Looks deceive

He talks to nobody,

never says good morning, 

never begins conversation and always looks away.

Nonchalant in act and gesture, 

he talks to himself while pointing to nothingness, 

Distorting his facial expressions and always rapid in his movement.

Then they make assumptions about him.

They ask questions day in day out upon his sighting and come to conclusions,

Is he arrogant?

Is he jealous?

Is he deluded? 

He's a cold character.

He's secretive and distant.

He's rude and abrupt.

He's a loner, a very strange man. 

But, if you spoke to him in a kind manner.

If you got to know his character and background.

If you understood his situation and motives.

You would see a very different picture from the assumptions you create and judgements you make.

The light of day

As long as I see the light of day

And the birds still sing their song 

And I still have rhythm in my heart

And movement in my soul 

And my mind thinks good things 

And I dance a dance of the light

And still have hope

And I have my faith

And I breath in air of sustenance 

And exhale praise 

And fight the good fight 

And wage the right war

As long as I see the light of day

I will look forward 

I will progress

I will have momentum and focus 

I will put one foot in front of the other

I will always remain the same

I will not change my mind

I will fight to the end

I will be strong in the dark times

I will feel joy in the good light 

I will feel peace 

I will not despair 

As long as I see the light of day 

Faith reigns over fear

Faith will show the way

Faith conquers evil

Faith is the light 

Faith is power

Faith is victory 

Faith is love

Faith is the unquenchable fire

Faith is heart

Faith is strength 

Faith is Truth 

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day. 

The Tunnel

Leaving death,

Enter hope,

See glowing white light...

And remember life in a flash,

Drawing nearer to God as He beckons you with Love.

The Tunnel is entwined with Apple tree branches whose blossoms are in full bloom, birds chirp cheerfully a song of joyous victory as you walk amongst spring flowers rising to salute the Saviour. The wind gently blows behind you with encouragement, and on entering the Heavenly Kingdom an abundance of honey Bees greet you with a bow and a buzz of delight. 

Witness the beauty and magnificence of Paradise, where the table is always fully ladened, where heart is warmth, where hope and prayer on earth are realised in totality, where vices do not exist and sin is extinguished forever, here happiness dwells in the body, mind and spirit, and we experience perfected peace. 

The selfless Lord of hosts, the loving King of Kings, The Grace of the Holy spirit and your Father are with you with every breathe and every sight, the unseen becomes seen. 

Oh joyous Glory,

We give thanks with every beat of our hearts, till we meet our Creator with love and in love, then we sing songs of praise!  

The Enemy

By the canal I see Mallard Ducks and Moor Hen. I feel a fresh breeze and sense the forthcoming of a long lasting powerful ability. 

The reflections on the surface of the canal bring back memories of deep rooted ideas.

Ideas of energy, plans, and of constructing theories and thesis.

In my changing I change the world in entirety, I save thousands around me, the change is inner strength and peace, and with the spirit of peace comes salvation.

With the notion of the Golden Eagle and the Peruvian Condor, the Lion and the Jaguar, energetic forces of flight, fearsome stealth and strength, solidify my perception of my ideas.

Green Algae on the waters surface makes me wonder what lies beneath.

Light penetrates the water, but the murkiness hides the past, hides the life of fishes and insects, debris, rocks and stones.

A singular feather glides slowly by, past satellites, bricks and mortar, flags and flowers. The feather white in colour draws on the spirit of God, giving me protection and guidance.

Back come the Twelve Canada Geese from The Bridge, I know I will always be faithful and courageous like the Saint's. I bless the water around me and take out a chalice from my rucksack, dip it into the canal and drink it,

To me this is the drink of life, as faith is stronger than fear.

My greatest idea enters my mind, that of humility being the only force that destroys all forces of evil and darkness. 

By knowing I am weak, I'm given the strength to defeat the devil. Knowing we are in a spiritual battle here, of demons and Angels, of evil and good, on the scales my thoughts must be in the balance of good, but there will always be changes in the balance. 

I shudder, look up, and take a deep breath. This is not my idea, but the Truth of The Creator. We can be attacked at any time. Guard yourself. I kiss the Cross that is around my neck. I look around one more time then walk away. I'm mere earth and to the earth I will return. I crush the coke can I was carrying, put it back in my rucksack and  continue my pursuit of God. 

With the thoughts of being with the earth always in my mind, carrying my cross and knowing I will be tempted to my last breath, I must be forever repentant. On leaving home each day I must renounce satan, and have the prayer of the heart always on my lips to protect my soul. 

Put your trust in God. 

Defeat yourself and gain the Kingdom of Heaven. 

The Boxer

Life reminds me of the boxer in the corner of the ring, fighting to feed his family.

It's the only thing he's good at, but he's getting a beating!

His coach let's rip and tells him to look at the bigger picture, not only at himself, "Can't is not in your vocabulary Josh, Jesus is with you, Jesus Christ who is Victory! is watching over you! You hear me?! 

His chin rose, emotion and adrenaline followed...

From self doubt to trust in a split second!

Then the fight began.

Whether times are hard or gentle put your trust in God.

He is always in your corner. 

We Pray

With timing of perfection,

Jesus Christ provides His faithful

With Holy Justice...

From servitude to defiance +

From devastation to elevation +

From humiliation to serenity +

From cataclysm to the unfathomable, miraculous, beautiful power of His Grace!

This is why we live humbly,

That is why we bow our heads,

That is why we don't boast,

And we pray for His mercy...

DNA

By my DNA, I don't give up!

God created me in my mother's womb, 

God made me to withstand,

Withstand hurt,

Withstand trauma,

Withstand abuse and torment.

He enabled me to see, learn and correct myself and my life, through the way I think and through the way I feel.

He made me Strong,

Resilient 

& Determined.

"I can't" is not Christian,

"Fore everything is possible with God".

As we are all made by Christ's Loving Hands, this is how we ought to think and this is how we ought to feel. 

His strength holds me up when I am weak and low,

His strength raises me up when I am down and in despair,

His strength gives me life when I am near to death.

My DNA is fashioned by The Creator of and Sustainer of the universe,

How can I give up?

How can I surrender?

How can I relent?

Never!!!

Golden Sun

As the Divine Spark signals life,

As a heartbeat signals the circulation of blood around our bodies,

As love is the essence of God.

As a bird returns to the nest with food for the chicks, 

God will never forget us.

God will return upon a cloud in Glory, therefore...

Never worry, never fear, never be scared or anxious , God is coming to save us all!

As God is good,

God is love,

As He created us out of love,

As He came down from the highest place to be with us out of love,

As He willing sacrificed Himself out of love,

As he rose from the tomb and destroyed death by death and bestowed life upon us all out of love.

Christ conquers, not by war, not by missiles or guns,

But by love,

By love He gives us True freedom in His Eternal Kingdom,

If we knock, it will be open to us,

With kindness and warmth, 

With the ultimate strength and power,

With magnificence and wonderment,

With beauty and miracles,

With touching our hearts so we change our minds,

There is no control,

There is no brainwashing,

There is no conforming,

For my Lord and my God is LOVE...!!!

Come all you who are weary and troubled and he will give you rest,

Come all you with hardness of heart and overthinking,

Put your hope and trust in Him and He will bring you peace!

As the blood moon vanishes like smoke in the wind, the Golden Sun rises

And the Son of Man gives us life! 

The Final Stretch

As I walk the dry sandy bed of the Red Sea, my feet light and determined, 

I notice God waiting at the other end,

As our eyes meet I know that I was meant to be here at this perfect time.

I came into the world to help, I came to encourage, I came to embrace others with passion,

If I reach there before too late, I hope for His embrace.

A whimsical sigh or a sad goodbye is not for me, 

My fist aloft, I salute before falling to my knees, 

I sob before His almighty love and forgiving power,

I do not hide, I do not cower,

But I look Him straight in the eye, but only with relief and love, 

And I cry out with shaking and fervent force, "my Lord and my God!"

As my steps quicken and my heart begins to pound flowers grow beneath my feet, 

Daisies, Dandelions and Chamomile, an aromatic pasture between shiny pebbles.

For a moment I feel weak, short of breath, but He reminds me that no goodness is without being near to death,

And God's ways are mysterious and perfect, unparalleled in the human race,

Repentance is a marathon and a sin is not a fall from Grace.

As I rise to full strength once again and finally grasp where I am,

I see Him the King, with His Crown, standing in front of me above the clouds, 

He lifts me up to higher heights and tells me that I am safe and well,

He tells me that I'm good and not on my way to hell,

He holds my hands and shows me to the place I long to be,

My faith is realised when I see what I see in front of me! 

Therapy

You sit on a chair in front of a person, just like you, 

Do they know everything about life? 

Can they give true advice and teach you a better existence? 

How much do you pay them or is it free?

These "experts" don't know how to manage their own mentality let alone other people's.

Those that feel they gain from therapy feel they need "help", so they seek out a suitable candidate who presses the right buttons and flips the correct light switch. 

But, therapists are flawed too, with their own issues, hang ups, psychological traumas, power trips and manipulative behaviours.

But, they give an honest and subjective account of your life and mindset?

But, through our own experience we find out who we are and what we need!

The greatest therapy is formed when in coming to know yourself and life, and it may take a long time, that we know that we need true humility, goodness and truth, and that the suffering we experienced leading us to seek help is good for us and not detrimental.

Suffering is good.

We are brainwashed into thinking suffering is bad, this is not true. You can't run away from it, suffering refines and purifies our heart and our soul. 

You just have to gain the strength from outside yourself, from up on high to see better times, and see that suffering did you good. 

Be thankful for the good things in life and give God Glory for all the good things!

Menace to Society

Fight like a Greek,

Don't conform,

Be who you are,

Don't listen to the fat cats and top dogs, the money makers and deal breakers.

Dance the waltz even if they are playing Reggae.

Wear sandals and a balaclava in the snow.

Smoke a pipe nonchalantly and inhale, if you want.

Walk like a hunchback or parade like a crazy man, if you feel like it.

If they say jump, you tell them to jump first.

If they say this is right, I say it's wrong.

If they say this is good for you, I ask but how much does it cost?

Freedom is inside,

Don't let anything control you,

Nice is ok, but goodness is great,

Like Diogenes, tell the most powerful men to move into the shade, as they block the Sun's rays,

Like Socrates said, "Know Thyself" and question everything. 

Like Leonidas, never give up, even if it means death, fight to your last breath.

Like the unfathomable revolutionary genius of the Sermon on the Mount, spoken by God Himself, open your heart and mind to goodness and humility, and Grace. 

Break the stones and shatter the chains,

Pain is not weakness, mental or physical,

Not how I see it, as you become closer and closer, and closer to that which matters!

Rain, Rain

Rain rain go away, come again another day, 

the darkness still envelopes us, the cold brings chills and sickness, 

rain everywhere and effecting everything,

increasing agitation and quickness, rain rain such a stain, but don't blame the rain for your mental pain!

There are always things to do,

To get you through

the tedium of a long day,

Mental power and agility overrides boredom and incapability,

A moment of huff and puff is eliminated by grabbing your thoughts by the scruff, 

Your neck and back may be weary, as are your eyes, but if you can hear, hear and listen to tails and wonders of the past and make them last.

Listen to the tunes of your soul,

The ting and tang, and ping and pang of percussion in rhythm, 

The zip and zap of beats and bops, and go with it exploding and exploring dance and rhyme.

Make those bells chime in your heart and your spirit will lift, and after not so long the rain will shift and the Sun will rise again and bless us with beautiful rays and warmth, and growth and energy of a different and higher kind.

So, don't mind too much, as the circle of life also carries a cross at times, but as the Sun is resurrected and brings new life, our steps become easier and the weight less to bear. 

So don't care too much for too much rain, but look forward with gratitude to brighter days and be filled with longing and joy!

The Corner Stone

I give money to the Irish beggar outside my Church, who receives gladly,

But the homeless Hispanic man outside my house rejected The Corner Stone when I offered Him to him.

Though he stole my neighbours' umbrella, he didn't take what I gave him as "it doesn't belong to me" he said. 

I pray for the homeless man,

I hope he is ok,

I hope he has found faith.

Never reject The Corner Stone brethren, never, fore He is the only one who saves your life. He is greater than food and drink, and warmth and rest. 

Even when sleeping rough,

Even when intoxicated with the passions,

Even when down and out for the count,

Even when as high as a kite and away from the light,

Even when inebriated with pride, 

Even when all hope is lost, 

Even when the darkness takes over,

Never reject The Corner Stone.

He is the solid foundation of life,

He is Hope when everything else fails,

He is Strength and the strengthening and refining process for your soul,

He is the Freedom of the open door to the cage and welcoming warmth of Home,

He is the Lamp in the night and the Torch of safety, 

He is the guiding Hand and the Bridge to a better way,

He is the giver of Life.

He is not money, He is God,

But He is wealth and riches, and treasure,

He shines and glistens, 

He bends for us from up on high,

He bends, but never breaks,

He bends, but never folds,

He is The Corner Stone!

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.