The Sunflower by St John of Tobolsk   The beginning of all wisdom, given to us by the most exalted Divine Wisdom, our Lord Jesus Christ, is our faithful fashioning of ourselves - in all actions and words - to the will of God. So begins The Sunflower, a guide on how to turn the human will towards God. It starts by focusing on understanding what the will of God is, including why God allows evil, and how the human will can conform to the will of God. It turns to the benefit for humanity of conforming to God’s will [...]

Lord and Master of my Life By Archbishop Makarios of Australia “O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen .” This prayer of Saint Ephraim which is repeated frequently in the period of Lent, is the framework upon which the author builds the structure of this [...]

If There is Life, I Want to Live Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki This short book contains the encounters of Metropolitan Nikolaos, and addresses a question that concerns many: “How can the Church address the doubts of the younger generation and interest them in matters of faith?” The book recalls authentic conversations between the author and a group of young people. They are mostly skeptical of the Church, yet are interested in the life journey of Metropolitan Nikolaos, who went from being a successful scientific researcher in America to becoming a monk and hierarch. It is presented as 100 [...]

The Enlargement of the Heart All serious Orthodox Christians will benefit from reading The Enlargement of the Heart. It contains a series of excellent lectures on the nature and purpose of human existence. These were given by Archimandrite Zacharias from the Monastery of St John the Baptist (Essex, UK). His lectures are based on the theology of his spiritual father, the very recently canonised St Sophrony of Essex, and his spiritual ‘grand-father’ St Silouan the Athonite. The lectures cover a range of topics, including “Man’s Birth into Eternal Life”, “Prayer: the Way of Creation”, and “Spiritual Fatherhood as a Ministry [...]

A Trace in the Sand The year is AD 274, the grand and mighty Roman Empire rules supreme and paganism reigns throughout the conquered lands. A wealthy son of a Roman Senator ponders upon the meaning of life, whilst his parents are focused solely on wealth and power, and his young slave lives in fear and anxiety. Amongst all this, the bravery and love of a young Christian sparks interest in the minds of these people until his flame of love is passed on and grows in them all. A Trace in the Sand is an inspiring and engaging tale [...]