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 +

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMZBb2Us9fh/?igsh=MW1vNXlwdHFubjNtaA==

Truth is Revealed

I was furious because of disrespect!

I was furious and I asked why me?! 

I was furious and it led to despair!

I was furious and I began to not care!

Then one day there was a seed of Hope and I saw this plain and clear,

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

In timing of perfection,

With the climax of Easter and The Resurrection!

So I fell into despair as a lesson, 

and I learnt my lesson well,

My lesson was to show and not tell,

To try and perfect myself by showing in words as a poet, 

By showing here what I learnt and this is the crux, 

the Truth is constant and not a state of flux.

There is no hope in pride and arrogance,

There is no hope in manifestation and vibration,

There is no hope in manipulation and aggression,

There is no hope in intoxication and narcotic assimilation. 

Hope is faith in the unseen, faith will bring kinder times, uplifting times, joyful times!

Only with humility and sacrifice, and selflessness will brighter times arrive,

This is why we strive.

And if hope is not believed in?

and is a mere abstract concept?

Where too is love and kindness, and peace?

But, Love is real, kindness is real, peace is real, that's why it is wrong to hurt, maim and kill. 

Cain and Abel had a brother named Seth, 

The bloodline continued,

This was a sign of the power of The Creator, 

And the influence He Imbued.

Humility shows this,

Look and see and ask, 

And do not bask

In your own thoughts,

Fore it will lead to despair

And separation from Truth,

Bring joy from true knowledge

And only then will Hope you acknowledge!

Love has arrived... ⭐ 👑 🙏

 It's a cold morning in the desert and all is clear and quiet.

The kings travel from afar, and yet again they gaze toward the guiding Star.

They follow the Star as it guides their path to the place, the place of Holiness, Humility and utmost Grace. 

A Star like no other, such brightness, such beauty, that shepherds also see. Leaving the fields in wonder they await to witness their Holy Majesty. 

First the shepherds meet The Shepherd and then the kings meet The King, they fall to their knees in awe and worship with gifts they did bring. 

For the child who is born a miraculous yet humble birth in a manger, and they declare "God is with us!" He is not distant, He is not a stranger, but He is Love and Truth, and He holds us in His arms when we need comfort, He carries us on His shoulders when we are weak, He finds us when it is Him we seek. 

"God is with us" we must praise His Name Emmanuel!

He is everywhere present and filling all things, He is near, He is not far away and all we need to do is ask and say, Thank you, thank you dear God.

Keep on climbing the ladder

Feel the pain and pray,

Feel the strain and pray,

Be at war with your sin and pray,

Never stop, not for one second.

Wake up, day after day, with renewed energy, galvanized energy to fight once again, 

Never relent,

Never cease,

Never back down,

Always repent, always struggle, always strive for the good,

To be rid of your sin,

To be stripped bare, 

To be willing to lay down your life for your brother, for your sister, for your soul, for your salvation, for your future.

One who knows God is at war with sin.

If you forget, remember,

If you waver, get back on the straight road,

If you stumble, stand firm,

If you're sent reelling backwards, recover and rebuild and reform,

If you're spiralling downwards and darkness hits you like a hammer, reach up for God's hands and plea for help,

He will listen to a sincere heart,

He will help a suffering soul,

He will console the rejected, the wounded, the neglected, the tortured, He will give you peace.

 

"God is near to the broken hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" psalm 34:18

I was all those things, I couldn't. 

I couldn't continue, but I did, 

I was knocked to the ground, I couldn't get up, but I did, 

I couldn't take life anymore, but I did.

I felt weak and dead inside, but God knew I had faith and saved me. 

That miniscule feeling of faith and that tiny bit of hope you have, is enough.

"For when I am weak then I AM strong"

2 Corinthians 12: 10

What is Paradise for me?

It is Glory,

It is Salvation, 

It is Mercy, 

It is The Light that has overcome the darkness.

Paradise is the place to be still and to be calm, 

Paradise is the place where the Angels and Saints sing hymns in Praise and Glory to His Name, The Annointed One.

Paradise is the pure place of the Prince of Peace.

It is the Eternal Sanctuary where life is sacred, protected and sanctified. 

It is above earthly worries and and above earthly cares, and beyond measure and vastness, it is where complete and absolute beauty and Truth reside.

Take a fruit tree, grown from a good seed, in the finest soil for the tree, perfected in the exact conditions and environment needed for the best growth and abundance of flowers and the fruit,

then you see, how life in Paradise is in its every pore. 

Water from every river and stream, is clean and fresh, there is no worry in drinking as there are no chemicals here, no waste, no contamination at all, nothing artificial. 

Everything is of God.

People have only love in their hearts, dwelling with eachother as brother and sister, everyone is a friend and there are no enemies. One does not lust or envy, hate or anger, or feel any pain, but everyone is joyful and at rest.

Everyone is kind and shows mercy, 

Everyone is good and shows humility,

Everyone is at peace and in tranquility,

Everyone is united in love for the one True God, The King of Kings, Jesus Christ... +

👑 🙏 🕊️ 

Pure Love

All of us seek love,

All of us seek happiness,

All of us seek meaning,

Isn't it right to seek the ultimate love to give us all of this?

Without sexuality or filth,

Without degredation,

Without unnecessary complexity,

Without danger or risk,

Without sabotage or manipulation,

Without force or coercion,

But with strong yet simple self sacrifice, understanding and humility, 

With the complete giving of mercy and peace and calm,

Do you not want to receive this?

God does not take, 

He allows you the time in your life to work towards His Eternal Heavenly Kingdom,

Do you not want this?

Therefore do as I do in your weakness, do your utter best by the force of your will to follow in His Way, in His Truth and in His Life.

God is Pure Love.