Justinian convinced the emperor to change Rome's laws so he could marry Theodora--it was otherwise illegal for him marry an actress. That wasn't the only rule she would change when she became empress. Learn more on today's "Saints Who Love the Poor." phoebefaragmikhail.substack.com/p/season-2-e...
Lent began last Monday for most Oriental Orthodox Churches, last Wednesday for Catholics, Anglicans and Protestants, and today for Eastern Orthodox. Here is why Christians fast during Lent - and it's not what you think:
www.christianitytoday.com/2025/03/why-...
When the Epstein Files come up in Sunday School: Four opportunities for a conversation of faith
phoebefaragmikhail.substack.com/p/when-the-e...
Happy Epiphany to all Orthodox Christians celebrating tomorrow!
”John’s call to repentance is this same call to ready our hearts – cleaning them out, setting them in order, adorning them with beauty in eager expectation for the coming of the Bridegroom. What more joyous cry can there be than “Christ is coming”?”
Read more:
beingincommunity.com/a-joyful-epi...
I will be honest, this wasn’t my first try- the first word I got was “melancholic” but I make my own rules.
bsky.app/profile/merr...
Take a screenshot of this GIF, and whichever new word you land on is YOUR word for 2026.
Let's. Go.
Greetings and salutations to everyone who cracked open that brand new planner today!
Excited to share my new Picture Book Guide to Advent with everyone! This guide takes the Advent lectionary of the Coptic Orthodox Church and matches its themes with wonderful picture books to inspire discussion and build connection: beingincommunity.com/a-picture-bo...
Thank you for sharing, Charlotte!
We also don't always examine how the research was gathered, and if that is the most appropriate way to gather it.
You can't really draw conclusions about churches made up of a very large group of people whose first language is neither English nor Spanish with a mail in survey.
A note: I don't blame the @pewresearch.org on these faulty numbers. Their research methodology is clear, their dataset is public, and they are transparent about their margin of error. The problem is, if the numbers support our story, we don't always look further into them.
I would love it if @ruthgraham.bsky.social and the @nytimes.com would read my response to Graham's recent article on the Orthodox Church in the U.S. In it, I point out a flaw in the statistics on which Graham builds her story. I invite her to revisit.
phoebefaragmikhail.substack.com/p/the-nyt-wr...
*Imaging oneself in another’s shoes can be a profound act of empathy and solidarity. Consistently and historically walking in a particular group’s shoes, however, without letting them speak for themselves, leaves that community shoeless.” Read more in my newsletter:
open.substack.com/pub/phoebefa...
The Lord's Prayer is more radical than we think. Learn more in my latest piece for Faithfully Magazine.
faithfullymagazine.com/the-power-of...
Check out this excerpt in Sojourners from my latest book!
Thank you Shirley!
"In choosing to abstain from certain foods for over a month and a half and giving what we would have fed ourselves to others, our almsgiving is less a charity than it is empathy and solidarity."
Why do Christians fast during Lent? An excerpt in @christianitytoday.com from my new book, Hunger for Righteousness: A Lenten Journey Towards Intimacy with God and Loving Our Neighbor:
www.christianitytoday.com/2025/03/why-...
That's me wearing one of their book dresses during my book event yesterday!
The pockets on these dresses are unsurpassed. You can hold everything you mentioned in those pockets, plus a bottle of water and some art supplies. They were made with teachers in mind.
Almost everything I wear comes from this business!
I found a good comparison of this exact spot from 2012 that really shows the transformation
Ah, the 1930s Germany frame.
But in the post-reconstruction era, America had Jim Crow, the resegregation of the federal workforce, and deadly pogroms against black people in the South.
We’ve been here before. It’s just it didn’t happen to white people.
Where do yall think Germany learned from?
I just figured out how to make QR codes and I am inordinately pleased with myself about this.
View the new short film about The 21 Coptic Martyrs for free until February 17th by clicking here:
www.the21film.com
View the new short film about The 21 Coptic Martyrs for free until February 17th by clicking here:
www.the21film.com
Here is a sneak peek (and a feast for the eyes) for Podcast Episode 2 with Photographer Mary Jasmin Yostos. She's not yet on BlueSky but you can follow her on IG at www.instagram.com/stories/trek...
To watch the whole episode click here (you will need to subscribe) open.substack.com/pub/phoebefa...
Here is a sneak peek (and a feast for the eyes) for Podcast Episode 2 with Photographer Mary Jasmin Yostos. She's not yet on BlueSky but you can follow her on IG at www.instagram.com/stories/trek...
To watch the whole episode click here (you will need to subscribe) open.substack.com/pub/phoebefa...
