Sunny Banana

Jarvah Biltong
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  • Religion & Spirituality

Subscribe for exclusive content and 10% off Biltong at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429544/subscribe The Sunny Banana, is a play upon the Zulu greeting, Sanibonani, meaning I see you.As tech wrenches us from real life, we are not seeing each other. The Greek word 'idea' means to see. It is as if we have lost the idea of what it means to be human; social, communal, relational. The same word, to see, in Old English is 'seon' which has connotations of understanding. Let's start seeing each other again, listening, respecting, and understanding each other and ourselves. After all, we are people through other people.

  1. 2d ago

    #49 | The Afrikaans Greek Orthodox continues - Saints and Worship lead us to God PART 2

    The saints are not a chapter in a history book for us, they are part of the Church’s present tense. We talk about the startling intimacy of Orthodox Christianity: speaking to the Panagia like family, kissing an icon beside a stranger and feeling a real bond, and remembering that holiness is not reserved for monks or martyrs. Along the way we touch on incorrupt relics and the living memory of saints in places like the Ionian Islands, where faith was defended not with clever arguments but with a simple, practical confidence in God’s work among real people.  We then move into what many newcomers notice first: the Divine Liturgy. We reflect on how Orthodox worship is not built around a long talk, but around prayer, beauty, attention, and Holy Communion. The priest is not there to perform; he disappears into the work of worship. Icons, incense, chanting, posture, and silence become a kind of embodied catechesis, the “message” delivered through what you step into and participate in. If you have ever felt worn out by faith as a purely rational exercise, this conversation offers a more grounded path from the head into the heart.  Finally, we share concrete guidance for anyone curious about the Eastern Orthodox Church or trying to deepen their spiritual life: start with the lives of the saints, return to prayer, seek humility, and find wise spiritual guidance. We mention beloved reads like Everyday Saints and the writings of Saint Paisios, and we speak honestly about the struggle of keeping a prayer rule, especially in modern life far from traditional Orthodox cultures. We also share why we’re moving to a subscription model to help support our Orthodox parish in Hastings.  If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the beauty and truth of Orthodoxy. Drop us a line Support the show

    27 min

  2. Jul 1

    # 48 | A young Afrikaner becomes Greek Orthodox PART 1

    For £2.27 ($3) a month you get: Exclusive access to premium contentAccess to great value on all Jarvah Biltong Products (UK only)All funds go to the Orthodox Church in St Leonard's, Hastings to continue it's transformational workSunny Banana (Sunny Banana + Jarvah Biltong) Nektarios' Business selling beautiful Orthodox Products https://www.instagram.com/prodromossouthafrica?igsh=M25hdDRqM3g5NXJu&utm_source=qr You can’t argue someone into the Orthodox Church, but you can invite them to come and see and that invitation changes everything. We sit down with Nectarios Otto, a chanter we met at the Greek Orthodox Church in Pretoria, to talk about what happens when ancient faith meets modern hunger in South Africa, and why repentance and obedience are not harsh ideas but the doorway into real spiritual life.We also get practical about Orthodoxy beyond Sunday. Nectarios shares the story behind Prodromos Orthodox Goods, a small icon and devotional project born from visits to Mount Athos and monasteries in northern Greece. It’s a conversation about gratitude, hospitality, and the very real need for Orthodox icons and books for families, converts, and lifelong faithful who want their homes to reflect their prayer. Along the way we touch on calendars, parish culture, and what it means for Greek communities to welcome a growing wave of English-speaking newcomers.Then we go personal. From Dutch Reformed roots and contemporary church life to catechism and baptism in the Greek Church, Nectarios explains the quiet sense of “there must be more” that pushed him towards something older and deeper. We close with the saints, especially Saint Nectarios, including a striking miracle story from South Africa and a reflection on why the saints feel present in Orthodox Christianity rather than locked in the past.If you’re curious about Orthodoxy, icons, Mount Athos, or the search for the ancient Church in a modern world, listen now, share it with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the conversation. Drop us a line Jarvah BiltongJarvah Biltong is handcrafted premium biltong that brings together flavour, tradition, and communityDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    30 min

  3. Jun 2

    #45 | Have you been in the dark belly of a monster? Why a spiritual father/mother is essential

    Subscribe below for 10% off all Biltong from Jarvah Biltong and exclusive Sunny Banana content https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429544/subscribe Ten reps can feel impossible until someone looks you in the eye and believes you can do them. After a morning at Trojan Gym in Hastings, I share a small moment that caught me off guard: I’m grinding through dips in tired little sets, then a stranger asks, “Can you do ten for me?” I manage ten straight reps, and it leaves me wondering what just happened and why simple encouragement can change our limits so quickly. That question takes us somewhere deeper: who is rooting for you, and do you actually know it? I talk about the Orthodox Christian practice of spiritual fatherhood and godparents, and how a parish priest, monk, or nun can become a steady guide. This isn’t about having perfect answers; it’s about having a trusted person who helps you stay honest, brave, and open to mercy when you’re tempted to hide. We also explore confession and the biblical call to expose darkness rather than live in it. When anger, lust, jealousy, and shame stay buried, they grow heavier and drag us down. When we bring them into the light, they can be healed, redeemed, and transformed. Along the way I reflect on Jonah, the cry of “Lord, help me”, Pentecost and the Holy Spirit, plus a couple of quotes that underline the urgency of stepping into the light now. If you found this meaningful, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a review. Who is the person in your life you can call for a coffee and speak honestly with? Drop us a line Support the show

    8 min

  4. May 26

    #44 | Anger And Lust As Fuel For God

    For £2.27 ($3) a month you get: Exclusive access to premium contentAccess to great value on all Jarvah Biltong Products (UK only)All funds go to the Orthodox Church in St Leonard's, Hastings to continue it's transformational workSunny Banana (Sunny Banana + Jarvah Biltong) Anger, lust, jealousy, pride, cravings, addiction, we usually talk about them like they’re glitches to delete. I’m taking a different angle today, sparked by reading Orthodox bishop and theologian Kallistos Ware in The Image Of The Father, where he asks a brave question: are the passions evil by nature, or are they human energies that can be redirected and transfigured? We sit with the language that really bites: do we say mortify or redirect, eradicate or educate, eliminate or transfigure? I share honestly that these aren’t abstract ideas for me. They show up in real life, and they can either push us into disconnection from our neighbour, disconnection from God, and disconnection from ourselves, or they can become the very place where grace starts to work. We talk about practical redirection. What happens when anger stops targeting people and turns towards the roots of evil instead? What would it look like to educate lust and craving, training desire towards prayer, worship, time with God, and love of neighbour? This is the Orthodox Christian vision of transformation: not becoming less human, but becoming more human than we’ve ever been before, shaped into the image we were created to bear. If this reflection helps, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What passion do you most want to see transformed? Drop us a line Support the show

    7 min

  5. May 18

    #43 | The Miracle Was Right In Front Of You

    For £2.27 ($3) a month you get: Exclusive access to premium contentAccess to great value on all Jarvah Biltong Products (UK only)All funds go to the Orthodox Church in St Leonard's, Hastings to continue it's transformational workSunny Banana (Sunny Banana + Jarvah Biltong) A woman is healed of blindness by Saint Brigid of Kildare, takes in the world with tears in her eyes, and then makes a request that stops you cold: “Make me blind again.” That ancient story is not just strange, it is diagnostic. It forces us to ask what “seeing” is for, and whether clarity of vision always brings us closer to God, truth, and beauty. We pick up that thread through the Orthodox Church’s Sunday of the blind man and Father Alexander Groves’ homily on spiritual blindness. Even with perfect eyesight, we can miss what matters most and reduce life to “mere mechanical fact”. The question is not only what is in front of us, but how we attend to it. We talk about distraction, the way modern life trains our focus, and why spiritual life often begins with learning to notice again. Along the way we draw on Dr Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary to explore how attention shapes what we receive, and we end with a line from Kallistos Ware that reframes miracles entirely: the greatest vision is seeing a holy and humble person. If you have ever met someone whose humility felt like light, you will understand what we mean. If this stirred something in you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. What helps you see the world more truthfully? Drop us a line Support the show

    8 min

  6. May 8

    #42 | Baptism Did Not End The Battle It Made It Real - The Sunny Banana was interviewed!

    For £2.27 ($3) a month you get: Exclusive access to premium contentAccess to great value on all Jarvah Biltong Products (UK only)All funds go to the Orthodox Church in St Leonard's, Hastings to continue it's transformational workSunny Banana (Sunny Banana + Jarvah Biltong) You can hear it when someone stops treating faith like a label and starts treating it like a life. Jonah (formerly an Anglican lay minister and school chaplain from South Africa) tells the story of how candles, incense, and a teenage confirmation first woke his heart, and how the Church’s witness cut through the racial narratives of a divided country with one stubborn truth: every person bears the image of God.  From an unexpected meeting with an Ethiopian Orthodox community in Johannesburg to the slow pull of the Jesus Prayer and The Way of a Pilgrim, the path to Eastern Orthodox Christianity is anything but tidy. We talk honestly about chaplaincy in a secular school setting, the temptation to keep religion vague, and the inner conflict that grows when churches begin mirroring the surrounding culture. Then we trace the practical steps that made the difference: showing up at services, meeting Orthodox Christians in real life, joining catechesis, and learning the faith through worship rather than hype.  Mount Athos comes up as a “thin place” that pushes the mind into the heart, and Jonah shares what changed after baptism: not instant ease, but sharper spiritual warfare, deeper repentance, and a stronger tug towards Christ through the Jesus Prayer. We also explore why he chose the name Jonah, how the saints become family, and what it looks like to bring faith into work through a podcast and a new business venture.  If you are curious about conversion to Orthodoxy, Orthodox baptism as an adult, the Jesus Prayer, or simply how to live Christianity without turning it into a performance, this conversation will meet you where you are. Subscribe, share this with a friend who is searching, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Drop us a line Support the show

    1h 10m

  7. Apr 24

    #41 | Tyres Flat, Soul Tired: Time For A Church Pit Stop

    For £2.27 ($3) a month you get: Exclusive access to premium contentAccess to great value on all Jarvah Biltong Products (UK only)All funds go to the Orthodox Church in St Leonard's, Hastings to continue it's transformational workSunny Banana (Sunny Banana + Jarvah Biltong) A message recorded while driving, sparked by a phrase on the back of a lorry: “Making the world a better home”. It sounds right, but it also raises a harder question. What if the world is not quite “home” in the way we mean it and what if it is more like a pit stop on the way to something deeper? With Pascha still fresh on our lips and “Christ is risen” still echoing, we sit with that tension: gratitude for this life, and honesty about how bruising it can be. From there, we explore a practical Orthodox Christian way of seeing spiritual growth. We touch on Roman Catholic teaching about purgatory as a place of cleansing, then contrast it with an Orthodox emphasis that purification happens here and now. This life becomes the space where we respond to the fall, where sin is not just “rule breaking” but damage that needs real repair. The pit stop analogy helps: tyres wear down, parts break, and you do not finish the race by pretending nothing happened. You stop, you receive help, and you get made fit to continue. That is where the Orthodox Church comes in not as a club or an identity badge, but as the place where healing actually happens through worship, prayer, teaching, and sacramental life. We share a personal milestone of baptism and receiving Holy Communion for the first time, and how that experience made the “pit stop” reality of the Church feel immediate and concrete. We also name the uncomfortable test of all spirituality: if we cannot find mercy for our neighbour, communion with God becomes more than difficult, it becomes distorted. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not sentimental ideas; they are the doorway to mercy. If this reflection lands with you, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so others can find the show. What part of your life most needs healing right now? Drop us a line Support the show

    7 min

  8. Mar 17

    #40 | Why Christians Fight For The Body Not Against It

    For £2.27 ($3) a month you get: Exclusive access to premium contentAccess to great value on all Jarvah Biltong Products (UK only)All funds go to the Orthodox Church in St Leonard's, Hastings to continue it's transformational workSunny Banana (Sunny Banana + Jarvah Biltong) Fighting against your body can feel like the normal version of spirituality. But what if that posture is backwards? I’m unpacking a line from the Orthodox theologian Father Alexander Schmemann that hit me hard: we’re meant to fight for the body, not against it and the same goes for food. That one shift changes how we think about desire, discipline, and what it means to become truly human.  We move from theology to painfully current reality. I reflect on the hope of resurrection and a renewed body, then trace the story of food through the Christian lense: Adam’s passion and the fall, Christ crucified on a tree that bears fruit for eternal life, and the Mother of God as the bearer of that life-giving fruit. For Orthodox Christians, this isn’t abstract symbolism. Holy Communion is the real “food we need”, the Body and Blood of Christ given unselfishly, and we’re asked to respond.  Then I bring it down to street level: caring for a healthy body with exercise and strengthening food, and caring for the soul with spiritual exercises like prayer, repentance, confession, prostrations, the sign of the cross, icons, and church. Finally, I speak honestly about war and conflict, including what’s happening in the Middle East, and the temptation to let destruction and division overwhelm us. We’re called to care for the world, but not to treat it as the ultimate prize. The deeper fight is for the world to come.  If this gave you even one clear step towards faith, virtue, and steadiness, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review that tells me what you’re fighting for. Drop us a line Support the show

    8 min
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About

Subscribe for exclusive content and 10% off Biltong at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2429544/subscribe The Sunny Banana, is a play upon the Zulu greeting, Sanibonani, meaning I see you.As tech wrenches us from real life, we are not seeing each other. The Greek word 'idea' means to see. It is as if we have lost the idea of what it means to be human; social, communal, relational. The same word, to see, in Old English is 'seon' which has connotations of understanding. Let's start seeing each other again, listening, respecting, and understanding each other and ourselves. After all, we are people through other people.

Information

  • Creator
    Jarvah Biltong
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sunny Banana
  • Show Website
    Sunny Banana