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Dr. Philip Mamalakis says you'd take a bullet for your wife. But would you fix the light in the freezer she's been asking about for six weeks?That gap — between the heroic love we imagine and the ordinary love we're actually called to — is exactly what this conversation is about.Dr. Philip Mamalakis teaches the core courses in Pastoral Care at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, alongside electives in pastoral counseling, grief, marriage and family, and pastoral care and mental health. He has published widely on Orthodox marriage and marital counseling, and is the author of Parenting Toward the Kingdom (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2016) — the best-selling Orthodox parenting book — and the father of seven.He joined John Heers on Heavy Things Lightly for one of the most grounded, honest, and quietly radical conversations about love, marriage, and faith you'll hear anywhere.In this episode:- Why Dr. Mamalakis teaches seminary students the sacrament of listening — and why their wives notice the difference by the end of the semester- The danger of coming into Orthodoxy with the wrong kind of intensity and how the Church actually heals that- What happens when you bow down at your wife's feet mid-argument (and why John's Nigerian friends did not approve)- The difference between solving problems and walking with people — and why most priests are trained to do the wrong one- Why "responsive" is a better word than "love" — and what that means in marriage, parenting, and pastoral care- How modern psychology and ancient Orthodox anthropology actually complement each other (instead of conflicting)Dr. Mamalakis's upcoming parenting book: what to do in the heat of the moment, for every parent who says "don't tell me principles, tell me what to actually say""Curiosity is the opposite of narcissism. To be curious about your wife, your kids, the person in front of you — that requires getting out of your own head. That is the spiritual life."— Dr. Philip MamalakisDr. Philip Mamalakis teaches Pastoral Care at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where he has published on Orthodox marriage, marital counseling, grief, and pastoral care and mental health. He and his wife Georgia have seven children and several grandchildren.John Heers is the founder of First Things Foundation and the host of Heavy Things Lightly, where ancient wisdom meets the confusion of modern life.Chapters:00:00 Ask Their Story00:31 Meet Philip Mamalakis01:09 Jerky Sponsor Break02:04 Neon Backdrop Tales04:35 Teaching Inside Institutions08:42 Teaching Other Faiths12:52 Internet Teachers Debate17:43 Knowing Beyond Facts24:07 Online Conflict and Fear32:16 Beauty That Converts34:50 Pastoral Authority Model37:41 Sacrament of Listening42:40 Marriage Humility Stories46:10 Marriage Changes Hearts47:18 Prayer With Guidance49:33 Psychology And Orthodoxy53:13 Brain Soul And Nous59:53 Sacred Mundane Marriage01:05:23 Attend In Liturgy01:08:12 Elders And Parish Stories01:09:41 New Books And Parenting01:12:04 Orthodoxy Without Creepiness01:17:04 Friendship Wrap Up01:21:55 Online Influencers Question01:24:04 Final Reflections And Support__🏷️ Sponsored by Conrad's Beef Jerky — loyalty not guaranteed.Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have ➜ https://conradsdeli.com/ ⭐ Use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.🔥 Support First Things Foundation field workers like Sarah (featured in this episode): https://first-things.org✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/hom__Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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Father Hans has spent years reaching young men on the edge — men who are economically stuck, spiritually fragmented, and slow to trust. In this conversation, he names what’s really going on: a generation that woke up inside a world already infected with “narcissistic spiritual cancer,” and a culture that gave them consumer identity instead of a soul.They go deep on:

* What “boomerism” actually means — and whether the criticism is fair

* Why resentment and resignation will hold young men back no matter how justified they feel

* The difference between ethnos and race, and why it matters for how we form community

* Why politics can’t answer the questions that only the purification of the heart can

* The “black-pilled” trap — and how to actually fight evil (hint: it’s not screaming at the machine)

* What it looks like to pull someone back from the cliff — Fr. Hans has done it, literally

“I’m a recovering materialist. That’s what I am.” — Fr. Hans JacobseThis is Heavy Things Lightly — conversations about faith, culture, and the lives of real men trying to live with integrity. If this hit, share it with someone who needs it.0:00 Cold Open — Fr. Hans on Orthodoxy Flourishing0:47 Intro & Sponsor (Conrad’s Jerky)2:31 Meet Father Hans Jacobse3:38 What Is “Boomerism”? Defining the Young Men’s Critique5:46 The Anger Parallel: Young Men Today vs. Black Men in the ‘80s9:20 The Orthodox Response to Resentment and Anxiety12:00 Healing Through Adversity — Men Must Lift the Weight15:47 Why Fr. Hans Left the Culture Wars17:14 “Open Your Eyes” — The Call That Launched St. Paisios Brotherhood20:00 Fear of Becoming a Compliant Consumer: The Identity Trap21:30 What “Black-Pilled” Really Means — and Why It Fails23:50 How Orthodoxy Actually Heals: Purification, Not Critique26:40 What Breaks Through the Granite Wall: The Love of a Brother31:45 No Politics Rule — Why Politics Is a Lagging Indicator36:50 Nationalism, Ethnos, and Living Where You Are43:45 What Held America Together — and When It Collapsed45:35 Young Men Born Into the “Narcissistic Spiritual Cancer”48:00 Why Fr. Hans Was Drawn to This Work (His Own Story)53:00 When Government Can’t Answer What Only the Heart Can54:55 Fr. Hans’s Closing Vision: Orthodoxy Flourishing57:45 Outro — First Things Foundation & the Tamada Network__🏷️ Sponsored by Conrad’s Beef Jerky — loyalty not guaranteed.Conrad’s Deli - The best jerky you’ll ever have ➜

https://conradsdeli.com/

⭐ Use promo code “FIRST THINGS” for 10% off.🔥 Support First Things Foundation field workers: https://first-things.org✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🍷The best dinner party you’ve ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/

🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org

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In this conversation recorded live at Symbolic World, John Heers sits down with Mother Agapia for a deep, unfiltered account of life on the ground in the West Bank: the building of the wall, the expansion of settlements, the targeting of Christian communities, and the complicated, often beautiful relationship between Orthodox Christians and their Muslim neighbors.Mother Agapia is an American Orthodox nun who spent decades living and working in Bethany, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem — running a school where 98% of the students were Muslim Palestinians. What she witnessed about the fate of Christians in the Holy Land is rarely spoken of in Western media.Topics covered:• How Mother Agapia ended up living and working in Palestine for decades• The spiritual geography of the Holy Land and who actually lives there• The Second Intifada and the moment everything changed• Soldiers confiscating crosses and icons at checkpoints — in broad daylight• Christian Zionism: a critique from someone who lived inside the conflict• Why Mother Agapia believes this is now a direct attack on Christianity• Her work in Washington DC and what changed when she returned• The Tucker Carlson interview and the message it carriedThis is not a political debate. It is a first-hand witness testimony from a woman who gave 30 years of her life to the people of Palestine — Christian and Muslim alike.⏱ Timestamps:0:00 – John Heers intro2:40 – Interview begins: How did you get to Jerusalem?10:00 – The geography: "The size of New Jersey"15:00 – Before the wall: life in Bethany22:00 – The Second Intifada and the settlements28:58 – Soldiers at checkpoints: crosses thrown in the garbage33:00 – Tucker Carlson and the Western media narrative36:00 – Christian Zionism: a false theology?40:00 – Raising the alarm: why it's different now42:30 – John Heers closing: wine, words, and the Supra

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__🏷️ Sponsored by Conrad's Beef Jerky — loyalty not guaranteed.Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have ➜ https://conradsdeli.com/ ⭐ Use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.🔥 Support First Things Foundation field workers like Sarah (featured in this episode): https://first-things.org✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/hom__Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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Is American Orthodoxy even possible? John Heers sits down with Ben Michael (Orthodox Luigi) to talk about race, ethnicity, what it means to be an American — and whether there's a future for Orthodox Christianity in a nation built on rootlessness.This conversation goes where most won't — deep into the tension between ethnic identity and faith, the rise of nationalism, and the hard question: can America — a country of immigrants with no single ethnic root — ever truly become an Orthodox nation? John and Ben pull from history, theology, and their own experiences to explore what American Orthodoxy might actually require.💡 On this Episode of Heavy Things Lightly:🔹 Ben's Protestant-to-Orthodox journey — worship leader, Marine, convert🔹 Why Gen Z is returning to religion AND nationalism simultaneously🔹 The rise of nationalism — friend or foe to faith?🔹 What does Orthodoxy mean in a Western context?🔹 Ethnicity vs. race vs. species — defining terms most people won't🔹 The surprising role of geography, roots, and belonging🔹 What would it actually take for America to become Orthodox?Chapters0:00 — Gen Z, nationalism & the return to religion1:19 — Meet Ben Michael (formerly Ben Luigi / Orthodox Luigi)2:00 — Conrad's Beef Jerky & First Things Foundation field work — Sierra Leone & Guatemala3:01 — "The Johnny Depp of our parish" — how John & Ben know each other5:42 — Ben's life: Non-denominational Protestant, youth worship leader, apologetics, Marine Corps 11:42 — TikTok rise, COVID-era growth, political content ban14:46 — The conversion path: Meeting his wife, church history, St. Ignatius19:55 — "The nail in the coffin": Eucharist, children at communion, the cloud of witnesses25:00 — Race begins: What does "white" even mean? The Amazon rainforest analogy27:01 — The big question: Can America become an Orthodox nation?27:55 — Sarah joins from Mozambique: Immersion missionary work31:00 — Return to Ben: Protestant-to-Orthodox pipeline, deeper conversion story58:00 — Orthodoxy as the bridge between nationalism & Gen Z faith01:30:00 — The race & ethnicity deep-dive: "White" as an Enlightenment construct, genus vs. species vs. ethnicity1:50:45 — Ben's Jordan baptism story & re-assessing faith through an Orthodox lens1:55:00 — Sarah extended: Cultural whiplash, Portuguese & Makua, urban vs. rural Mozambique2:00:00 — Closing thoughts: What American Orthodoxy actually requires🔎 Discover the non-profit behind Heavy Things Lightly: https://first-things.org/✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org---This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.--- Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Georgia's ancient faith is still alive — and it demands more than just going through the motions.Professor Levan Gigineishvili joins John to discuss the importance of continuous personal growth as an Orthodox Christian, the ultimate answer to avoiding complacency and transforming our lives in Christ. A medievalist, philosopher, and one of Georgia's most respected public intellectuals — walks us through 1,600 years of Christianity that refuses to die.This conversation goes deep, we cover:✧ Why Ilia Chavchavadze (philosopher, national hero, and saint) believed good ritual isn't good enough✧ The Golden Age of Georgia: Rustavelli, Neoplatonism, and the "Second Athens"✧ How Georgia kept the faith when empires — Byzantine, Persian, Ottoman, Russian, Soviet — tried to erase it✧ Why Sola Scriptura and the Reformation never took root in the Caucasus✧ Levan's own journey from Soviet atheism to Orthodox Christianity✧ The Georgian Supra: why Americans are falling in love with this ancient feast tradition✧ And one unforgettable story about a panic attack, a monastery, and a phone call🕯️ "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." — That's the Christianity Georgia has been living for centuries. It might be the Christianity we've forgotten.00:00 - Introduction: Professor Levan Gigineishvili02:30 - Ilia Chavchavadze: Saint, Philosopher & National Hero11:45 - Why the Church Canonized a Modern Thinker15:08 - Georgia's Golden Age: Rustavelli & the Second Athens20:00 - The Reformation That Bypassed Georgia22:00 - Soviet Atheism to Orthodox Faith: Levan's Journey30:00 - Field Report: Sarah in Mozambique32:00 - Georgia Between Iran & Russia: Choosing the Lesser Evil38:00 - A Panic Attack, a Monastery & Georgian Hospitality42:00 - Why Americans Love Supra (The Georgian Feast)44:00 - Be Perfect: Christianity as Continuous Growth__Levan Gigineishvili is a PhD graduate of the Central European University, Budapest. He also graduated Catholic University of Leuven (Philosophy), Harvard University (Education) and Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (Classics). His PhD dissertation “The Platonic Theology of Ioane Petritsi” later published as a book (Gorgias Press, 2007) is the first English monograph written on this 12th century philosopher. Presently Levan Gigineishvili works at the Institute of Classics, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies of the Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, giving courses on Byzantine literature and Medieval Philosophy. He is an author of numerous articles on Ioane Petritsi and medieval Christian Platonism in the Eastern Christendom.__🏷️ Sponsored by Conrad's Beef Jerky — loyalty not guaranteed.Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have ➜ https://conradsdeli.com/ ⭐ Use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.🔥 Support First Things Foundation field workers like Sarah (featured in this episode): https://first-things.org✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/hom__Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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Fr. Paul Girgis joins HTL to talk about American Orthodoxy, what's happening culturally, Lebanon and the Hezobollah question among many more.Discover more about Fr. Paul here: @Floridoxy -----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/home🔎 Discover the non-profit behind Heavy Things Lightly: https://first-things.org/ ✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.orgPlease leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. ---This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.--- Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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Dr. Nicole Roccas has been researching and writing about time from both a historical and theological perspective for nearly ten years. In addition to being a writer and editor, she lectures at the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College (Toronto). You can find more of her writing on her Ancient Faith podcast and blog, Time Eternal.Discover more about Nicole: https://www.nicoleroccas.com-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/home🔎 Discover the non-profit behind Heavy Things Lightly: https://first-things.org/ ✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.orgPlease leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. ---This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.--- Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Jonathan Pageau is back for a short chat, because we have to talk about clown world and Hegseth, and what in the world is going on in American politics. BUT! Also, we have to mention Symbolic World and especially the upcoming conference. Hope to see you all in Ohio, follow the link below for more info!Symbolic World Summit: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack:

ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/home

🔎 Discover the non-profit behind Heavy Things Lightly: https://first-things.org/

✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities

📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation

🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.org

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. ---This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.--- Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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Jonathan Pageau is back for a short chat, because we have to talk about clown world and Hegseth, and what in the world is going on in American politics. BUT! Also, we have to mention Symbolic World and especially the upcoming conference. Hope to see you all in Ohio, follow the link below for more info!Symbolic World Summit: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/home🔎 Discover the non-profit behind Heavy Things Lightly: https://first-things.org/ ✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.orgPlease leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. ---This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.--- Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

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Let's take a look at what's happening in Iran, Israel, Ukraine. How are we 'waging' war? Well, the answer is more nuanced than you think. And St. Basil has a couple of words for us near the end.-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🍷The best dinner party you've ever experienced - Supra Dinner Society: https://supradinner.com/🏖️ Tailormade tours that give back: https://www.gratitude-travels.com/home🔎 Discover the non-profit behind Heavy Things Lightly: https://first-things.org/ ✈ Become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities📢 First Things Telegram: https://t.me/firstthingsfoundation🥂 Keipi Restaurant: https://keipirestaurant.orgPlease leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. ---This “Enlightened” New World utopia isn’t turning out to be all it was cracked up to be. Society is disenchanting, but are the only alternatives hiding out in the hills or burying yourself in books? With an air of levity and a touch of humor, John Heers teaches how to examine the confusing New World by calling upon the mind and wisdom of oft-forgotten Old. Heavy Things, Lightly.--- Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band