Book Review: Toolkit for Spiritual Growth II (Scripture, Confession, and Time).

From the Back of the Book:

In this sequel to Toolkit for Spiritual Growth: A Practical Guide to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving, Fr. Evan Armatas covers three additional spiritual tools—Scripture, confession, and time. Drawing upon the wisdom of the Old and New Testaments, the Orthodox Church, the saints, and years of pastoral experience, Fr. Evan mixes theology with practical advice and personal stories. Readers will better understand the Sacrament of Confession and the importance of reading the Bible and of living in the present, where the eternal touches ordinary time. These spiritual tools will help us heal and become truly human as they provide support to anyone who seeks to live a transfigured life in Christ.

About the Author: 

Father Evan Armatas is a parish priest in Loveland, Colorado, where he has served since 2007. He is the author of two books from Ancient Faith Publishing: Reclaiming the Great Commission: A Roadmap to Parish Health (2022) and Toolkit for Spiritual Growth: A Practical Guide to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving (2020). He hosts a live call-in radio show, Orthodoxy Live, on Ancient Faith Radio, and speaks across the US on various topics. He and his wife, Presbytera Stacy, are the happy parents of four. They enjoy skiing, fly fishing, and hiking.

** Listen to Fr. Evan live on most Sunday Nights at 7 pm CST on Ancient Faith Live Here!

My Personal Review, by Keri B.

I’ve been listening to Fr. Evan for over five years, since our family began our journey into Orthodoxy, and I’ve loved his weekly live podcast. When I got the chance to read and review this book, the second installment of the Toolkit for Spiritual Growth series, I knew I just had to. It was just as helpful to me, if not more, than his wonderful podcast. The way Fr. Evan has with words is so comforting. He has a way of explaining things in the church that makes them easy to understand, even for converts like myself who are 5 years in, still having so much goodness to learn.

As I was reading all three sections on the importance of reading the scriptures, confessions, and Theology of Time, I felt as though he and I were having a conversation. It was nice. He offered up wisdom from scriptures, church history, and personal experiences that helped me to see the topic at hand from a new perspective. Again, it just makes this book of wisdom so personal and easy to relate to.

As a former Protestant, converting to Orthodoxy meant I was totally new to confession, and even though I’ve been doing it for a few years now, I still wonder if I’m doing it correctly. If I’m being honest, sometimes I was a little confused about the necessity, since God forgives us, not men (as the church itself teaches us). But with Fr. Evan’s book, he breaks it down practically and explains why the church teaches us to do this and how it is a form of healing for us. Not only did he help me understand, but he also gave some wonderful and very practical ways to approach our confessions, such as how we can prepare, what to expect during, and even some good advice on what not to do. I love that he even shared some of his own confession stories and ways he prepares himself. I’m so grateful he chose to share his personal experience to help us.

I wasn’t sure what the chapter on time was going to be about, but I’m a little shook to my core. He begins by teaching us about two different types of time, and that was so interesting and enlightening, but as I read more into the chapter about all the distractions we choose, yes choose, to let derail us and steal our time, I wept. I’m not even kidding. The words he was saying weren’t rocket science, and I’ve thought about some of them before, but the way Fr. Evan explains all these distractions that keep us from living in the present with God, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I do that, sadly, I do choose distractions like social media, to avoid the hard things, and I let them steal my precious time away from my more often than I care to admit. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! Like Fr. Evan says in his book, these distractions we let steal from us eventually become a habit that is hard to break, but I know with praying, fasting, and the help of Christ, I can overcome the distractions I’ve been choosing. I want my time in the present back!

If you are new to Orthodoxy, this book, as well as the first in this series, is a wonderful place to find easy-to-understand and relatable teachings that are full of wisdom. Even if you are cradle Orthodox, please read these books; it will, if nothing else, be a great refresher for you on all these great tools for our spiritual growth.

Disclaimer: I was blessed to receive a copy of this book from Ancient Faith. In exchange, I agreed to read and offer a fair and honest review. I’m so glad I did read it, and I’m thankful for this opportunity to share my feedback. All the information in this review is of my own accord and my personal reflection.

Where Can I Purchase the Toolkit for Spiritual Growth?

There are a couple of places I know of that you can purchase Fr. Evans’ books. One being on the Ancient Faith Store on their website that I will link to below, and also on Amazon.

You can also find Fr. Evan’s other two books on these platforms as well. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve read this book of his or the first installment!

• Ancient Faith Radio, Toolkit for Spiritual Growth II, by Fr. Evan Armatas
• Amazon Listing (affiliate link), Toolkit for Spiritual Growth II, Fr. Evan Armatas

About the author: Keri Bucci

I'm an Orthodox Christain that converted in 2020. I have attended SS George and Alexandra Orthodox Church in Fort Smith, AR the conversion. I'm married to my husband, Anthony, and we have one son, Nathanael. Anthony and I are the creators of the Let Us Attend Website as well as the Orthodox Christian Table over on YouTube. I have also had a food blog for 12 years called My Table of Three, where I share healthy recipes that include fasting recipes, low-carb & sugar-free recipes, and whole food recipes.