
The book is divided into several sections, each page color coded and labeled. It begins giving a beautiful description answering "What is Confession?" This is followed by instruction on how to prepare for confession. The self examination part is wonderfully put into a child's point of view, using quotes from 1 Corinthians 13 to guide them in asking questions about how they have or have not shown love and kindness. Following this is a series of prayers and parables to read whilst waiting your turn for confession. This is a resource in itself including Psalm 50, The Nicene Creed, Prayer to St Ephraim, Prayers to Patron Saint and Guardian Angel, The Beatitudes, and the stories of the lost sheep and prodigal son. The prayer for after confession is prefaced by congratulations.
Also included is a note to parents and a glossary of terms that are found during the liturgical year and confession.
The colorful illustrations by Nicholas Malara draw children through the pages. Images of children in church, venerating icons, recieving blessings, and other visuals found in church life accompany each page.
A Child's Guide to Confession is a book I am excited to share with my children and a resource we will use for years to come.