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 Holiness isn’t abstract; it’s lived in small, faithful steps. Mother Theoliptie shares how the Orthodox Church understands holiness as union with Christ, and Lydia, an Orthodox college student, talks about practicing obedience amid deadlines, screens, and campus life. Sarah introduces a simple 7‑day plan: choose one commandment, plan one daily cue, pray for grace, do one concrete act, review at night, confess/reset as needed, and share your one‑line plan so we can pray with you. Let’s practice one commandment together this week. 

Extended Show Notes:

• Scripture: 1 Peter 1:15–16; John 14:15; Matthew 5–7
• Mother’s lens: holiness = life in Christ; grace + cooperation; practical obedience
• Lydia’s lens: student rhythms; phone boundaries; friends & accountability
• Guided moment: 60‑second prayer to begin the week
• Practice (7 days): Choose • Plan • Pray • Do • Review • Confess/Reset • Share

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What does love of neighbor look like in real life? Mother Theoliptie and Father Anastasi St. Anthony explains how the Church sees Christ’s image in every person and why healthy boundaries are part of love. Fr. Anastasi shares mission stories (Queens → St. Anthony’s Monastery, CA → Hawaii → serving youth/mission in NY–New England) and the small steps that build community: learn names, share tables, meet needs, invite gently to the Liturgy, and follow up with patience. We end with a 3‑minute guided prayer and a 7‑day practice you can start today.

Practice: The One‑Neighbor Plan — Name • Pray • Greet • Help • Invite • Follow‑up • Reflect.

Extended Show Notes:

• Scripture: Matthew 22:37–40; Luke 10:29–37; John 13:34–35
• Monastic lens: prayer + hospitality; boundaries protect love
• Mission lens: presence, names, tables, catechesis
• Guided Practice (3:00): Name • Bless • Bridge • Serve (pray along at the end)

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What does real freedom look like? Not doing anything we want—but being freed from what masters us. Mother Theoliptie explains freedom as cooperation with grace (not raw willpower) and shares counsel she received from the abbess before entering St. Demiana Monastery. Sam shares his journey that pulled him away from the church and how Christ led him back, and the one habit he’s resisting on his journey. We end with a 3‑minute guided practice you can try tonight.
Practice: One‑Habit Fast (7 days) ; Choose one habit to resist with Christ; define your swap; tell one person; start today.

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A young family searched for God; and found Him in the Coptic Orthodox Church. In this episode, an on‑camera husband share their journey: a baby’s crisis, a prayer in Jesus’ name, and the moment “This is it” in the Liturgy. We explore gratitude & joy as a daily way back to God, and end with a simple practice you can try tonight.
Practice this week: 3×3 Gratitude—write three specific thanks each day (morning, midday, evening).

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On her feast day (October 31), we honor St. Mother Irini—abbess of the St. Philopateer Mercurius (Abu Seifein) Convent in Old Cairo (✠ 2006). Sarah offers a brief life sketch; Mother Theoliptie recalls meeting Tamav in 1995 and her later appearance as Tamav entered monastic life at St. Demiana’s. Fr. Samuel shares how we can imitate her virtues today; repentance, humility, obedience, mercy, and unceasing prayer. We close with a short prayer and a simple practice you can try this week.
Practice: Choose one virtue of St. Mother Irini to imitate for seven days (e.g., humility, obedience, thanksgiving, mercy). Take one small step each day. 

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What does “take up your cross daily” mean; practically and safely? In plain language we explain the Orthodox teaching: the daily cross is faithful love that costs, carried with Christ (never self‑harm or enabling abuse). Mother Theoliptie shares how she carries different crosses in her life with God, and Fr. Jermiah (Armia) gives pastoral guardrails; how to size your step, when to seek help, and how confession and the Eucharist strengthen us. We close with a guided prayer and a practice you can try today.
Practice this week: Today’s Cross Offering — Name one real struggle. Offer it to Christ in prayer. Ask for grace. Take one small obedient step.

Extended Notes:

• Daily cross ≠ punishment; it is love that costs, carried with Christ (Lk 9:23; Heb 12:2).
• Safety first: the cross never means staying in danger. Seek help; the Church walks with you.
• Guided prayer: See • Offer • Ask • Step.
• Weekly practice: write one sentence (“Today I will…”) and tell one trusted person.

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What if prayer began as a relationship, not a technique? In Episode 4, Mother Theoliptie shares how a simple daily rule; first and last words: “Lord, I love You” shaped her life with Christ. Lydia (Eritrean Orthodox, 22) tells how, amid college pressure, the same habit anchored her week as she worshiped with a Coptic parish (sister churches within the Oriental Orthodox communion). We finish with a guided morning/evening pattern you can start tonight.
 Practice: Say “Lord, I love You” on waking & before sleep; add one breath of silence.

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When the world’s noise is loud, how do we discern God’s voice? Mother Theoliptie shares how, after baptism, she learned to recognize the Shepherd’s voice through Scripture, quiet prayer, and spiritual guidance—including counsel with His Holiness Pope Shenouda III in Egypt and a formative conversation with the Bishop the Monastery of St. Demiana. Then Robert (former Army Ranger) shares how God spoke through Scripture and his healing, drawing him into the Orthodox Church. We close with a one‑minute “Listen & Follow” prayer. Practice this week: keep a Shepherd’s Voice Log—one line of how you heard/sensed God’s voice; one “world‑voice” you released.

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 Under deadlines and family pressure, how do we actually come to Jesus for rest? In this episode, Mother Theoliptie shares how she traded the world’s heavy yoke for Christ’s easy yoke, and Fr. Armia (Jeremiah) offers practical pastoral helps for the heavy‑laden. We finish with a 60‑second prayer you can pray in the exact moment stress hits.
Scripture: Matthew 11:28–30.
Practice this week: the 1‑minute “Come to Me” prayer during or right after any stress spike. Note your three hardest moments and what changed. 

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When “full” means busy but not alive, what does Jesus call us to instead? In our premiere, Sarah and Mother Theoliptie open a season‑long journey into ancient Christian wisdom for modern life. Mother shares the simple prayer that anchored her heart—“Lord, I love You”—and we start a practical rhythm of hourly thanksgiving.

Practice this week: Thank God once each waking hour and notice how it changes your day.

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