Welcome to the Dissident Mama podcast #19. In this episode, I talk Tim Kirby, independent journalist and creator of the This is Russia: Tips, Tricks & Travel – a fascinating YouTube channel that is also cross-published at Russia Beyond. RTTT is where Kirby shows viewers “all about life in and travel around the biggest country on …
In lucky episode #13, I talk with Father John Whiteford, who’s a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) and head priest at St. Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, Texas. He’s a former Nazarene Associate Pastor who converted to the Orthodox Faith soon after completing his B.A. in Religion at Southern Nazarene …
“Anyone who is capable of speaking the truth but remains silent, will be heavily judged by God, especially in this case, where the faith and the very foundation of the entire church of the Orthodox is in danger. To remain silent under these circumstances is to betray these, and the appropriate witness belongs to those …
Recently, my friend Robert made a heartfelt social-media post inquiring about Orthodox Christians who claim that anyone participating in political discourse is “worshiping false idols.” Here’s how I began my comment to his query. “I find that the people who promote what you’re saying most definitely have a political bent themselves. It’s just that you …
In episode 11, I interview Nora Kowalchek, who is known in online Orthodox circles as “Mother of Five.” She’s just a normal person doing normal things like working, being a wife and a mom, and owning a home, but she is also ardently committed to rearing her children in the practices and faith of Orthodox …
Troparion for the New Martrys of Russia, “In joy the Russian Church forms a choir, praising her New Martyrs and Confessors: Hierarchs and priests, royal Passion Bearers, right-believing princes and princesses, venerable men and women and all Orthodox Christians, who during the days of godless persecution laid down their life for faith in Christ, and …
I began reading “The Land We Love” on the long flight back to the U.S. from Helsinki last January. My family and I had been on a three-week vacation in Russia, and our experiences gave me such a keen insight into the dramatic history and resilience of the Russian people, especially among the rekindled and …
Just before Christmas, Christianity Today published an article entitled “Trump Should Be Removed From Office.” It was written by editor Mark Galli, who said the facts surrounding the case are “unambiguous” and that the president’s alleged quid pro quo with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was “not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it …
November 21 is the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos. We Orthodox celebrate this event, when as a small child Mary was brought by her parents to the Jerusalem Temple to be raised among the consecrated virgins in service of God until the time of marriage. The Temple community, headed by Zacharias (father of …
Since I mentioned St. John Chrysostom in my last blog, Blind support, I thought I’d post a research paper that my oldest son wrote last spring for his homeschool writing class. He worked tirelessly to craft an essay that could give readers an in-depth glimpse into the amazing man, his gift of oration and persuasive …