When Men were Men

Having had a large glass of Ouzo,

Roll up on the edge of his lip,

Top shirt button undone and hair swept to the side, he feels the Bouzouki vibes as sweat collects on his long tash,

The epitome of nonchalant and carefree,

His Movements are silk as he glides on the dancefloor with ease,

Greek blood pulsates through his body as he extends his arms for the Hassapiko, with slow and masculine steps he improvises with sheer enjoyment like an artist with a brush painting his most beloved and familiar scene, his body is perpetual poetry.

He fills the atmosphere with passion and zest like all those times back in the day when Men were Men!

New converts to Orthodoxy be careful

Often new converts think they no more because they have learnt condensed faith rather than lived it from an infant baptism, and belittle other faithfuls thinking they know better. 

Often new converts lack humility because they have found the Truth, something many people do not have. This discovery of the Truth can often create pride, no matter ones age. 

The devil attacks new converts from the outset with this pride.

You think you're wiser, but you have little experience, 

You think you're faithful, but you have only just begun your faith,

You think you know better, but that shows pride, be careful. 

Live through your experiences, but not through your newly found knowledge, as this can be dangerous. 

Take on board the knowledge of course, but faith, true faith comes from true love, true humility (which is thinking you are not better than anyone) and true fear of God, not an outward facade and mere actions, and mere behaviour, but inner devotion and inner certainty. 

Pride being the greatest tool the devil uses against one is extremely hard to get rid of, and it often is very painful to get rid of, and often God must lay great trials and suffering upon one in order to end the pride. 

Therefore, take note and remain humble in heart from the outset of conversion, not letting the devil to capture your life with the attribute of pride or else you may be capture for your entire life. 

Dandelion

Shunned

Disregarded

As being "Just a weed"

Kill it, pull it out they say. 

I say, fight for it, save it, it's a herb!

The dandelion is rejuvenating and therapeutic,

It's a small sweet flower!

Seldom seen these days, but they will return,

With vigour.

The glowing yellow petals and the white seeds which blow away in the wind,

They will come back and it's beauty

will be seen! 

Our Creator

They say I'm wrong,

They say I'm deluded,

They say I'm insane,

They say I'm depressed and Schizophrenic,

They say I should manifest, increase my vibration and check my frequency,

They say I should be more confident and even more arrogant,

They say my mentality is weak, 

They say I ought to stand up and believe in myself,

They say I'm ugly, fat, small and dumb,

They say my beliefs are wrong, false and untrue,

They say my name is weird,

They say I'm a sissy and I've got no guts,

They say I'm easily bullied and manipulated,

They say I don't know who I am,

They say I don't know the truth,

They say I can't fight,

They say I'm not talented,

They say I'm too sensitive and too emotional...

I say thank you,

Thank you for the negatives, I've taken note, I was hurt, now I've learnt and I forgive you.

I know who and what I am, 

I say check yourself before you break yourself,

As pride comes before a fall and the Truth is always revealed,

My goal is humility and faith in Our Creator, and to display this in every avenue of my life,

Fore cause and effect are part of science I believe, and life comes from life that's what all evidence shows,

I believe in Jesus Christ and if every word of The complete Holy Bible is read in context you would too, 

It's been scrutinized for centuries, 

Nobody can prove it wrong,

And all evidence backs it up, scientific, biological, historical, archeological, mathematical, sociological, theological, psychological evidence.

If you are a construct of random evolution and made of mere chemical reactions, how can you believe in yourself, in your own thoughts? How can you trust yourself?

I'm here on Earth and my aim is to go from this temporary existence of suffering, torture and trauma to the peace of the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.

Before you impose your thinking on others ask yourself, where are you headed? 

Perfect peace

This place of decay and desolation is taken away, the power of death is destroyed and the gift of life is given,

A life of perfect peace.

No more unrest or turmoil, torment or torture, no grief or sadness, or anger or desperation, no confusion or hatred, or lies or pain or hurt....

Just peace, perfect peace.

And faith.

And love.

Here and only here are all our hopes and dreams and prayers realised,

Not in material things or money, or ego or lust, but in purity, in heart and spirit.

Not in temporary things, things that perish and vanish, but in the eternal.

We learn about suffering in this life and our gratitude multiples when our days are joyful,

But, in the eternal life we only feel joy.

The struggle to get there is worth it when we feel the unfathomable joy and experience peace, perfect peace.

Amongst the Crosses +

What joy do Squirrels have jumping amongst the Crosses in the graveyard!

Amongst the humble Angels! 

Amongst peace and life eternal!

As the closer to death, the nearer to Life!

and they feel this.

Here hands are held aloft in Victory!

Here everything points to Paradise!

Every breath is for God!

As every life is a gift from God!

The Dove, the bird of Paradise is present in peace alone, and is peace alone, and I feel at peace alone. 

As I bowe my head and make the sign of the Cross Infront of The Cross, I am elevated and transcend the physical body and the folies of this world. In renouncing the evil one on entering the graveyard I stand firm in faith, the trials and temptations continue, but I have the armour of God and like the Squirrels and also the Robin too, my heart jumps for joy!

My life, my journey

I was baptised when I was 1 year old in the Greek Orthodox church. Having had a traumatic childhood I managed to get through school and college, and university. 

During my late teens the devil brought me to despair and then depression, and psychosis all those years ago. He was laughing at me and was satisfied to see me crying and on the verge of suicide. I wanted respect and I asked why me??? I was angry with myself and with people. This is ego. The biggest trick the devil plays is to make you think he doesn't exist, that problems are all just in our mind, a creation of our own making. But when you realise that life is about pitting your wits against your ego, and therefore against pride, you again realise that the antithesis of pride is humility and only then do you know that only by humility do you overcome the devil. And where do we get humility from? From following The Way, The Truth and The Life of Jesus Christ. 

At first I collapsed physically onto the ground and surrendered my life with my arms open wide, I gave in, I couldn't take it anymore. 

Being humbled, having been brought to zero and though I had zero confidence, and zero self esteem. I channelled my anger into determination.

My first goal having been indoors for so long, was to go out for a walk with my mother in the dark for half an hour a day. Then this after a week or so grew to an hour. Why in the dark you may ask? Because I was scared to go out in the light. I could have been seen and looked at, and judged, or so I felt. 

Slowly slowly, step by step I managed to walk outside during daylight having mustard up the courage. I was no longer a man who was scared of the light. 

After years on medication for depression and schizophrenia that made me put on 5 stone of weight and other terrible side effects I was finally put on new medication, at a lower dose and which didn't make me put on weight. 

I now decided to walk everywhere as fast as I could and I lost the weight I had put on. 

The next was weight training and jogging, then physically I was fine to this day.

After much interaction with people, my confidence and self esteem being set right, through education and work etc, my mind felt normal. 

Spiritually I had overcome the devil's plan, to take me to depression and separate me from my Creator. The devil disrupts us and challenges our identity, so we don't know who we are, making our ego grow and leading us to confusion, anger, depression and psychosis, this is how all mental health issues are created, When the ego battles with who we really are, and who we are is "we are creations of the one True God Jesus Christ." Only when we know this fully can we have peace in our mind. 

Though I struggle at times and life isn't easy, I will 

never return to that dark place.

I have ended the demonic influence in my family and my paintings, and my poetry are reminders of all this. 

I'm gradually weaning myself off medication and I feel closer to God with everyday that passes. 

In order to rise you must first fall,

In order to break pride you must be humbled,

In order to gain confidence you must take risks, set goals and challenge yourself.

So you see, I learnt from experience and gained strength from overcoming adversity, and I realised that I had the strength within me at the beginning to do it. This shows inner character and depth, and will power. I expect to be attacked again by the devil in the future, but with prayer and the Cross, with the Church and my faith, I will continue my journey, and as I write and I paint, noting my life in words and images, like a diary I see the growth in my faith. Negatives come in and negatives go out, but the Truth remains always. 

My friends are Lions!

They are strong and they are brave,

They seek alike and find it, 

They move slowly and deliberately, 

as they want and as they wish.

They are wounded and wear a crown upon their head,

A crown of hurt and pain, experience and wisdom,

They fight like no other, they win by themselves, 

They don't compete, they don't need to, 

Their music is growl and they roar when they sing,

Their pride is sticking together and the bond of unity.

Like a juggernaut they tear through life,

The competition is within,

Overcoming the mind, the thoughts.

The battle commences daily, 

Relentlessly fighting the sharp poking and prodding of the enemy through the bars of the dark cage.

Then one day there is the escape,

The bars shattered,

And freedom again reigns,

The enemy is devoured,

Through heart and through fight,

And only then is the tunnel vision to the Light realised and roar of victory heard throughout the Kingdom.

It is a Gift

Suffering is a lesson,

It is a gift,

What is taken will be given back and multiplied. 

Suffering destroys arrogance, 

It sharpens faith, 

It directs our zeal to humility. 

Suffering is the reason for strength,

It is the reason for experience, 

It is the reason for gratitude and for love.

This is why the downtrodden, the crippled, the sick, the weak, the tortured and the least are great,

This is why we are resurrected by humility alone. 

If one thinks we heal by "self" alone, this again is pride, 

We by ourselves are nothing,

Without God we die,

Disbelief is a falsehood,

Disbelief is a lie,

It's a trap and a snare,

We cannot thank ourselves,

We cannot thank luck or fate,

We cannot thank men or the universe for our healing,

Fore none are creators, none are intelligent and none can be trusted,

Fore only by faith in God, not in ourselves do we survive and live.

The crushed and the destroyed can only mend and repair,

They can only rise,

Fore this is the justice of God,

Watch and see that God is love,

Watch and witness this happen as I speak,

Watch and see it happen before your very eyes!

The therapists chair (a true story)

I was in a therapists room, 

Sat on the chair,

They looked at me and spoke,

I looked away,

Again, they looked at me and spoke,

I looked away again.

There was silence for a moment,

Then I saw a picture of the last supper on the wall in front of me.

The therapist asked me about my problems,

I said I've been bullied,

"Why do you think they bullied you?" She asked. 

I paused for a while.

I replied, "because they were afraid."

"What of?" she asked.

Yet again I paused and felt sad, and bowed my head.

Then I looked up to the picture of the last supper.

And replied, "The Truth!"

The therapy concluded. 

By God's Grace

I talk to myself,

Or so it seems,

"Do your best, try your hardest?!" I say.

I'm talking to the demons and satan himself.

"You won't beat me, you won't destroy me, your not going to make me despair."

"Christ has my back and the Mother of God is always close. My Guardian Angel is with me, as are The Holy Saints.

I pray and I have faith."

"I've been in despair before, I rose again, with the help of The Almighty.

And if I despair again, I will rise again. Never will I remain down.

You have my word."

"You can keep on pursuing your goal to make me lose my faith in despair, 

bring it on, 

It's no challenge for me,

By God's Grace."

+

Where's your evidence???

There's more evidence that Jesus existed than there is for Aristotle, Plato, Thucydides and even Julius Caesar existed to name only a few, do you believe they existed? 400 eye witnesses witnessed Jesus's Resurrection, and why would anyone die for a lie? Including people who met Him, and throughout the ages and to this day, people die for Christ. Are you bitter and blind? Where's the evidence life comes from nothing? Science proves life comes from life. Hence creation is true and this means it requires an intelligent mind, namely God. And I ask again where your evidence it's wrong? Back up your argument please? Also the historical, archaeological and even scientific evidence shows Jesus is real and The Bible is real and true! Emotions are not just chemical reactions, how would you explain love for example or honesty or jealousy or hurt or anger or fear or joy? and things don't happen just by coincidence or chance. How can you trust yourself if you don't know what your senses are telling you are true, if we're just made from chance and the accident of chemical reactions? Millions upon millions of things in the universe point towards the reality of Jesus Christ as God, three examples, the Cross shaped molecule that holds the body together. The Cross in the middle of galaxy's and black holes in outerspace, and the divine spark at conception. These are only three examples of millions. All the places Jesus visited still exist archaeologically and people experience Miracles regularly. You just need to be open minded and research honestly, and you too could have faith in Christ +

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