Father Michael Marcantoni joins me to talk about addiction, recovery, repentance, and the Orthodox spiritual life.

Father Michael shares his own journey through alcoholism and sobriety, what "rock bottom" actually means, his experience with AA and the 12 steps, and the surprising similarities between recovery and the life of repentance. We also get into his time in the military, his road to Orthodoxy and the priesthood, and what addiction can teach us about surrender, accountability, and our need for God.

This was an open and honest conversation about addiction—not simply as a substance problem, but as a spiritual one—and what it really means to turn around and begin again.

Learn more about Father Michael and St. John Chrysostom Greek Orthodox Church in Nashville

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This week I'm joined by Jeff Messina, a longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and Orthodox Christian.

We get into what happens when the mat exposes your ego, why knowing how to fight doesn't mean looking for a fight, and what jiu-jitsu can teach us about humility, discipline, and self-control.

We also talk about Jeff's journey into Orthodoxy, the importance of having a teacher, and why real strength has a lot more to do with mastering yourself than dominating somebody else.

Check out Jeff's gym, Revolution Dojo: https://www.revolutiondojo.com/

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I've known Kara Mosher for a few years now and she has one hell of a story.

Her road to Orthodoxy was already pretty wild. She spent years involved in the occult, New Age spirituality, psychedelics, and all kinds of things she thought might give her answers or healing. Eventually, that search led her somewhere she never expected: the Orthodox Church.

This conversation is about love, loss, and what it means to surrender someone you love to God.

Kara shares the story of Jody, her partner of sixteen years, his long struggle with addiction, and the tragic fire that left him fighting for his life. In those final hours, Kara was given an unexpected opportunity to do something that Jody had wanted but never completed: baptize him into the Orthodox Church.

We talk about that day, the firefighters who brought Jody back, the baptism, grief, providence, and what Kara means when she says this experience "crucified her will."

This is a heavy conversation, but it's not a hopeless one. It's about discovering that loving someone doesn't mean you can save them—and learning to trust God when His answer looks nothing like the one you prayed for.

Guest Website:

https://www.karamosher.com/

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Justine Alter joins me to discuss her book How Could I Possibly Convert to Orthodox Christianity?, written specifically for psychics, magicians, occult practitioners, and others attempting to leave that world behind. Justine writes from firsthand experience with the occult and now approaches these questions from within Orthodox Christianity.

We talk about psychic phenomena, spirit communication, demons, prelest and spiritual discernment; why seemingly accurate supernatural information can itself become a trap; the seductive idea of being "gifted" or spiritually special; and why the desire to know what other people are thinking or feeling can slowly replace genuine human relationship with observation, prediction, and control. We also get into the modern fascination with being an "empath," and the danger of treating our impressions of other people as unquestionable facts.

Because of threats connected to her past, Justine does not appear on camera and uses a voice modifier to protect her identity.

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Kenneth B., writer of Becoming Orthodox, joins me for a great conversation about his journey to the Orthodox Church and what he's learned along the way.

We get into Scripture and Tradition, the saints, the Theotokos, the ancient Jewish world Christianity emerged from, and why more young people seem to be searching for something deeper than what modern Christianity and culture are offering.

We also talk about the danger of being right—especially for Orthodox converts.

Finding the ancient Church doesn't mean our job is to beat everyone we love over the head with it.

Sometimes we speak the truth, live the faith, love people where they are, and trust the Holy Spirit to do what we can't. It's a very beautiful conversation about discovering Orthodoxy, living the faith, and what it actually means to become Orthodox.

Sponsors:

Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference, Sept 12th 2026

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In this episode, I'm joined by my friend and one of my favorite authors, Dr. Clark Carlton, for a conversation about Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and what happens when Christianity becomes less a lived, sacramental faith and more an ideology derived from a text.

Clark takes us through the history of American Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism, including the Southern Baptist "Conservative Resurgence," and asks an important question: why do conservative Protestant movements seem to win battles while the larger drift continues?

His answer goes much deeper than politics, wokeness, or simply blaming theological liberals.

We get into sola scriptura, the relationship between Scripture and the Church, Fundamentalism's attempt to fight rationalism with rationalism, and Clark's argument that Orthodoxy begins from an entirely different understanding of Christianity—not primarily as a system of ideas, but as life in Christ and participation in His Body, the Church.

Clark is also co-founder and editorial director of the Philip Ludwell III Orthodox Fellowship, which works to nurture and grow the Orthodox faith in the American South. Check out their work, articles, conferences, and more at SouthernOrthodox.org.

Sponsors:

Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference, Sept 12th 2026

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My guest this week is Carollynn Xavier—Orthodox catechumen , longtime touring comedian, and now host of a brand-new interview show coming to Logos Cinema.

We get into Carollynn's years doing stand-up and touring, what life as a comedian actually looks like, how Orthodoxy fits into all of it, and why she's now trading some of that stand-up time for sitting down with interesting people.

Her new show is pretty simple: no script, no formula, no manufactured outrage. Just genuine curiosity about people and seeing where the conversation goes. Sometimes it gets deep, sometimes it gets weird, sometimes it apparently ends up at monster trucks.

We talk comedy, faith, curiosity, listening, storytelling, and why actually talking to people—and being interested in them—might be more important than ever.

Visit:

https://Carolynnxavier.com
https://LogosCinema.com

Sponsor:
Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference, Sept 12th 2026

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Fr. Zechariah Lynch joins me to talk about something a lot of people would rather forget: what the COVID years actually did to us.
We get into fear, mandates, "misinformation," the pressure to conform, and the damage done to people who simply asked questions. Fr. Zechariah also gets personal about what he and his family went through within the Church during that time and why he describes some of it as psychological abuse.

We also talk about repentance, forgiveness, and how we move forward without pretending none of it happened.

Read Fr. Zechariah's article, Social Trauma, Dr. Fauci, Covid Mandates, the Church, and Forgiveness:

https://inklesspen.blog/2026/07/30/social-trauma-dr-fauci-covid-mandates-the-church-and-forgiveness/

Subscribe to his Substack here: https://substack.com/@inklesspen

Sponsors:

Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference, Sept 12th 2026

Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow

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