The Church does not begin Great Lent with a productivity plan, a diet, or a heroic list. She begins Lent with a doorway... forgiveness.

In this Forgiveness Sunday episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John sit back down with Fr. John Wehling to unpack why forgiveness isn’t sentimental, why it isn’t the same as reconciliation or access, & how the Rite of Forgiveness trains the heart for real repentance.

Fr. John ties Forgiveness Sunday to the Expulsion of Adam from Paradise, the first commandment as fasting, & the deeper reality: if we won’t forgive, our hearts won’t be able to repent... & Lent won’t “work” the way the Church intends.

Takeaways:

• Lent begins with reconciliation: before you pick up the fast, put down the grudge.
• Forgiveness ≠ reconciliation: forgiveness is not the same thing as trust, access, or pretending the wound was imaginary.
• Forgiveness as “loosing”: forgiveness separates the person from the sin as far as it’s within our power.
• Don’t feed the memory of injury: treat it like a tempting thought (don’t rehearse it; redirect it into prayer).
• Repentance is a miracle: despair paralyzes, but repentance is already grace at work (expose the wound & give the Physician a chance to treat it).
• A household practice of peace: asking forgiveness regularly trains the home for communion, not just “good behavior.”

Sound Bytes:

• “The Church is not starting Lent with a productivity plan. She's not starting with a diet. She's not starting it with a heroic list.”
• “However, she is starting it with a doorway & that doorway is forgiveness.”
• “Before you pick up the Fast, put down the grudge.”
• “Repentance makes anything possible.”
• “Repentance is a miracle.”
• “If you refuse to forgive somebody, your heart just won't work right.”
• “Lent is the school. It will teach you what repentance is.”

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:31 Forgiveness Sunday: The Doorway to Lent

06:33 Fr. John Wehling Returns

07:14 What Forgiveness Sunday Trains in Us

12:04 Adam’s Expulsion & Why the Church Starts Here

16:27 “Repentance Is a Miracle”

20:50 God’s Mercy: What Forgiveness Reveals

22:55 Forgiveness Vespers: The Rite of Mutual Forgiveness

29:50 Letting Go of Non-Orthodox Traditions

32:31 What Forgiveness Is (and Isn’t)

38:57 Sin, Redemption, & the Healing of the Heart

46:10 Jiu-Jitsu & the Passions

48:41 Confession & Forgiveness Sunday: How They Connect

52:09 The Royal Path of Confession

57:00 Tolkien “Grand Slam”

57:52 Forgiveness Inside the Family

01:03:33 When Forgiveness Isn’t Returned

01:06:54 Lingering Resentment on the Eve of Lent

01:12:51 Resentment’s Toll on the Body

01:17:24 Final Exhortation for Great Lent

01:22:12 Outro

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The Sunday of the Last Judgment isn’t just about the end of the world... it’s about the end of your excuses.

As we approach Great Lent, Fr. John Peck joins Dr. Michael Christian & John on the Orthodox Health Podcast to unpack the Gospel of Meatfare Sunday & the subtle spiritual danger that keeps most of us from repentance: delay. The demon’s best lie isn’t that God isn’t merciful... it’s that you have time to wait.

In this episode we discuss:

• The urgency of repentance in the Triodion
• Why “There’s No Hurry” is spiritually deadly
• Mercy vs. self-deception
• Man as the priest of creation
• Can yoga be Christianified?
• Orthodoxy & real health (GLP-1, glyphosate, & modern shortcuts)
• Why AI will never replace priests or physicians

The Church does not begin Lent with a meal plan. She begins with mercy.

This is Meatfare Sunday.

Act accordingly.

Sound Bytes:

• The demon’s best lie is: ‘There’s no hurry.’”

• “You don’t know when your last confession will be.”

• “Mercy starts where it becomes painful.”

• “I’m a psychopath on a leash... thank God for the leash.”

• “God sees you.”

• “God isn’t hiding from you... He’s inviting you to seek.”

• “Don’t ask Jesus to give you patience... ask Him to be your patience.”

• “When man disintegrates, the cosmos follows.”

• “Old tricks are the best tricks."

Chapters:

00:00 Opener - Mercy or Self-Deception?

01:29 Meatfare Sunday: The Last Judgement Isn’t About Self-Improvement

04:07 Meet Fr. John Peck

05:57 The Triodion: Why Lent “Whips By”

10:44 BJJ, Judo, Discipline & the Spiritual Athlete

16:45 Man as the Priest of Creation

22:59 Can Yoga Be Christian? (And Why the Fathers Say No)

24:31 When Man Disintegrates, the Cosmos Follows

28:16 “A Psychopath on a Leash” - Why We Need Restraint

30:34 Grace at a Bargain: Painful Generosity

35:01 God Sees You - Even When No One Else Does

37:56 Winning the Peek-a-Boo Game with God

42:01 The Last Judgement: Fear, Mercy & Sonship

50:04 What Mercy Actually Looks Like at Home

54:37 Fr. Michael Butler, Orthodoxy & Going “On Radar”

57:15 Orthodoxy & Health: Reintegrating Body & Soul

01:00:58 Apples, Akkermansia & Beating Ozempic Naturally

01:03:11 Glyphosate, Gluten & Why Europe Doesn’t React

01:05:22 Outlaw Lobbying? Money, Power & Corruption

01:12:17 Why AI Will Never Replace Doctors or Priests

01:14:31 Hope in the End Times: Grace Super-Abounds

01:15:47 The SWAT Team Manual & Raising Spiritual Warriors

Where to find Fr. John Peck - All Saints of North America

Journey to Orthodoxy

Preacher's Institute

Good Guys Wear Black

Bible Drill Field Manual

S.W.A.T. Team Manual

Bible Divas

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What if repentance isn’t about punishment, shame, or self-improvement... but about coming home?

In this episode, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Fr. Michael Butler (Avg2Alpha) for a deep, pastoral conversation on the Parable of the Prodigal Son & the Church’s wisdom in placing it at the heart of the Triodion, just before Great Lent begins.

Together, they explore repentance not as despair or moral failure, but as return... a healing movement of the whole person: body, soul, & attention. From shame & resentment to mercy, discipline, & sonship, this episode speaks especially to those who feel scattered, exhausted, or quietly resentful while trying to “do everything right.”

This is not a call to perform better.

It’s an invitation to come home.

This conversation is part of the Triodion mini-arc leading into Great Lent, focusing on the Church’s preparation of the heart before ascetic effort begins. Episode 48 centers on the Prodigal Son; the next episode continues with Meatfare Sunday & the call to mercy in love of neighbor.

Takeaways:

• Repentance in Orthodoxy is not self-hatred, but reorientation & return

• God meets us exactly where we are, but does not leave us there

• Mercy is not permissiveness; it is grace that calls us higher

• The “older brother” temptation is often resentment disguised as obedience

• Distraction, overstimulation, & restlessness mirror spiritual exile

• True healing involves confession, stability, & embodied spiritual rhythm

• Discipline of the body must serve communion with God, not ego or control

Sound Bytes:

• “God meets us where we are, but He calls us back into the home.”
• “Repentance isn’t about self-condemnation... it’s about coming to yourself.”
• “Mercy does not mean permissiveness. God never leaves us where we are.”
• “The older brother did everything right... & still couldn’t rejoice.”
• “When we’re scattered spiritually, it shows up as restlessness in the body.”
• “The Church is not a courtroom. It’s a hospital.”

• “The real victory in wrestling with God is learning how to surrender.”

Chapters:00:00 Opener

01:29 The Prodigal Son & the Purpose of the Triodion

03:56 Meet Fr. Michael Butler (Journey to Orthodoxy)

11:27 The Prodigal Son: Repentance, Mercy, & Return

14:22 Reality Is Informed by Christ (Not Psychology or Ideology)

16:10 Jordan Peterson, Young Men, & the Search for Meaning

24:17 Why the Orthodox Church Is Growing (Especially Among Men)

28:01 “He Came to Himself”: Repentance, Attention, & Healing the Mind

33:34 Distraction, Digital Scattering, & Spiritual Fragmentation

36:24 Can Yoga Be Christianized?

39:46 The Father Who Runs Toward the Prodigal

42:15 Slaves, Servants, & Sons: Remorse vs. Repentance

46:30 The Elder Brother: Resentment, Covert Contracts, & Pride

50:44 The Royal Path: Avoiding Both Legalism & License

56:18 Mentorship, Fatherhood, & Spiritual Authority

01:00:14 Confession as Therapy: The Church as a Hospital

01:02:16 Wrestling with God (& Hoping to Lose)

01:05:21 Bodybuilding, Asceticism, & Discipline of the Body

01:16:15 Fr. Roman Braga & the Meaning of Veneration

01:16:57 Spiritual Legacy, Saints, & Faithfulness Over Time

01:20:42 Coming Home: Practical Steps to Return to God During Lent

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We’re kicking off our 4-week Triodion mini-arc leading into Great Lent with a return guest, Fr. Zechariah Lynch, for the Sunday of the Publican & the Pharisee (Luke 18:9–14).

The Church begins here for a reason: you can do “Orthodox things” with the wrong spirit. This parable is the first warning before the fast... don’t turn prayer, discipline, or fasting into a spiritual performance.

The Publican’s whole prayer is one sentence, but it dismantles the ego: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

We also bring an Orthodox Health physiology lens into the conversation:

Takeaways:

• Pride = threat posture (defensiveness, vigilance, comparison) → stress reactivity, shallow breathing, worse sleep, irritability.
• Humility = truth + safety → lowers reactivity, restores attention, repentance becomes possible.
• The Pharisee’s problem isn’t effort... it’s posture. “Doing the right things” can still become self-justification.
• Comparison corrupts prayer. It turns communion with God into a scoreboard.
• The fast is a tool, not a trophy. If it makes you harsher, something’s off.
• Humility isn’t self-hatred. It’s truth without theatrics... & it actually makes repentance doable.
• A sober Lent beats a heroic Lent. Sustainable obedience > “drill sergeant” intensity.

Sound Bytes:

• “You can do the fast & still be worshipping yourself.”
• “The Church doesn’t start with the menu... she starts with the heart.”
• “If your fasting makes you harsher, it’s not cleansing you.”
• “Humility is truth without theatrics.”
• “Repentance isn’t a mood. It’s a direction.”

Next week: Prodigal Son with Fr. Michael Butler.

Chapters

00:00 Opener

01:29 Introduction to the Triodion & the Publican & The Pharisee

04:15 Welcoming Back Fr. Zechariah Lynch

05:35 Why Does the Church Open the Triodion with This Parable?

09:23 When You Become the Pharisee in Your Own Life

13:00 What is the Proper Orientation of Humility?

15:58 Humility Vs. Niceness

20:45 Martyrdom & Performative Sacrifice in Modern Ideologies

24:39 How Pride Hides in Tradition

29:50 Finding the Royal Path Between the Publican & the Pharisee

32:12 Liturgy Reveals the Heavenly

35:06 How the Fast-Free Week Teaches Us Humilty

39:11 Remembering the Essence of Fasting & Spiritual Growth

42:45 Balancing the Spiritual & Physical Aspects of the Fast

47:55 Orthodox Fasting & Hypothyroidism

49:56 Teaching Humility to Children

54:44 The Health Benefits of Forgiveness

56:08 How to Avoid Becoming the Pharisee

01:03:14 Addressing Pride Masquerading as Virtue

The Life of St. Brigid: Abbess of Kildare - Jane Meyer & Fr. Zechariah Lynch

Fr.'s Writings - InklessPen.Blog & Substack

Buck Johnson - When Martydom Becomes a Costume

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In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by clinical herbalist Presvytera Krystina Valadez to explore healing through an Orthodox Christian lens... cutting through both modern medical reductionism & New Age “wellness” spirituality.

This is a conversation about right order: herbs without magic, prayer without superstition, suffering without despair, & healing rooted in faith, sacrament, & community.

We talk about using herbs in their proper place, detaching natural medicine from New Age spiritual confusion, & why Christian bioethics matters when health decisions get serious.

Along the way, we discuss the intercession of the saints, relics, anointing oils, & prayer; plus microbiome basics, herbs vs. pharmaceuticals, & how Big Ag & Big Pharma have distorted the modern “terrain.”

Presvytera also shares simple local-herb wisdom, wildcrafting principles, & a practical DIY chest rub for kids... while we imagine what an Orthodox approach to hospitals & healthcare could look like.

We also address how health trials often deepen prayer, why the Church has always understood healing as more than symptom management, & how Orthodox Christians can reclaim herbal wisdom without detaching it from Christ.

Takeaways:

• Health is not a technique, supplement, or hack... it is relational & participatory
• Herbs are tools, not talismans
• Healing often unfolds through prayer, repentance, & endurance, not instant fixes
• Saints, relics, & sacramental life belong in conversations about health
• Modern “wellness culture” often mirrors magical thinking more than medicine
• Community, motherhood, & lived faith profoundly shape healing
• The Orthodox Health 5R framework restores order to modern health chaos
• Local, seasonal, & embodied practices matter more than imported solutions

Sound Bytes:

• “Health is not magic.”
• “It’s not just that an herb worked... it’s that prayer deepened.”
• “We cry out to God most often in our trials.”
• “Herbs don’t replace faith. They belong under it.”
• “Suffering isn’t punishment... it can be for healing.”
• “Wellness culture often replaces the Church with techniques.”
• “The body heals best when it’s placed back into right relationship.”

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:29 Winter Wellness: Why “Herbs 2.0” Matters

04:24 Meet Presvytera Krystina Valadez

08:34 Herbs Without the New Age

11:35 From “Wellness” to Christian Bioethics

12:46 When Health Trials Deepen Prayer

15:43 Saints, Relics, & Healing

20:29 Faith in a Health Crisis

23:56 Suffering as Healing & Refinement

26:22 Reclaiming Health Culture for the Church

29:43 Presvytera’s Winter Apothecary

33:29 Dr. Mike’s Herbal Childhood

36:35 Microbiome Basics (Orthodox Health Lens)

40:34 Herbs vs. Pharmaceuticals: Right Order

46:34 Big Ag, Big Pharma, & the Modern Terrain

51:58 Top Acute Illness Tools (What We Actually Use)

58:07 The Orthodox Health 5R Framework

59:42 What an Orthodox Healthcare System Could Look Like

01:04:57 Wildcrafting: Local Herbs & Simple Harvesting

01:12:17 DIY Kids Chest Rub (Practical Recipe)

01:17:24 A Word of Encouragement for Tired Moms

01:23:12 Closing Thoughts & What's Up Next: Lenten Triodion Arc

Presvytera Krystina's Substack: Motherly Journey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Winter isn’t an emergency, it’s a season.

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John unpack what Theophany proclaims about reality: creation is sanctified, the body matters, & health can’t be reduced to control, hacks, or fear.

We contrast communion logic vs. control logic, explain why modern life turns winter into a panic cycle (overstimulation, stress debt, broken sleep, constant vigilance), & lay out the Church’s “winter plan”: humility, rhythm, prayer, warmth, simplicity, & community.

Along the way, we address infection fear through the lens of Christian love, discuss allostatic load (stress debt), & explore the Theophany cross dive as a window into cold exposure, brown fat (BAT), & resilience... without turning remedies into a new religion.

This episode sets the foundation for next week’s conversation on Herbs 2.0 / Winter Immunity with Presvytera Krystina Valadez... because remedies only make sense inside a life that’s already ordered.

Takeaways:

• Theophany isn’t a calendar moment... it’s a proclamation of reality: creation is sanctified, not neutral & not magic.
• Winter demands containment, not heroics: more warmth, more rhythm, fewer chaotic inputs.
• “Communion logic” beats “control logic”: health is received through order, not seized through panic.
• Modern winter sickness is often “stress debt”: overstimulation + poor sleep + constant urgency, leads to lower resilience (allostatic load).
• Orthodox winter health includes community: we don’t build a “perfect immunity” lifestyle that requires abandoning parish life.
• Cold exposure can train resilience (carefully): the Theophany cross dive points to courage & seasonal adaptation; BAT activation is real, but not a magic shield.
• Health is stewardship, not salvation: when remedies become identity, peace collapses.
• Remedies belong downstream: order first; then supportive tools (setting up Herbs 2.0 next week).

Soundbytes:

• “Theophany isn’t a theme... it’s a proclamation about reality.”
• “Sanctified matter isn’t magic. It’s gift.”
• “Winter has to be received as a season, not treated as an emergency.”
• “Winter demands containment... not more effort.”
• “If you want to see what you worship, look at what you sacrifice your peace for.”
• “The body can handle winter if the soul is not screaming.”
• “Existence is exposure... but you can receive it with peace or with panic.”
• “Health is stewardship, not salvation.”
• “When remedies become a religion, peace goes down as ‘knowledge’ goes up.”
• “Boring, holy, effective... that’s winter done right.”

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:29 Theophany: A Proclamation of Reality

03:56 Communion Logic Vs. Control Logic

07:16 Living with the Seasons: Embracing Winter's Gifts

12:47 The Emergency Mindset: A Modern Dilemma

17:11 The Church's Winter Plan: Embracing Humility

21:47 Winter as a Teacher: Accepting Our Limits

25:16 Understanding Winter's Impact on Health

29:14 Christian Love in the Face of Infection

30:44 Winter Overstimulation & Health

34:05 The Allostatic Load & Stress Debt

35:46 Theophany & Diving for the Cross

38:30 The Role of Brown Fat in Cold Exposure

41:34 Health as Stewardship, Not Salvation

46:57 Avoiding the Religion of Remedies

50:34 Living Winter Well: Practical Tips

55:18 The Biggest Driver of Illness & Suffering in 2020

56:45 Closing Thoughts & Looking Ahead

58:18 Outro

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What if Theophany isn’t just a feast you celebrate... what if it’s a new reality you’re supposed to live from?

In this episode, Dr. Michael Christian & co-host John unpack how Orthodox Christianity rejects both “flat secular materialism” & escapist spirituality, & why that matters for your body, nervous system, sleep, food, home, & daily rhythms.

You’ll hear why “sanctified matter” isn’t superstition or symbolism, how holy water points to a life of cooperation with God, & why exhaustion can masquerade as spiritual failure... especially in winter.

• Theophany reveals reality: Christ in the Jordan, the Spirit descending, the Father’s voice... the Trinity made manifest, & creation shown as capable of grace.

• Sanctified matter: your body is not a machine to ignore or a project to dominate... Orthodoxy calls a “third way”: reverence without obsession, freedom without neglect.

• Water & the nervous system: hydration isn’t “8 cups a day”... water supports regulation, resilience, circulation, digestion, & steadiness; don’t confuse depletion with spiritual collapse.

• Coffee done soberly: caffeine can push metabolism & stress... why pairing coffee with sugar can change the stress response (& why black coffee may backfire).

• Light + sleep in winter: circadian rhythm, cortisol/melatonin patterns, & why “tired/wired” winter living erodes prayer, patience, & appetite stability.

• Food as communion training: escaping “diet religion” & learning gratitude + restraint without fear... because food forms desire & trains the heart.

• House blessings + the home: your home isn’t spiritually neutral... environment shapes nervous system, attention, & family peace; icon corner is anchor, not décor.

• A post-Theophany rule of life: prayer + water, morning light, food that supports prayer, protect sleep like repentance, one consistent act of peace in the home, sacraments at the center.

• “Theophany explodes that split… creation is revealed as something that can be filled with grace.”

• “God meets us in the material world… because Christ Himself truly entered matter.”

• “Matter is not God… but matter is not meaningless. It is capable of communion.”

• “Do not confuse physiological depletion with spiritual failure.”

• “Transformation happens through small, faithful repetition... your body learns safety through repetition.”

• “Food… is not just macros. It forms desire & trains the nervous system & heart.”

• “Your home is not spiritually neutral… it can & should be ordered towards God.”

• “Living after Theophany means living as if nothing is sealed off from God’s grace.”

Chapters

00:00 Opener

01:29 Living After Theophany: A New Reality

06:42 What is "Sanctified Matter?"

12:13 What is Theophany (Epiphany)? The Revelation of the Trinity

19:13 Theophany & Creation After the Fall

21:22 Sanctified Matter: The Role of Water in Spiritual & Physical Health

27:29 Coffee & The Nervous System

29:45 Light, Sleep, & Their Impact on Health

38:18 Food as Communion Training: Ending Diet Religion

44:04 The Importance of Home Blessings

50:05 Theophany Physically Blesses The Whole World

54:07 Living After Theophany: A New Orientation

59:31 Outro

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January is when modern culture tries to “punish itself into purity.”

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Mike & John dismantle the New Year, New Me courtroom & replace it with something actually Orthodox: repentance, rhythm, & repair.

This is not a hype plan. It’s a Rule of Life approach to health: habits that support prayer, stabilize the nervous system, & make you more capable of love instead of more rigid, reactive, & self-absorbed.

Takeaways:

• Why January “discipline” often becomes a modern false penance that backfires spiritually & biologically
• The difference between a resolution (firework) & a rule (candle) & why Orthodoxy is medicinal, not legalistic
• How stress debt collapses willpower (& why shame-based plans increase cravings, irritability, & burnout)
• A simple framework you can remember when you’re tired: Name → Offer → Anchor → Repair
• The Orthodox “January plan” you can actually keep: The Rule of 3 (one spiritual habit, one physical habit, & one outward habit toward your neighbor)
• Why you’re not “behind”: the Orthodox life begins the same way every time, return

Sound Bytes:

• “Willpower is not salvation.”
• “We are not doing January as penance. We’re doing January as worship.”
• “You cannot build spiritual stability on biological chaos.”
• "Orthodoxy is not perfectionism. It is repentance.”
• “The habit we’re really building is not never fail. It’s repair. Return quickly.”
• “You are not behind. That is the lie.”
• “Christ is the healer, the Church is the hospital.”
• St. John Climacus (quoted): “Great is the power of small things done consistently…”

DM “RULE” on Instagram (or message us on Telegram) and we’ll send the copy/paste template Dr. Mike outlines in the episode.

If you want help personalizing it (thyroid, gut, hormones, stress debt, fasting rhythms), coaching is available.

Christ is born.
Glorify Him.

Chapters

00:00 Opener

01:29 From Willpower to Worship: An Orthodox Alternative to Resolutions

06:04 New Year, New Life in Christ

08:48 Habits That Heal, Not Hype14:52 The January Trap: A Modern False Penance

23:38 Christian Joy, Feasting, & True Freedom

28:15 Worship Reorders Your Habits

35:32 True Discipline vs Willpower

38:48 Small Habits, Real Change

44:31 Willpower & Stress Debt

50:48 Identifying January Fantasies

55:37 Modern Franticness Kills Prayer

57:45 Building a Framework for Change

01:07:48 The Rule of 3 (An Orthodox Framework)

01:15:42 Creating A Sustainable Rhythm

01:19:06 Write Your Rule of 3

01:20:43 Closing Thoughts & Theophany Preview

01:22:30 Outro

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Christ is born. Glorify Him.

The Church does not give us the feast so that we can fall apart... & then punish ourselves in January.

In this episode of The Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John walk through the often-ignored stretch from Nativity to Theophany & ask a different question than the culture does:

How do we feast like Christians... without burning out our bodies, numbing our souls, or turning January into a war on ourselves?

This is not about dieting.
It’s not about guilt.
And it’s not about “being good.”

It’s about gratitude with guardrails... receiving the feast as worship, not as escape.

Drawing from Orthodox theology, St. Basil the Great, & real physiology, this episode covers sleep, light, food, alcohol, almsgiving, & a simple year-end examination to help you enter the New Year grounded rather than wrecked.

Takeaways:

• Why the opposite of gluttony is not dieting, but thanksgiving

• What the “Twelve Days” are & are not in Orthodox life

• How modern “holiday chaos” trains binge → crash → punish cycles

• Why sleep & light quietly make or break the feast

• How to feast at meals instead of grazing all day

• Why protein before sugar & seed oils matters

• Alcohol as celebration vs. self-medication

• St. Basil on surplus, gluttony, & remembering the poor

• Why almsgiving stabilizes the nervous system, not just the soul

• A simple Christian year-end examen (without shame)

• Why habits must flow from worship, not willpower

Sound Bytes:

• “The opposite of gluttony isn’t dieting—it’s gratitude with guardrails.”
• “We fast badly, we binge the feast, and then we punish ourselves in January.”
• “The line between wine as celebration & alcohol as self-medication gets very blurry this time of year.”
• “A resolution says, ‘I will fix myself.’ A supplication says, ‘Lord, I’m sick—here’s where it hurts.’”
• “Turning outward changes your physiology, not just your morality.”
• “This is not a productivity review. This is repentance without self-hatred.”

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:30 Christ Is Born... & the Feast Is a Command

08:01 What the “Twelve Days” Actually Are (& Are Not)

13:55 The Real Story of "The Holidays"

16:33 Why Light & Sleep Can Shape the Feast

19:56 Guardrails 1-3: Ordering Your Circadian Rhythm

27:25 Guardrails 4-6: Feasting Without Metabolic Chaos

33:01 Guardrails 7-9: Alcohol as Celebration vs. Self-Medication

37:45 St. Basil & The Call to Remember the Poor

43:19 Guardrails 10-12: Almsgiving, Hospitality, Thanksgiving

45:26 Why Almsgiving Heals the Body Too

50:11 Year-End Reflection & Examination

56:07 The Blessing & the Danger of Orthodoxy’s Growth

57:44 What Am I Actually Asking God to Heal?

01:01:09 Closing Thoughts & Moving From Willpower to Worship

01:05:56 Outro

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From straw hidden under a tablecloth in a tiny Slavic house… to kids banging metal triangles in Greek stairwells… to families tearing injera around a shared platter in Ethiopia…

The Nativity isn’t just about presents & photo ops. It’s about Christ showing up at the table.

In this episode, Dr. Mike & John take you on a tour of global Orthodox (& other) Nativity traditions & then land it with three simple, kid-friendly menus you can actually pull off this year... without a babushka living in your pantry.

• The theology of the table: why the manger (a feeding trough) already points to the Eucharist
• How the story of salvation is bookended by meals: Eden, Bethlehem, the Mystical Supper, & the Wedding Feast of the Lamb
• The difference between fasting & feasting vs. diet culture’s binge & restrict cycle
• Slavic Holy Supper: 12 humble dishes, straw under the tablecloth, & an empty plate for the stranger
• Greek Nativity: kalandas kids with triangles, “Christ’s bread” (Christopsomo), & a Mediterranean Christmas feast
• Ethiopian Gena: long fast, white garments, all-night services, & injera as “edible spoons” around a shared platter
• Lightning-round traditions: Serbian badnjak, Georgian Alilo, Romanian colinde & cozonac, Arab Christian soups & date cookies, Armenian khetum, Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes, Japanese “glorifications,” & more
• Three Nativity menus (Mini Holy Supper, Mediterranean Christmas plate, Gena-inspired shared platter) that kids can help with & your nervous system can handle.

Takeaways:

• Fasting & feasting are not punishment & reward; they’re relational training in hunger, gratitude, & trust.
• Traditional tables build mercy into the furniture: extra plates for the lonely, carols at the door, food shared from one central platter.
• When meals are anchored in real protein, whole foods, & unhurried conversation, your hormones, digestion, & sleep all respond differently than they do to a month-long sugar binge.
• You don’t need twelve dishes or a perfect house; you need a candle, a prayer, & one concrete way to let your kitchen become a chapel.

Sound Bytes:

• "Christ is born!"

• “God preaches a whole sermon with a feeding trough.”

• “The straw under the tablecloth is God messing up your tablescape on purpose.”

• “The opposite of gluttony isn’t dieting... it’s gratitude with guardrails.”

• “If your ‘fast’ is just white-knuckle dieting & your ‘feast’ is a sugar binge, you’ve kept the labels but lost the spirit.”

• “Traditional Nativity tables train kids to remember the poor without a single lecture.”

• “When kids bang on mugs & triangles for Christ, that noise becomes liturgy.”

• “You don’t need a new culture; you need one small faithful gesture at your own table.”

• “Let your kitchen become an extension of the altar.”

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:30 Introduction to Nativity Around the World

08:38 The Christmas Table as a Foretaste of the Kingdom

16:33 Exploring Slavic Christmas Traditions

19:17 The Symbolism of the Straw & the Empty Plate

23:44 Practical Steps for your Own Slavic Holy Supper

25:24 Health Benefits of Holy Supper

26:19 Christmas in the Greek World

30:59 What's on the Greek Christmas Table?

34:38 Involving the Children in the Festivities

35:48 Health Benefits of the Greek Nativity Meal

37:05 Nativity in Ethiopia: Gena

41:22 Adapting Gena for the Orthodox

43:04 Health Observations in the Ethiopian Feasts

45:03 Nativity Traditions Around the World - Lightning Round

55:55 Concrete Nativity Menus for Families

01:06:35 Closing Thoughts & Looking Ahead

01:08:41 Outro

Support the Show with a One-Time or Recurring donation⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Work with Dr. Mike: ⁠⁠⁠OrthodoxHealth.com⁠

⁠⁠Donate to the St. John the Theologian

Signed Copies of Orthodoxy & The Medicine of the Future, with digital bonuses

Order Orthodoxy & the Medicine of the Future on Amazon

Intro & Outro Music: St. John of Chicago Orthodox Church Choir (Arkansas) - Please support their building fund by buying the whole album here

Orthodox Health Instagram

Orthodox Health Telegram