Orthodox Unscripted: a conversation

Elissa met Spyro at a screening for the Orthodox art film, El Tonto por Cristo, which features Spyro's art.

They talk about Spyro's lifelong seeking, his love of art, and a near-death experience in his young adulthood.

Spyro also explains the he has found a way to use his art to reach out to the non-Orthodox through a game that he and a friend created, based on the concpet of Tollhouses. (You read that right -- and it might be more fun than you ever thought tollhouses could be.)

Find the Tollhouse Game on instagram:

@gametollhouse

Learn more about Scott & his wife Trisha's work:
www.bahaykuboretreat.com

Find El Tonto por Cristo on instagram:
@eltontoporcristomovie

Light Streams In is moving from Ancient Faith Radio to its new home right here. As Bright Week comes to a close, Elissa contemplates the light of Christ's resurrection, and the darkness which cannot overcome it, linking St. Porphyrios' teachings to the culture wars.

Cynthia Damaskos talks about the Filled with Less women's wellness ministry, their approach to flourishing and to living an intentional life, and how we might practice self-care during Holy Week.

Over two decades, Nina and Elissa raised their children together in the same parish, and now that the older kids are young adults, they’ve come to a transition point – the days of directing the show are over, but now they’re sitting in front row seats and are looking forward to watching the rest of the story.

What makes a good Lent? Summer Kinard joins Elissa to talk about Great Lent -- and how we mistake it for an opportunity to bear our crosses, rather than a call to bear each other's burdens.

Summer owns Park End Books, an independent publishing house and bookstore in Greenville, Michigan.

She is the author of Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disablity.

Elissa catches up with former guest, Jeff Holton, and finds that he's singing in the choir now, and has learned some construction skills at Project Mexico. They discuss the how the years change us, and Jeff reflects on overcoming his fear of failure -- by facing it.

In this episode:

Project Mexico

Community of Grace -- about Eagle River, Alaska

Sacred Alaska

Juliana Joyce joins Elissa to talk about a dramatic change she made after the pandemic -- and how her life has changed for the better because of it!

Juliana co-founded the Saint George Classical Academy in Boxford, Massachusetts: https://www.stgca.org/

Elissa talks with Luke Gilstrap from Orthodox Prison Ministry about the powerful book they’re releasing on Bright Monday:  Suffer with You: Lessons on Forgiveness from Prison. OCPM’s first book aimed at those outside of prison, it offers three moving narratives of crime and forgiveness, followed by the Liturgy of Forgiveness, +Mother Siluana Vlad’s method designed to help you too to embrace radical forgiveness and grow closer to Christ.

Luke was an English professor, writes and edits books, and is the Annual Giving Manager at the OCPM.

Preorder at: https://theocpm.org/sample-page/suffer-with-you/

We check in with Brandi Willis Schreiber, whose first book, A Long Walk with Mary touched so many people -- and impressed Elissa mightily with her poetic skill at making the desert landscape of West Texas achingly beautiful. They talk about writing, and about life's many chapters. Brandi has a children's book coming out soon, and shares her insights on making a place our own, the joys of being jiu jitsu-chopped by a five year old, and on beauty in general.

Find Brandi on substack: brandiwillisschreibersubstack

Orthodox Unscripted begins soon - new episodes drop on Sundays at 7pm Eastern. This Sunday, February 8, will feature Brandi Willis Schreiber.