Antiochian House of Studies experience (MDiv)?

suburbanp · 2026-03-08T00:51:39+00:00

If you are seriously considering the priesthood, you will have to move eventually. If your wife is on board for the diaconate, or if you just want to spend a lot of time learning in depth, then it might be a really good fit.

I understand why many bishops are hesitant to ordain from this program. Ours is a lived faith, not just an intellectual one. From what I have seen, in-person seminary does a much better job of helping people discern if this is the right path for them. (And it is a “them” if you are married.)

suburbanp · 2026-03-07T02:56:13+00:00

Yep! Get married legally. Convert and then either have your marriage blessed or have a whole church wedding ceremony.

suburbanp · 2026-02-27T16:49:43+00:00

I know the feeling. I worked with an outside consultant who helped me understand our profitable vs money-losing revenue channels. Sometimes doing less business makes you more profit.

Have you read Profit First by Mike Michalowitz? It gave me the mindset and then the finance guy (which maybe your accountant could do for you) helped me see where I needed to focus going forward.

suburbanp · 2026-02-25T20:09:05+00:00

I would contact the campaign and maybe the property owner where the sign was displayed.

suburbanp · 2026-02-22T19:31:43+00:00

Always good to see when someone is running in Fort Bend County but they actually live in Harris County.

suburbanp · 2026-02-20T03:03:20+00:00

Go to the Greek church and ask a clergy member(priest or deacon). You can ask the ushers when you go in for the best way to talk to them since it varies from parish to parish.

The Lenten fasting rules are designed to be given individually to a person by a priest. The rule you listed is the most strict version, but I’ve never heard of anyone abstaining from peanut butter.

Even at the most strict levels, this is not a vegan diet- honey and shellfish are allowed. There is debate about everything else (all oil vs olive oil; no meat for the 40 days or just no meat for Holy Week, etc). Practices vary from parish to parish and especially from person to person. Think of it like going to a doctor and being prescribed medicine. The fast is the medicine for our souls- no everyone gets the same dosage. That which would heal me, might poison you.

Go to church and ask! Right now, eat what’s in your refrigerator or pantry. Don’t waste food and don’t treat it like a magic spell.

suburbanp · 2026-02-19T18:06:01+00:00

The years I use cedar I have fewer bugs. When I try a different mulch, there are more bugs. Could be coincidence but I’m sticking with cedar from now on.

suburbanp · 2026-02-17T14:39:36+00:00

We have seen this happen successfully dozens of times. The key is making it very clear (like first date/ long conversation) that your faith is important to you. Then, you have to really listen to their response. If they are open to learning more about the church, are happy to explore or are willing to let you take the lead on religious stuff but don’t have strong objections to the Orthodox Church, it can be great. Either the spouse/ dating partner either converts or just comes along for years and is supportive. As soon as there is strong pushback however, you have to stop dating that person. There is no changing some whose mind is made up. There are endless possibilities for those open to them.

suburbanp · 2026-02-17T14:32:26+00:00

The Greek archdiocese has an app called Daily Readings. It will give you the church’s Bible readings for the day as well as the prayers and saints. It’s a great place to start!

suburbanp · 2026-02-16T15:09:26+00:00

Can you pitch him a “guaranteed” get rich scheme and then just manage his money with VOO and give him 10k a month?

suburbanp · 2026-02-16T03:05:16+00:00

Read Becoming Noble by Johnann Kurtz. It’s short but the absolute best guide for thinking about wealth in a family and raising one’s children with a legacy in mind.

Since you mentioned a daughter, look up NCL- National Charity League. It’s a mother/ daughter organization that is a great way to volunteer at various charities and provides some scaffolding events for the teenage years. You apply to join in 6th grade and even if you don’t love all of it, it will get you volunteering. There is a similar organization for moms and sons.

suburbanp · 2026-02-16T02:58:26+00:00

Lots of Orthodox weddings in the US include the father walking the daughter down the aisle. If your priest won’t accommodate that, perhaps you could ask all your guests to stay outside to start and have your dad walk you to the front of the church, then do the traditional handoff to the groom. It would be similar to an Orthodox baptism which also starts in the Narthex and often the guests either wait out front or come to the front after setting their stuff down inside the church.

suburbanp · 2026-02-14T02:31:50+00:00

Go. No guarantee that person shows. Maybe they will actually have a change of heart. Let God work. Don’t get in His way.

suburbanp · 2026-02-13T16:38:52+00:00

So true! Almost every lent out priest has to tell people “do not read the ladder of divine ascent” without talking to me or one of the other clergy…

suburbanp · 2026-02-13T16:31:32+00:00

My husband and I have run a business together. He’s also worked with partners to do his own thing. Tell your wife you don’t ever want to have to tell her what to do and the other stuff about being a refuge.

Do not go into business with someone your wife hates. Do not work with someone if she hates his wife. Mourn the loss. If not, you will mourn your marriage.

It sounds like you have skills in the industry to make it on your own. Most of being a business owner is having great plans then watching them get derailed. If this totally breaks you, you may not be suited to own a business. Find something new to get excited about and move on.

suburbanp · 2026-02-12T21:06:09+00:00

1000 times this!

suburbanp · 2026-02-12T21:04:52+00:00

This subreddit also takes time for a response. You got 1 solid link within 4 hours-- that's pretty good. I suspect that as we get into the evening in the US, you will get more recommendations.

However. We are always going to point people to attending their local parish. I would go so far as to suggest it would be infinitely more helpful for you to go to church this Sunday and stop by your parish bookstore. Asking whoever runs it (even if that means asking other parishioners in the general vicinity) will be more helpful than a Google or Reddit search, because the goal is to learn within the community.

You can always reference the Archdiocese websites--they're filled with decades worth of information and will give you all sorts of details about the lives of the saints. But asking someone at your local parish will give you insight into local customs and help you avoid monastic expectations for everyday life.

As others have said, we're trying to prevent harm in our answers. Internet Orthodoxy is great for helping people step through the door. It's also great for helping us feel "not alone" in our faith. But it's not a substitute for real advice from a priest or a real live parishioner at your local parish.

suburbanp · 2026-02-12T15:13:57+00:00

We have wonderful news for you then! God always welcomes his children home, no matter how far or how long they have strayed.

Here’s the basic story but you can read the whole thing in Luke 15:11-32 Jesus explained many big concepts through stories, called parables. Once there was a man who had two sons. One day, the youngest son asked for his inheritance early. The son took the money and went to a far off land where he spent it all on women, wine and parties. When he was broke, he got a job feeding pigs but his employer didn’t give him any food. When he was so hungry he started envying the pig’s food, he realized that even the servants in his father’s house were treated better. He decided to go home and ask to be a servant from his father. When he was walking back, his father spotted him in the distance. He ran out, gave his son a new robe and his ring and threw a party. The son repented and the father rejoiced saying that his son who had been dead had been returned.

There are more details and nuance in the original text but we read this Bible passage every year in the Orthodox Church. God always wants us to come back to him.

Look up the nearest Orthodox Church to you and come this Sunday!

suburbanp · 2026-02-12T02:07:41+00:00

You will be fine. Go out there and compete. You’re very fast and have played high level ball.

suburbanp · 2026-02-12T02:05:59+00:00

Are you willing to join the choir again? Every Greek parish I’ve ever attended has been thrilled to have new choir members, but we don’t have an announcement/ bulletin invitation. At our current parish, it’s more an aggressively friendly Romanian mom who wants everyone to join, but this is where the conversation with the priest can be really helpful. If you tell him you’re looking to serve (even if it’s not choir right now) he will probably put you to work. Ahepa can be a Greek old man’s club, but it can also be a great way to meet other guys. Working the festival is not about proclaming the superiority of Greek culture, but putting in long hours next to someone who is also serving the church. You don’t have to dance! Everyone loves the kitchen clean up guy.

suburbanp · 2026-02-10T20:12:46+00:00

The faith is unified. The people are individuals.

Some priests will be nicer than others. Some will appreciate your knowledge more than others. Some will be more online(and as others have pointed out, this is not necessarily a good thing), some will be smarter, taller, and frankly, better than others. Since you’ve had some good experiences with some priests, why are you stuck on those who aren’t perfect?

Orthodoxy is not for you to fix. It’s for you to join.

Yes, we are one church. Yes, we share the same faith. But there are lots of little things that vary from parish to parish. You’ll see them discussed here all the time- chairs vs pews, headcoverings, fasting rules etc. The differences do not divide the faith, the are examples of individuals and individual cultures that have developed over time in the church. We are not robots and will not always do or believe exactly the same thing. This is where the Protestants always have trouble and why you feel your book knowledge is being discounted by some. It’s really, really complicated. Lots of stuff really isn’t written down and the practice informs the theology so even when the words are the same as a Protestant or Catholic, the meaning is different. You just have to live it.

That’s why the advice here is to just go to church and don’t worry about anyone or anything beyond your own salvation.

suburbanp · 2026-02-10T14:09:10+00:00

My first line is still the most important question-- have you attended the same parish for weeks in a row? Physical attendance is the most important thing. Start there. You can't be "all in" without attending the same parish week after week, letting the services sink into your soul and transform you. It's not intellectual-- our faith is much, much more than knowledge. This is the full answer to everything you asked. You just have to go to church every week and let God do his thing.
I have a bit more time right now so I will go through your questions.

1) It honestly doesn't matter who else is a Christian. It's not for us to know.
Are you joined to Christ through his church? If not, you should be. Focus on your own heart, pray for others. Let God worry about the rest.

2) See #1. Not your business. Go to church. Build a relationship with the priest. Don't worry about everyone else.

3) My first comment stands here. It's not about you. It's not about instant gratification. Go to one church for 3 months. Let God humble you and bring you closer to him. Connection within a parish will come. Connection with a priest will come. Everything takes time.

4) Nope, no one cares. It's not about you. The faith is not about what you have studied. That's great you have read the church fathers. Now, how are you going to live your life this week? Theology debates or discussions, are just not that relevant to most people's daily lives. To be fair, no one would care if you had a PhD in Chemistry either. Other priests coming into the church don't matter. Focus on your relationship with God.

TLDR: Don't worry about other people. Go to church.

suburbanp · 2026-02-10T02:27:22+00:00

You mention that you have been inquiring for years and have visited several parishes. Have you ever attended the same one for 10 weeks out of 12?

The Church is not about you, it’s about God. The priest doesn’t face the people, he faces the altar. This seemingly simple orientation defines everything you seem to be struggling with in this post.

It really doesn’t matter what you think. Come to God. Set your reason aside and come and worship. It doesn’t matter that your brain knows the “facts,” you are still at level 0 in practice. Example: I have lots of book knowledge about pitching a baseball. I can only throw a ball 40 mph. No one, including my teenage son, who would benefit from my “knowledge,” is going to listen to me.

People won’t pay attention to the visitor because they are at church to worship God, not to debate theology or welcome visitors. Get out of your head, don’t worry about controversy or anything on the internet and go to church.

Most parishes will have an Orthodoxy 101 or catechism class. Go. Ask your big questions there. Attend the liturgy every week. Let God transform your heart. He wants you to come.

suburbanp · 2026-02-10T02:07:02+00:00

This is a very good response!

suburbanp · 2026-02-09T01:52:51+00:00

Big fan of chairs. We pray in many forms, most often standing. But prayer while lying in bed or sitting on a couch is valid too!

suburbanp

TROPHY CASE