Interesting info about Orthodox prayer ropes

Today I want to present to you two YouTube channels, related to Orthodox Christianity, whose content I hope will bless your life.

The first one is Fr. Zacharias Thornbury‘s, who is the presiding priest at the Saint Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Melbourne, Florida, USA.

Although he doesn’t upload often, the videos he has uploaded so far contain sound Orthodox theology and are very interesting. Fr. Thornbury tries to appeal to the younger audience through the use of modern terminology, catchy titles and thumbnails.

One particular video I’d like to share in this article is the one in which he explains how to make an Orthodox prayer rope (also called a Komboskini):

How to Tie an Orthodox Prayer Rope Komboskini, Chotki – Fr. Zacharias Thornbury

In the video description, he added a PDF file that contains a detailed, step-by-step tutorial with photos. I highly recommend you check it out.

The second channel I want to introduce you to is called Orthodox Handmade. Although still small, the channel is very promising, and caught my attention through the following video:

Orthodox Prayer Ropes **WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW** – Orthodox Handmade

This episode (which is the third one of their podcast) is jam-packed with useful information on Orthodox prayer ropes. From materials, symbolism and usage, to knot counts and points on colour, in this video you can find answers to many of the questions you might have about Orthodox prayer ropes.

I also encourage you to subscribe to the channels and check out their other content.

Let me know your thoughts on the topic of Orthodox prayer ropes and feel free to share any other sources that present information not covered in the above videos.

Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok Breitowitz explains why laws are necessary in Judaism

Ever wondered why there are so many laws in Judaism and why they are necessary? In the following video, from the Jewish Learning Institute YouTube Chanel, Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok Breitowitz offers some explanations, as well as commentary on the difference between the ethical generalities of Christianity and Judaism’s insistence on legalism.

Why Do Jews Have So Many Laws? | Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok Breitowitz – Jewish Learning Institute

I hope you find the information as fascinating as I found it. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Forbidden Foods in the Bible Explained | Leviticus 11

I recently came across a video from the Lord, I’m trying YouTube channel (I quite like that channel name!) about the forbidden foods from the Jewish Bible, the ones mentioned in Leviticus 11.

Starting with the questions, “Why would God forbid the Jewish people from eating certain foods? If they were unhealthy, why wouldn’t God tell everybody to not eat them?”, Todd Beiswenger, pastor at the Hurstville New Church, Australia, presents some interesting interpretation of what the animals that were forbidden by the Jewish dietary laws given by God symbolize.

I invite you to watch the video, check out Todd Beiswenger’s channel and show him your support by subscribing. And please let me know in the comments section what you thought about this explanation and whether you know of any other interpretations of the Jewish dietary laws.

Proof of God in 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 minutes (more or less)

Over the centuries, people have been spending a lot of time trying to prove or disprove the existence of God, of a Creator of everything.

Some dedicated their entire lives to coming up with various types of proofs.

Others attempted to prove God in a few minutes.

Here are some videos that try to prove God’s existence in 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 minutes, respectively.

In this 5 minute video, MIT Physicist Dr. Gerald Schroeder offered proof that God exists and explained how, as a scientist, he believes in God. Schroeder explores scientific proof of God using the Big Bang theory and quantum theory.

Believe in God in 5 Minutes (Scientific Proof)

Returning to the 3 aspects: creation, revelation and redemption, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks OBM answers this important question with references to modern day philosophers and great societies built by people deeply influenced by the Hebrew Bible, and tries to prove God’s existence in a little over 4 minutes.

PROOF THAT GOD EXISTS IN 4 MINUTES!

The Muslim YouTube channel Towards Eternity tries to prove God in a short video that’s just 2 minutes and 18 seconds.

God’s Existence In 2 Minutes! – Irrefutable Evidence For God!

But hold on, just when you thought it couldn’t get any shorter than that… someone made an even shorter video. The title says “1 minute”, but it’s actually only 52 seconds long.

PROOF OF GOD in 1 Minute

Thanks for watching. If you’ve found any of the videos helpful, do subscribe to the respective YouTube channels.

Let me know in the comments section any thoughts you have on the matter. What’s the minimum amount of time you would need to try to prove God’s existence to someone?

Orthodox Iconography vs Western Sacred Art (Fr. Maximos Constas)

In this interview, conducted at the conclusion of the 2022 Annual Patristic Nectar Conference, held at Saint Andrew Orthodox Christian Church, in Riverside California, Fr. Maximos Constas shares some insight on the differences between the Christian Orthodox iconography and the Western sacred art from the Catholic and Protestant Churches.

Traditional Iconography vs Western Sacred Art (Fr. Maximos Constas)

I invite you to share your thoughts on the similarities and the differences between the Orthodox iconography and the Western sacred art in the comments section.

20 Truths in the Battle with Porn Addiction – Pure Life Ministries

I want to share with you a YouTube video series that I think will come in helpful to those who want to quit porn and find freedom from porn addiction.

It was created by the Pure Life Ministries, an organization that – according to their channel description – exists to serve Christian individuals and organizations dealing with sexual sin throughout the world by providing biblically based counseling, teaching resources, and a public speaking ministry with the goal of leading Christians to victory over sexual sin through a deeper life in God.

To learn more about Pure Life Ministries, visit their website at https://www.purelifeministries.org.

1. There is a way out

2. Sexual sin is a liar

3. Sexual sin comes with a price

4. Go near the prostitute’s house and you will get burned

5. Sexual addiction is the epitome of insanity

6. Sexual addiction and the pleasure hormone

7. satan wants to plant a stronghold inside you

8. Lust begins in the heart

9. The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom

10. The root of sexual addiction

11. A form of godliness won’t deliver you from sin

12. You must repent of sexual sin

13. Hedonism opens the door to pornography

14. Scripture will restructure a pornographic mind

15. Overcome temptation through a prayer life

16. Temptation is a winnable battle

17. The spirit of the world wants to seduce you

18. Failure isn’t defeat in battling sexual sin

19. Faith is the victory over sexual addiction

20. An obedient life is a life of blessing

I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Also, if you find these helpful, subscribe to Pure Life Ministries’ YouTube channel and follow them on their social media pages:

https://www.facebook.com/purelifeministries
https://twitter.com/purelifemin
https://www.instagram.com/purelifemin/
https://pinterest.com/purelifemin/

Judaism’s 14 Mandatory Acts of Kindness

Judaism doesn’t view doing acts of kindness as voluntary, rather it instructs 14 mandatory acts of kindness. Here is the list:

  1. Aid the poor
  2. Feed the hungry
  3. Extend loans
  4. Redeem captives
  5. Excel in hospitality
  6. Visit the unwell
  7. Gladden brides and grooms
  8. Comfort the mourner
  9. Honor the deceased
  10. Return lost objects
  11. Offer roadside assistance
  12. Educate the youth
  13. Teach Torah
  14. Encourage spiritual growth

To find out more details about each of the mandatory acts of kindness, watch the following video:

Judaism’s 14 mandatory acts of kindness – Jewish Learning Institute

This video was produced for Lesson 6 of Well-Connected, a course by the Rosh Chodesh Society. You can view their full video library at: https://www.torahcafe.com.

I invite you to check out their website, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Let me know your opinions about this list in the comments section.

Turkey has rebranded itself as Türkiye starting June 2022

This week, at the end of May 2022, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres formally requesting that the world body refer to his nation as Türkiye instead of Turkey. The change went into effect immediately.

The name change will be required from several international bodies as part of a rebranding campaign launched by the Turkish president late last year.

“Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilization, and values,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in December.

While the anglicized form, Turkey, is widely used, even within the country, most Turks already know their country as Türkiye.

State broadcaster TRT was quick to make the change as soon as it was announced last year, explaining that among the reasons for the image rebrand was the association with the bird traditionally associated with Christmas, New Year or Thanksgiving.

One issue that was also brought to attention was the Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of one of the meanings of the word turkey as “something that fails badly” or “a stupid or silly person”.

As part of the re-branding, “Made in Türkiye” will feature on all exported products, and in January a tourism campaign was launched with the catch-phrase “Hello Türkiye”.

‘Hello Turkiye’ campaign to raise global awareness

How does purification work?

In this video from Ascension Present’s YouTube channel, Fr. Mike Schmitz explains how God purifies us, what types of purification are there and what part do we play in this process. I invite you to check it out and let me know your opinions about it in the comment section.

Fr. Mike Schmitz – How does purification work?

Blessed Pascha (Orthodox Easter), 2022!

The Orthodox Churches that follow the Julian calendar (the Orthodox churches of Constantinople, Albania, Alexandria, Antioch, Bulgaria, Japan, Cyprus, Greece, America, and Romania) celebrate Easter (Pascha) today, on April 24th, 2022.

If you are interested in finding out more about the holiday, here are some articles from the previous years: 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Easter (Pascha) is a celebration of the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, The Son of God, The Second Person of The Holy Trinity.

He is risen!

I wish you a joyous Easter celebration and a blessed year ahead!

And I leave you with this video on how Romanians celebrate Easter:

R&R Partners Bucharest – Orthodox Easter in Romania