I've heard "There is Orthodoxy on the Internet, but there is no such thing as Internet Orthodoxy".

New converts, I promise you, icons, prayerbooks, holywater flasks, saintly writings etc will all come to you from other parishioners over the years. Don't get anything for yourself, the chur h will provide and you in turn will provide for others. Focus on living in your parish and taking Orthodoxy day by day. It's an endurance race, not a sprint. I say this all as a young convert myself.

As a catechumen in the Orthodox Church, my advice to my fellow brothers and sisters is to stick to the essentials; Attend liturgy, read, pray and fast. Don’t spend so much time on the internet going down the rabbit hole.

I’m a new brother of the Eastern Orthodox Church after being deceived by the Protestant movement for the first 3 years of my walk with Christ. I’m so grateful to know the truth, learn about the church’s history, and being connected to the teachings that date back to the disciples!☺️❤️ I’ve never known the Lord Jesus as much as I do now and that is thanks to the Eastern Orthodox Church. My soul finally feels like it can rest because the Holy Spirit had been telling me these modern churches were wrong but I would be told I don’t have a say because I’m too young of a Christian and I don’t know the Holy Spirit like they do yet, and I also never even heard any teachings about the Eastern Orthodox church at all before 3 weeks ago so I was confused. Please pray for those being deceived by the Protestant and charismatic movement!! There’s too many of our brothers and sisters being deceived horribly!💔

Yes, thankful that my godparents and friends from our parish warned of us this and gave us steps on how to avoid the consumerism. Take breaks, read books that build your faith, really focus on the prayers and learn your prayer rule, don’t have one, talk with your spiritual father. Write down questions and ask them, cultivate your nous in prayer, fasting and living in your parish. Books are great but living Orthodoxy is more important. Read the scriptures, slow down, and remember that icons aren’t an aesthetic or decorations, but windows into heaven.

This priest has been smacking me in the face with wisdom lately.. thank you so much

When I first went to visit my local Orthodox Church a month ago two things were made abundantly clear to me. That nothing in Orthodoxy is fast. And to not get stuck in internet Orthodoxy.

As a born orthodox. Go to church,support your community. You don’t need books but the church needs support.

About 2 weeks ago, I finally decided to attend the liturgy for the first time and I was in awe. For the first time I could actually feel God's presence.. But around the 1 hour mark my vision went completely black and I was losing control of my body, I would've fainted if it were not for some gentleman who led me out of the church and made me sit down on the pavement. Now I'm too ashamed to show myself there again- There are a few chairs so I could just sit, but seeing even the grandmas stand for the entire liturgy while I must be sitting down makes me so ashamed of myself.

The consumerism part is very important!

2:07

All inquirers or catechumens etc remember this: Real Orthodoxy isn't edits or phonk or any of that sort of stuff you see online. It's not a label or an aesthetic. It's a way of life, a religion and a struggle. You only see that in person and not through a screen. ☦

I’ve been Orthodox for almost five years. When I was new in the Church, I did buy a lot of books, mostly aimed to new-comers, but fortunately have a spiritual father who put great emphasis on prayer and scripture reading. So I wrote a personal “mission statement” to remind me of my primary task, the first thing to do each day :

I spent the first 14-16 months of my conversion simply reading one source.

This is a perfect example of Orthodoxy wrapping you in enormous wisdom.

New Convert: “I’m so excited to join Holy Orthodoxy, I’m going to learn everything I can!”

Getting to a church for the community is of utmost importance.

I prayed for this confirmation and guidance literally last night. Thank you.

I call dibs on making that section into a short! 😂

Thank you so much Father Paul!