As Iron Sharpens Iron

A modern man sits alone in his living room, staring at his phone, desperately looking for some way to distract himself from the loneliness and pain that he doesn’t want to admit he’s feeling...

Fr Jospeh Gleason gives an Orthodox Christian approach to dealing with loneliness.

To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler talks about the Noonday Demon, the passion of akedia, of listlessness, and describes what it does to us and how we can combat it. In addition, he shows that the Fathers’ advice on combatting listlessness is found in an updated way in a lot of contemporary self-development literature and that it is useful to us, as well, in our own struggles in life.

Please like or comment on this episode. If you think someone else would find it useful, pass it on, so that others can be helped.

Continue the discussion on our chat group on Telegram, which you can find here: https://t.me/isipodcast.

Also, please mark your calendars! The Cry of the Forerunner: A Retreat for Men, will be held Friday thru Sunday, 27-29 September 2024, culminating with the 17th Annual Male Bonding Party that Sunday evening. We’ll be using the same venue as last year's Beloved Sons Retreat, namely, Holy Transfiguration Church in Livonia, Michigan. More details will be coming soon. We hope to see you there!

The first episode of a new season of the Iron Podcast, with our new co-host Fr Joseph Gleason. We talk about coming into an Orthodox Church and the peculiar blend of masculine strength and vulnerability found in the church. We then dive into an essential element of the Orthodox faith - spiritual fatherhood.

For for information on the Pilgrimage to Essex with Fr Michael and Paul, check https://www.avg2alpha.com/mens-retreat-st-johns-monastery-essex/

To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

The last episode for this season from Paul on perhaps the most relevant for Western converts and clear truth speaking Orthodox writer of the recent Western World, Fr Seraphim Rose. This is a humble and poor expression of appreciation and inspiration Paul has received from discovering and diving into the work of Fr Seraphim.

Works mentioned in the episode include:

Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works - https://www.amazon.com/Father-Seraphim-Rose-Life-Works/dp/1887904077

Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age - https://www.amazon.com/Nihilism-Root-Revolution-Modern-Age/dp/1887904069

Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future - https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Religion-Future-Seraphim-Rose/dp/188790400X

God's Revelation to the Human Heart - https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Revelation-Human-Heart-Seraphim/dp/0938635034/ - or even better watch this excellent video of the same work on the Harmony YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/T1HBRRcFFTs?si=zm5xTC3yvYia1gOE

The Royal Path - True Orthodoxy in an Age of Apostasy - http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/royal.aspx

Information on the pilgrimage to St John the Baptist Monastery in Essex can be found here: https://www.avg2alpha.com/event/mens-pilgrimage-st-john-the-baptist-monastery-essex-england-10-6-june-2024/

This week we enter into the fast of Great Lent and it is also the day that we celebrate the Uncovering of the Holy Cross. We read up the story again and then we recount the homily of St John Chrysostom on the Holy Cross.

If you would like to join a community run by Fr Michael and Paul focused on supporting men to live a more integrated life, then sign up for Maniphesto Core on https://maniphesto.com/core-member/

And finally, please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your support!

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler tells the life of St Maximus the Confessor, his struggle against imperial policy and the heresies of his day, and how he came to earn the title of “Confessor.”

If you would like to join a community run by Fr Michael and Paul focused on supporting men to live a more integrated life, then sign up for Maniphesto Core on https://maniphesto.com/core-member/

Please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.

A summary of the life and work of St Gregory Palmas with specific attention on his life affirming vision of the whole man in his work, the Triads. You can find an english translation of the Triads here: https://www.agape-biblia.org/orthodoxy/Gregory_Palamas_The_Triads_Classics_of_Western_Spirituality.pdf

If you would like to join a community run by Fr Michael and Paul focused on supporting men to live a more integrated life, then sign up for Maniphesto Core on https://maniphesto.com/core-member/

And finally, please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.

In this episode, we are joined again by Fr Joseph Gleason who shares the life and lessons on true financial wisdom from St Lawrence of Rome.

If you are interested in seeing more of the work of Fr Joseph, then check him out on Substack here: https://substack.com/@movingtorussia or join his Telegram group "Ask an Orthodox Priest" here: https://t.me/+JNuKxhBTygllMDYy

Please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.

A conversation with Fr Michael Butler, Fr Joseph Gleason and Paul Robson on the application of the early saints on our life in society today. Particularly we cover issues around an Orthodox view on the concepts of time and progress, drawing together the main points of the previous three episodes, and considering how we experience first hand the unfolding revelation of the stories of Holy Scripture through our participation in the Divine Services of the Church.

If you would like to join an accountability group for Orthodox men, run by Fr Michael or by Paul, then sign up for Maniphesto Core on https://maniphesto.com/core-member/

If you are interested in seeing more of the work of Fr Joseph, then check him out on Substack here: https://substack.com/@movingtorussia or join his Telegram group "Ask an Orthodox Priest" here: https://t.me/+JNuKxhBTygllMDYy

And finally, please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.

In this episode, Paul shares the life of perhaps the most important, and certainly the most prolific and central of the Church Fathers, St John Chrysostom of the Golden Mouth.

Please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.