Eventually, everyone comes to dwell in darkness for a time. That is when we need to turn to Jesus, the only Light of the world and the only rescue for those in pain and despair. We break through the darkness by offering praise to God. This akathist is offered to all who sojourn in the darkness, with the prayer that they will use such praises as this to break through.

An Akathist (Greek for "Standing Up") is a type of extended devotional hymn used both in church and at home. This first volume contains six Akathist hymns to the Lord Jesus Christ (to our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Passion of Christ, the Precious Cross, the Tomb and the Resurrection of the Lord, the Resurrection of Christ, and for Holy Communion; four Akathist hymns to the Mother of God (to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Joy of All Who Sorrow, and the Kursk Root Ion of the Sign); and twelve to various saints (St. Alexis the Man of God; the Holy Great Martyr George, St. Herman of Alaska, St. John the Baptist, St. John of Kronstadt, St. John the Theologian, the Holy Archangel Michael, St. Nicholas, the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Simon the Zealot, and for the Repose of the Departed. Also contains music for typical akathist refrains.

An Akathist (Greek for "Standing Up") is a type of extended devotional hymn used both in church and at home. This second volume contains Akathist hymns for the Ascension and Nativity of Christ, an Akathist to the Holy Spirit, for seven different icons of the Mother of God, and the following other Saints: St.'s Ambrose of Optina, Anthony & Theodosius of the Caves of Kiev, the Father's of Athos, Basil the Great, Hieromartyr Cyprian, the New Martyr Elizabeth, Faith, Hope and Love with Sophia their mother, John of Shanghai, Juliana the Merciful, the Apostle Luke, Mary of Egypt the Apostle Matthew, new Martyr Maximus Sandovich, Fr. Moses of the Carpathians, the Elders of Optina, Photius of Constantinople, Theophan the Recluse and the Holy Martyr Zlata of Mglen. Beautifully bound and printed. In traditional English.

Zion in the Old Testament is a type of the Holy Mother of God. As God chose to dwell in Zion and thus blessed and glorified her, so God also chose to dwell in Mary and to bless and glorify her. In the New Testament, Jerusalem is revealed as both a virgin and a mother¿just like the Holy Theotokos. This akathist draws on scriptures that reveal this image of Mary as Zion, so that we may see anew Christ's Gospel work revealed in the Old Testament.

P rayers to Our Lord Jesus Christ by our Ascetic and God-bearing Father Nikodemos the Hagiorite is a beautifully poetic work dedicated to the Name of Jesus and written, according to the Saint, with the express purpose of motivating his readers "to continuously meditate upon and repeat the salvific, most sweet, and joy-producing Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." In reality, it is an Akathist to the Name of Jesus, following the standard pattern of twenty-four stanzas arranged alphabetically according to the Greek alphabet. A Safeguard for the Soul is a small work divided up into four sections: Meditations, brief Meditations, Examinations, and Readings. It is a very dense but practical section, and was written by the Saint with the intent that his reader would study one brief Meditation per day, hence thirty of them, one for each day of the month. It would seem that the best time for reading these Meditations would be at the very start of the day, since they immediately bring one's mind to ultimate and vital realities, thus setting the proper tone for the day at hand. A veritable Athonite "chicken soup for the soul," this is certainly not a work that falls into the contemporary category of "inspirational" that will make one "feel good," but is rather truly inspired by the Spirit of God since it is concerned with the ultimate salvation of the human person.