The Better Candle

Next Step #274: Lighting a candle is much better than cursing the darkness. Fr. Vazken looks at two darknesses - cancer (breast) and war (Syria) in this light. He follows the light from Jesus to us, and our responsibility to be beacons of peace and love. Rev. Martin Luther King's stand on Vietnam is used as inspiration for today.
Song: Peaceful World by Lara Derbedrosian
Compass - Anti War (#39)
Team In Her Shoes
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com
Now on Stitcher Radio! 

Play Now: 

Solstice Bells to Christmas Cheers

Next Step #185: Kick off the Winter Solstice with some Christmas Cheer. Unafraid and unashamed to claim the Solstice, Fr. Vazken finds the Christ Child in the Manger radiating the Love and Light that overcomes darkness. This podcast is a celebration with music, love and a message unlike any other, as Armodoxy is revealed. A very Merry Christmas to all! A Christmas/Solstice Celebration! Secrets revealed: Bob Dylan's reindeer and how Suzie got Ken to change his habits!
Ani's Christmas Bubble
Musical Links:
Jethro Tull's Christmas Album
Bob Dylan's "Christmas In the Heart"
Melanie's "Yes Santa, there is a Melanie"  
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com

Transfiguring into Light

Next Step #163: Understanding Light as a function of temperature and not lumens. Fr. Vazken takes the listener on a journey to the Beginning, when light meant more than a sun ray, cf. “I am the Light of the World” – Jesus Christ. This is the first of a two-part podcast that explores the story of the Transfiguration (Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 17)  in terms of light and focus. Comments on Exorcism from “Beyond Belief” and Fr. Albert (Jerry Springer with a collar?) – a mirror of society’s needs and wants. An end to the Space Shuttle Program comes as the HP-G60 is retired from the Next Step.
Song: Sona Shaboyan "Yes mi garib biulbiuli bes"
Ani's Bubbles: "Peace of Mind"
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com

Solstice Celebration: Light, Love and Life

Next Step #80: Winter Solstice Edition - Celebrating Love, Light and Life - The Birth of the Son and the Birth of the Sun are looked at through the lens of Armenian Orthodoxy. Children’s memorial: never letting these precious lives be forgotten, in real and concrete expressions. Shall we stop dreaming and imagining PEACE, now that Obama has given an excuse for violence? A look at Christmas shopping: WWJWFHB? And how an 8 year old changed his Christmas from getting to giving (to the homeless). This is a podcast in a series of Advent messages with a very fresh and unique flavor.
Linked info at:
Forgiveness: www.7x77.org;
Nataline Sarkisyan: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/;
Vahagn Setian: http://vahagnfoundation.org/;
Compassionate Friends: www.compassionatefriends.org;
In His Shoes: www.InHisShoes.org
Ani's Bubble – A Child Explains God
Song: Gor Mkhitarian's "About Light"
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for www.epostle.net
Sponsored by www.Pomegranateandeye.etsy.com

Sun and Moon: It's the Coffee that's important

Next Step #59: Following up on the theme of Transfiguration, looking at light beyond its sources. The longest solar eclipse, the 40th Anniversary of the lunar landing, the sale of the St. James Church building on West Adams Blvd., and Croatia all come into play in this podcast. (Armenia and Croatia each become independent in 1991 but capitalism is probably the motive for this one!) Even the stove - "ojakh" is taken to a new level of central focus of spirit in the family, one that Michael Collins might appreciate. This is the prelude to Nersess Shnorhali's Aravod Looso - but don't look for a translation hear to find out why?
Song: John Bayless' rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" (Bach on Abbey Road)
Bubbles by Ani: God's coffee

From Numbers to Light – it’s the connection that matters

Next Step #58: Next Step begins with an interesting number theories from listener Yuri in St. Petersburg, Russia. Is it by chance that #57 had all the digits in the date stamp? If so, what about zero? Can you shed some light on that? Jesus did exactly that – with the Transfiguration. Light was not spared to tie us into the beginning of all creation and the end of time as we know it. God’s promise to open our hearts to love and the well-lit path is explored by Fr. Vazken’s expose of the feast of Transfiguration. But don’t fret the esoteric themes, there’s a serving of fish and chips in this episode. It happens to be everything you need and more. Listen in to a wild ride from numbers to light and realize that they are all connected.
Song: “Arev, Arev” by Mariam Matossian
“About Light” by Gor Mkhitarian (Spirit Album)
Bubbles by Ani: Feeding the wolves

Even Eclipsed Light Overtakes Darkness

Life throught the lens of ancient Armenian Orthodoxy - this week: Gabriel Stauring in Darfur, Light and Darkness, the Total Eclipse of the Sun, Eulogy for Fr. Oshagan Minassian.