Young Penitent

The internet is home to many and varied subcultures, and Orthodoxy on the internet is no exception. Embedded in the heart of the Orthodox YouTube subculture is Jerry from the channel Exposing Powerful Lies. Jerry is a moderator for many channels, including that of Jay Dyer, and he seems to have his finger on the pulse of whatever might be going down on YouTube. I have invited Jerry on the channel to talk about another subject entirely, however, because one of Jerry's areas of expertise is foraging. It is a well established fact that foraging (sometimes called 'wildcrafting') is the healthiest way to source ones food, whether it be harvesting plants growing in nature or harvesting wild game. In this stream Jerry is going to be sharing with us some of his knowledge about foraging. This is actually a very good skill to have for Orthodox Christians because we often read in the lives of Saints that such-and-such Saint would survive on whatever plants they would find growing in the wild (usually these were desert dwellers). On the off chance that somebody watching this stream might one day find themselves living the life of a hermit and foraging for their food, they will be able to say that it was Jerry from EPL that got them started.

We are very fortunate today to have as a guest Klaus Kenneth. Klaus has an incredible life story to share with us, which has been outlined in his autobiographical book "Born to Hate Reborn to Love." He has experienced so much in his life that you would think that he had lived three or four lifetimes. Klaus came from adverse conditions in his childhood and grew up having hatred in his heart. He passed through time as the leader of gang, a terrorist, and a junkie before moving on to a period of time when he developed interest in spiritual things. He spent seven years in India studying Hinduism before moving on to the practice of Buddhism. Having reached Nirvana and seeing demons with the naked eye, he then moved on to a study of the occult. After a miraculous occurrence in which he was saved from certain death by firing squat at the last minute he finally came to be Christian. That was when he met St. Sophrony of Essex, one of the greatest Saints of the 20th century. St. Sophrony became his spiritual father and led him into the Orthodox Church. I had the pleasure of meeting Klaus in 2014 when he was touring the United States and giving talks. Indeed, Klaus travels all over the world inspiring Christians with his tale and the insights he has gained from all he has experienced in life. Thank you, Klaus, for being my guest!

Today I welcome on as a guest the well known Fr. John Whiteford, rector of Saint Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, Texas. Fr. John is an expert in liturgics, serving as the editor for the annual St. Innocent Liturgical Calendar (a resource which explains how to put together the services of the Church). I have drawn the inspiration for the topic of today's interview from an article which Fr. John wrote called "Building a Liturgical Library," (link below). We will be discussing what books one would desire to acquire, and in what order, if one were to begin building a liturgical library for home or parish use. We will also discuss why is it not only clergy who can learn about liturgics, but also laymen. Some people may have such a reverence for holy things that they leave Church services to the experts, ordained clergy. They think that if they were to touch a liturgical book they might be struck down dead like Uzzah who touched the Ark of the Covenant. On the contrary, it is absolutely appropriate for laymen to learn how to put together a service, even if it is only for personal observances in the home. The services of the Church are a source of inspiration, edification, and instruction in the Faith. Learning how to serve the daily vespers at home when there might not be a corporate service at your parish is, for many, a good way to help keep their focus on God.

Today we welcome to the channel best-selling author Michael Witcoff, who has just recently published his third book titled "Fascism Viewed From the Cross." With this book Michael is firmly establishing himself as an author, following the publication of his first book "On the Masons and Their Lies" and his second book "Theopoetica." His latest work is a side by side comparison of the Orthodox approach to political life and three nationalist movements from the 20th century. This book is especially timely because the political environment of today has many similarities to the environments that led the creation of nationalist movements in the past. Thus by studying these historical movements we can better understand our situation today and how we ought to approach them as Orthodox Christians.

Brother Nathanael is a monastic with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Of Russia (ROCOR) where he is blessed by his Bishop, Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco, to pursue his public ministry. Brother Nathanael speaks and writes as a former Jew--now an Orthodox Christian--and not in any official capacity with ROCOR. After eight years of monastic communal life (1996-2005), Brother Nathanael has been engaged in a public mission through his Street Evangelism and as an Internet publicist in order to bring a Christian consciousness and influence into every sphere of American life.

On Sunday, June 25th, 2023, I conducted this interview with "The Unknown Iconographer." The subject would only agree to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity, in keeping with the ancient iconographic tradition. The iconographer tells of his journey as an Okie who became a Christian and moved to Russia in the mid-1990's soon after the fall of the Soviet Union. He came to Russia to perform works of charity, such as feeding the hungry, but eventually was exposed to Orthodox Christianity and began to study iconography. He studied under two Master iconographers: Maxim Chrnychov in Moscow and Sergei Vershinin in Siberia. After being told that he had "the grace of a housepainter with the brush" and going through a year of obedience, he was finally allowed to pick up a brush and begin painting. He learned how to stop "copying" icons and rather began "composing" them. He was told to follow the path of the "silent liturgy" and the "music of color." He has now repatriated to the United States and continues to paint icons.