Heavy Things Lightly

Can you teach kids the truth AND prepare them for a secular world?On this episode of Heavy Things Lightly, host John Heers talks with James and Juliana Joyce, founders of St. George's Classical Academy in Boxford, Massachusetts — an Orthodox Christian classical school started from nothing in 2024.James went from astrophysicist at NASA to teaching kindergarten math at a little plastic table. Juliana went from public-school pri...

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Crow walked America searching for his father — and found the Father.From West Virginia hollers to LA gangs, from wolves in the Mojave desert to an Orthodox cross, this is an Odyssean tale of wandering, regret, and becoming Lazarus. John Heers sits with Crow (baptism name Lazarus) for his full life arc — with surprise appearances by his childhood friend Jonathan Pageau and his spiritual fath...

Welcome to the first episode of “Save Me a Spot at the Supra” on Heavy Things Lightly where John Heers hosts singer and Broadway performer Carrie Manolakos (best known for her performances in Mama Mia! and Wicked) at his restaurant after she attended a Supra, discussing how the tradition builds community, the role of the tamada, and ways to bring more music into American Supras. Carrie reflects on her early discovery as...

John Heers sits down with "Justin Smith" — an anonymous app designer you'll never see, only hear.His app, This Life, is audio-only and anonymous by design: you record your own voice, then get paired with a stranger for a day to hear three minutes of their life.In this episode John pushes back hard — is a phone app really the cure for the isolation it helped create? Is writing down your thoughts making us more ill, not l...

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John Heers sits down with Neil DeGraide for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about why the modern Western church feels so untethered from its own roots — and what the angry internet has to do with it.They unpack:🕊️ How post-WWII culture pushed Christianity toward non-denominationalism and away from the liturgical, experiential faith of the early Church⛪ Why modern "ecumenism" often trades rea...

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Jay Dyer joins John Heers to discuss the decline of 2000s New Atheism, shifting internet culture, the Enlightenment, Americanism, Orthodox Christianity, and the political forces shaping the modern West.They examine growing skepticism toward claims of scientific neutrality and political objectivism, arguing that politics often functions as a substitute religion—complete with its own dogmas, sacred...

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Dr. Philip Mamalakis says you'd take a bullet for your wife. But would you fix the light in the freezer she's been asking about for six weeks?That gap — between the heroic love we imagine and the ordinary love we're actually called to — is exactly what this conversation is about.Dr. Philip Mamalakis teaches the core courses in Pastoral Care at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Scho...

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Father Hans has spent years reaching young men on the edge — men who are economically stuck, spiritually fragmented, and slow to trust. In this conversation, he names what’s really going on: a generation that woke up inside a world already infected with “narcissistic spiritual cancer,” and a culture that gave them consumer identity instead of a soul.They go deep on:

* What &ldquo...

In this conversation recorded live at Symbolic World, John Heers sits down with Mother Agapia for a deep, unfiltered account of life on the ground in the West Bank: the building of the wall, the expansion of settlements, the targeting of Christian communities, and the complicated, often beautiful relationship between Orthodox Christians and their Muslim neighbors.Mother Agapia is an American Orthodox nun who spent decades living an...

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Is American Orthodoxy even possible? John Heers sits down with Ben Michael (Orthodox Luigi) to talk about race, ethnicity, what it means to be an American — and whether there's a future for Orthodox Christianity in a nation built on rootlessness.This conversation goes where most won't — deep into the tension between ethnic identity and faith, the rise of nationalism, and the hard question: ...

Georgia's ancient faith is still alive — and it demands more than just going through the motions.Professor Levan Gigineishvili joins John to discuss the importance of continuous personal growth as an Orthodox Christian, the ultimate answer to avoiding complacency and transforming our lives in Christ. A medievalist, philosopher, and one of Georgia's most respected public intellectuals — walks us through 1,600 years of Ch...

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Fr. Paul Girgis joins HTL to talk about American Orthodoxy, what's happening culturally, Lebanon and the Hezobollah question among many more.Discover more about Fr. Paul here: @Floridoxy -----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https:/...

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Dr. Nicole Roccas has been researching and writing about time from both a historical and theological perspective for nearly ten years. In addition to being a writer and editor, she lectures at the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College (Toronto). You can find more of her writing on her Ancient Faith podcast and blog, Time Eternal.Discover more about Nicole: https://www.nicoleroccas.com----------...

Jonathan Pageau is back for a short chat, because we have to talk about clown world and Hegseth, and what in the world is going on in American politics. BUT! Also, we have to mention Symbolic World and especially the upcoming conference. Hope to see you all in Ohio, follow the link below for more info!Symbolic World Summit: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https...

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Jonathan Pageau is back for a short chat, because we have to talk about clown world and Hegseth, and what in the world is going on in American politics. BUT! Also, we have to mention Symbolic World and especially the upcoming conference. Hope to see you all in Ohio, follow the link below for more info!Symbolic World Summit: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best...

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Let's take a look at what's happening in Iran, Israel, Ukraine. How are we 'waging' war? Well, the answer is more nuanced than you think. And St. Basil has a couple of words for us near the end.-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ h...

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Frederica Mathews Green on what it means to be a guest or a host at the Art of the Tamada event in Greenville, SC 2025."The Art of the Tamada" by the First Things Foundation (FTF) is a transformational cultural experience and fundraising event modeled on the traditional Georgian Supra (a feast led by a toastmaster or Tamada). It is designed as a weekend-long, intimate event ...

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Let's all be calm and cool and watch the recent State of the Union address with Uncle Seth, because obviously that is a good idea.

-----------------------Conrad's Deli - The best jerky you'll ever have: https://conradsdeli.com/ use promo code "FIRST THINGS" for 10% off.-----------------------

✒ Substack: https://johnheersftf.substack.com/ⓧ https://x.com/johnfromftf🍷The best dinner party you've ever exp...

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Pavel Schelin sits down once more with John to talk about the tragic story of Marc Antony and those characters around him. What happens when massive Dionysian energy has no true master? It's a story of a bad Tamada, or Trump, or crazy college parties - and understanding this can help us all order our lives a little better.We invite you to join Pavel's new course at the Symbolic World - Plutarch: Symbol...