And I’m not Orthodox. I’m actually a Calvary Chapel Associate Pastor.

But I am drawn to both the spirit and the aesthetics of monastic life, living fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ, and honoring and glorifying Him with the work of my hands.

And Orthodox or not, chotki (prayer ropes) are beautiful and really fun to make, and if they help to nurture someone’s prayer life, then I’m happy to be a part of that.

Saint Benedict stated in his Rule, “Idleness is the enemy of the soul….When they live by the labor of their hands, as our fathers and the apostles did, then they are really monks”.

And in his book “The Monkhood of All Believers”, Greg Peters wrote “To be a monk was to be spiritually formed so as to live single-mindedly focused on God…to live into the fullness of the Christian life as laid out in the Scriptures”.

This is the spirit behind the name.

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

Contact: themonkmerchant@gmail.com