Profound, beautiful, insightful, helpful. Love Elder Thaddeus- and this book.

The color and detail are beautiful. Perfect size to keep on a nightstand.

It was what I was looking for. I just wished that there were more Orthodox Christian commentaries in English out there.

I love the Icon Box! I purchased three, two were gifts. They were smaller than I thought they would be but they are beautiful.

Gayle

I love the Icon Box! I purchased three, two were gifts. They were smaller than I thought they would be but they are beautiful.

Gayle

Exactly what I was looking for. Handle stays cool and allows you to move or adjust the censer while it is still hot

Exactly what I wanted. Beautiful quality.

Selected by our men's book club, I was delighted by this genuinely engaging work. A must read for anyone considering a Clerical life. While some passages are repititious, the author apologizes in her introduction. I found the conclusion phenomenal.

Beautiful ornament.

Fr Evan brings necessary and appropriate urgency to our journey to salvation, our worship, and our service to the Church. Parish health is a calling for clergy and laity, so believers can experience the kingdom of God in community. The parish is a vital institution, and every church leader, aspiring church leader, and member should pray and work towards parish health, and Fr Evan's book is a gift to anyone working towards the goal of building stronger parishes. Glory to God

Fr Evan's book is a delightfully simple and practical guide for pleasing God. Fr Evan is a gifted teacher, and his book has enriched our family's spiritual life. Every Christian should read his book. Glory to God.

Clarity a Christian could only hope for.
Fr. Abba Matta of Egypt, (or Matthew the Poor), was a Coptic Orthodox Monk whose writings are unrivaled in making the complex nuances of the Christian faith simple, wonderful, and beautiful for the reader. I could not more strongly recommend this book for any Christian looking to refine elements of their faith with an author that executes with such pristine clarity, compassion, and dedication to both knowing and living out Christian scripture. As someone that did not know of Matthew the Poor prior to reading, I was surprised to hear both his background and wisdom was from only the past century – as it carries a tone of reverent knowledge that one might more commonly find in books of a much older variety. Divided into sections focusing on “Spirituality,” “Christian Living,” “On Scripture,” and “On Feasts and Fasts,” (as well as an introductory chapter that provides the historical and cultural background of Matthew the Poor), this book is educational, impactful, and at times surprisingly humorous. If you are looking for a Christian book that is both cleverly informative and highly practical, this is undoubtedly the book for you.
Sometimes “high-church” can sound like “high-theory,” which is to say that it can sound like you need a dictionary on standby to understand it. This could not be further from the truth for Abba Matta, where it is easy to feel as if he is speaking directly to you or perhaps delivering a sermon. This “accessible orthodoxy” takes concepts that have been crushed by the weight of centuries of debate and gently reminds the reader of the core truth that reverberates through the scriptures. Oftentimes he speaks through different stories that have unfolded in his life, giving a personal touch without ever projecting himself or straying from scriptural purpose. For those of us in the West that have been off-put by the publishing focus of “Christian self-help” this book might be the solution that both encourages us to not merely know truths, but to also live truths in a fundamentally pragmatic way that connects us to our neighbors.
I listened to this book through Audible, and found the recording to be clear, well-paced, and easy to listen to. Whether you’re musing around the house, out on a drive, or simply sitting down to study the wisdom given to us for our time, each chapter offers insight on a unique concept under a larger section (approximately 3-4 concepts per section for a total of 15 chapters). Each chapter ranges at around 30 minutes each and is rich with a wealth of wisdom and knowledge on its respective subject. The narrator maintains a fair and steady pace that allows for the topic to not become too overwhelming for the reader – perfect for Christians of all walks.
My personal recommendation is that this book be used for the purpose of small group activity, because it seems uniquely written to aid Christians of all kinds to grow in their walk by posing provocative questions (and answers!) regarding core elements of the Christian faith. For example, early in chapter 2 (which focuses on Repentance and Holiness) it stresses the power of prayer that has been delegitimized in certain Christian circles by providing scripture, experience, and narration to support its significance. In fact, Fr. Abba Matta seems to touch upon almost every aspect of Christian social life, so there is certainly a “something for everyone” approach at work. Due to the density of topic material, it naturally makes sense for small groups to dive into the pool of each chapter as a means of discussing the applicatory nature of Matthew the Poor’s wisdom into their everyday lives. For certain chapters, a base-knowledge of Orthodox theology and practice might be helpful, but I think readers are all the more blessed for being exposed to it.
Even though it is a short read, it is an incredible pragmatic aid to any Christian walk – a must read for any modern-day Christian.

I cannot say enough good things about this book! It is such a wonderful and beautiful resource to have! I believe that every family should have a copy of this book. We love looking up saints as we come across their feastdays, and inevitably we end up sitting and reading quite a few more saints lives out of the book! My children love the illustrations (so do I!), and I believe the authors did a great job of summarizing all these wonderful saints' lives into bite size chunks perfect for kids. It's written in an engaging style, and I love the timeline! There is a great variety of saints, but I really hope they make another edition, because there are so many more that I wish were included!

I read this aloud to my 8 and 6 yr olds, and they really enjoyed the story (so did I!) It was fun, whimsical, and relatable. My kids identified with the characters in the story and couldn't wait to find out what happened in each short chapter. There are good lessons for both children and adults in the story, and I think would be enjoyable for all ages! My only complaint was that the middle child, who was 7 yrs old, was written as speaking with occasionally "childish" language, incorrectly pronouncing words and grammar. This isn't the case for pretty much any 7 yr old I know and it was the only think that irked me about the story. Besides that, I highly recommend giving "Good News Bad News" a read!

This book has gone around my house and other people houses, is that good. Usable spiritual advice on the passions, for the layman in a clear easy language (not like reading Chrysostom). I prefer not to mark my books, but this one is marked heavily, to re-read it once in a while fast.
I would put it on the essential list of Orthodox books, first buy the OSB Bible, then The Bible and the Holy Fathers by SVS (really don't miss this one) followed by Grace for Grace the Psalms and the Holy Fathers by SVS. Once you got those truly essential books. I would buy this one first, then The Religion of the Apostles.
Hope that helps, you in you journey.

Enjoyable. Only suggestion would be a slightly larger print for each day.

Our son really enjoyed the book. Thank you.

This book arrived the day before yesterday and, after I started to read it, I couldn't put it down! It's probably one of the most authoritative and exhaustive (and inspiring) modern Orthodox texts on the Holy Fire that exists. It's written by a first-rate scholar and researcher who is Orthodox. I encourage all of my Orthodox sisters and brothers to read this book. After you're done so, you'll have one more reason for understanding why the Eastern Orthodox church proclaims itself as the true church, the church of the Apostles, the church established by Christ Himself. Christ is risen! He is truly risen! And as the author of the book says: "The glory and radiance of Christ's body at the hour of his resurrection was the beginning of the miracle of the Holy Fire."

Excellent Book!!!

It was a well accepted gift for Christmas