Fr. Gillquist has a easy free flowing way of telling his story to becoming Orthodox. This was a fascinating book to read that, while an enjoyable read, provided wonderful information. There was no finger pointing, no commanding, just the story of a man's honest search for the truth.
Very highly recommended!

A great account of the core spiritual teaching that God is present in the here and now. We cannot experience God fully in the past or in the future - rather, He is found Now. Fr. Freeman explores the importance of growing in Christ by recognizing this ancient fact while addressing the problems of our time (particularly addressing the problem of secularism in the true understanding of God's presence in the moment.) While Orthodox driven, this is a good book for any Christian to read.

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I bought it for my Romanian friend who said she loved it.

For me, this little book describes the central tenets of Christianity and is a must,must read for any serious Christian.

A glorious look at Holy Week as authentically taught in the Holy Orthodox Church. Genuine applied Orthodoxy is what you will experience...do not hesitate to by this blessed volume in advance of the week that restored the fullness of holiness!

I read lots and lots of books online and in hard print as in black and white. God willing, I hope my eyes do not give out.

I'm moving in the direction of the Orthodox Church. From the background of a Protestant, this book was a great read to get an idea of what Orthodoxy is about. The chapters are concise but clearly laid out. The author cites both Scripture and quotes from church fathers that really gave me more confidence in Orthodoxy.

As an Orthodox Christian, I often read conversion accounts to help me better understand my faith in light of other denominations. Many books I have read in the past focused more on Church history, (like a detective story moving backward in time until they unearthed the Orthodox Church even though it has been in the open since 33 AD!). Other books focused on the emotional or spiritual drawing of one away from their faith and eventually towards Orthodoxy.

While I have learned much from all the books, I loved this book because it focused heavily on Holy Scripture and the author's personal anquish when attempting to know God through intellectual study (reading and analyzing Scripture) and also when trying to reconcile seemingly conflicting Scripture. His kind and loving treatment of sincere Protestants wanting to know and serve God, left me with great compassion for them. He was pained as a Protestant pastor not being able to provide the spiritual answers his flock needed, because he, too, was asking himself these same questions. One reviewer thought the book was too detailed. I did not. In fact, I was thrilled that it was not a superficial conversion story. Another reviewer thougth it was a "jab" at Protestants. I absolutely did not. His approach was so incredibly kind and loving. To me, his book says to Protestants who may be feeling unfulfilled, "I love you. Don't give up. Your questions actually do have answers."

A relevant and blessed guide to the original work. Archimandrite Vassilios brings the original book to today's world and helps the reader understand the original concept and apply it today. A real treasure and spiritual guide.

I am now an Orthodox Christian and came out of a Calvary Chapel of 20 years. I loved Calvary Chapel...but I did feel love was lacking and selfishness is the main focus of protestant ways. I am in awe by the deeply spiritual and God, Jesus, Holy Spirit focus of the Orthodox faith...any why not...this is the way "church" is supposed to be. The Church IS the orthodox faith...I now understand.

This book gives the best description of the difference between Protestant worship and Orthodoxy in the Liturgy chapter. I have been looking for something exactly like that chapter and it is perfect!

So happy this book was written. Protestants will have to open their minds and hearts to read this book and realize the original Church that Jesus started with His disciples is still here and always has been here...it never left us...we left it and went about with gospels of our own making...the Protestant church is actually "traditions of men".

Highly recommend as a good lenten read. It is a simplified St John of the Ladder and focuses more on the layman than the monastic.

This a really great book, thank you to the author finally writing a great inspiration for mothers.

This book is a must have for any Orthodox Christian. It is so accessible, so clearly and beautifully written and is a book I will turn to again and again. I never thought a book on the ladder would be a book I could tackle, and I now see how the ladder applies to me and my life and how I can attempt to tackle each of these virtues in a way that makes sense in the world we live in, outside of a monastery. It is one of my favorites. It will be a reference book I will use for the rest of my life, a book I will never really finish reading as I will always be reading it. It is not overly long and is simple to read, yet it says so much - just go get it and read it!

Just beginning this book with our book club. The book is well written, concise and easy to read and I gave it 5stars because of this.

One Flesh is an examination of marriage and sexuality in the Orthodox Church. It is written by Fr. Lawrence Farley, who is also the author of the Orthodox Bible Study Companion series. He begins the book by questioning and examining why popular culture believes the Church has such a negative view of sex. He also points out the popular argument of almost all our Saints being celibate, and wonders why so few married people are venerated and honored as Saints. Yes, there are notable examples like Sts. Mary and Joseph, Anna and Joachim, Elizabeth and Zechariah, to name a few, but a large group of "married" saints chose to live instead as brother and sister than as husband and wife.

Fr. Farley then turns to the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Church Fathers, and some Church Councils for a look at how each treats and views sexuality. For example, in the Old Testament he investigates the two Creation stories and the story of the Fall in Genesis. Looking over the text and examining it both in English and the original Hebrew, Fr. Farley concludes that the Old Testament has a positive view of sexuality. In his chapter on the Old Testament, he also cites Jacob's love for Rachel as an example of romantic love. In his two chapters on the New Testament, he examines repeat themes that occurred in the Old Testament and original themes to the New Testament. Some new themes include the equality of spouses, mutual authority of spouses, and consecrated virginity.

I really enjoyed and appreciated the chapter on the Church Fathers, as I have a deep love for Patristics. Fr. Farley does an excellent job presenting both the views of Eastern and Western. To sum up his findings, the Eastern Fathers valued celibacy over marriage. Marriage was considered acceptable, but it had to be a lawful marriage; the partners had to practice periods of abstinence; and sexual activity was reserved for procreation, not pleasure and fun. Western Fathers had a pretty low view of marriage and sexuality. Some even referred to sex between a husband and wife as "voluptuous disgrace, frivolity, impurity." And while Augustine did write a piece in defense of marriage, he still believed original sin was passed on to children through sexual activity of the parents, because all sexual activity originates from lust. Reading through some Patristics, it's no wonder people think the Church has such a low view of sexuality.

Fr. Farley closes with practical conclusions we can draw from marriage and sexuality, which you'll have to buy the book to read as they go a bit in depth. He also briefly explains why "marriage" between two men or two women is not a real marriage at all. This was a very enlightening and fascinating read. I wasn't entirely sure it was going to be my cup of tea, but the honest treatment of the subject matter and the views from both the Christian West and Christian East made it very fair and unbiased. If you are looking for a book to read on marriage and sexuality from an Orthodox perspective, this book is for you.

This is a wonderful book that serves as a companion for the Christian who prays with the Book of Psalms. Enlightening on matters of language without being a stickler and on matters of theology witout being boring. Concise and useful.