"Vessel of Grace: The Life of Saint Paisios the Athonite" Inspiring Bio Video--

Saint Paisios, please look over me, a sick & suffering sinner.

 

Mount Athos Documentary--

This is a smaller production documentary than the CBS "60 Minutes" one done several years back.  Of course CBS has more money at their disposal.  In many ways this documentary is mysterious and beautiful!  I have been fascinated with Mount Athos, Greece for ten years now, ever since I read Basil Pennington's, "The Monks of Mount Athos" book.  Since then I've read a dozen books on the Holy Mountain and watched countless videos as well.  Check this out, stay calm, and pray, "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner." Amen.

https://youtu.be/tT_xNQxGNtU

Behind the Monastery Walls (Romanian documentary with English subtitles)

An absolutely beautiful & positive documentary. Monastic monks & nuns who love Jesus Christ with their entire mind, soul, body, and strength. It is a peaceful & loving situation that they choose to LIVE. Death to the world--death to the materialistic passions of this gross plane. We are stuck in this muck, treading water & living on borrowed time. The mortality rate for humans is 100%. Sometimes I wonder, 'what exactly am I supposed to do HERE? Why was I manifested on this globe? What does the Lord want from me? Anything? Nothing?' I'm of the opinion that the Lord wants nothing in particular from me. He gave me freewill, and I am to choose to LOVE.

More Books From My Shelf // KEEP READING!!

I really want to list & post here every book I have sitting on my shelves, and in stacks & piles surrounding me.  Mostly to let people know what I'm made of how I think, where I'm coming from, etc.  You absorb ideas, views, attitudes & mannerisms from the people you surround yourself with.  I completely believe the same is true with what you read (and watch, but I don't watch TV....maybe just too many "conspiracy theory" or "truther" YouTube videos).
Keep, keep reading!!  Paper books.  Real books. Hell, write a book!!  Yes, I have a Kindle & between my laptop & that device I have about a thousand digital books.  It's nice but there will never be an adequate 'replacement' for the printed book.  I'm not saying anything new.  Just keep reading.

"On the Road to Perfection"
  by G. Maloney



"The Hoax of the Twentieth Century"
 by Dr. Arthur Butz



"Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace"
 by Scott Hahn



"Satipatthana: The Direct Path To Realization"
 by Analayo



"Henry Ford & The Jews"
 by Neil Baldwin

"In the Heart of the Desert"
 by John Chryssavgis

"Hitler's Pope"
 by John Cornwell

"The Joy of Missing Out"
 by C. Crook

"The Arena"
 by Ignatius Brianchaninov

"The Unknown Pilgrim"
 by Rene Gothoni

"The Mystic Christ"
 "by Ethan Walker III

"Cave, Refectory, Road"
 by Ian Adams

"St. Mary of Egypt"
 trans. by Hugh Feiss

"Augustine on Prayer"
 by Thomas Hand

"Awareness: The Perils & Opportunities of Reality"
 by Anthony DeMello

"Biblical Demonology"
 by M.F. Unger

"Christian Mystics"
 by M. Fox

"Nothing in This Book is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are"
 by Bob Frissell

"Hinds' Feet on High Places"
 by Hannah Hurnard

"The Cross & the Kremlin"
 by T. Bremer

"The Tao of Inner Peace"
 by Diane Dreher

"Herzl's Vision"
 by Shlomo Avineri

"Travels in Siberia"
 by Ian Frazier

"Standing in God's Holy Fire"
 by J. Anthony McGuckin

"The Gospel Truth"
 by Alexander Holub, Ph.D.

"Bringing Jesus to the Desert"
 by Bradley Nassif

"The Purposeful Universe"
 by Carl Calleman, Ph.D.

"Understanding Iran"
 by William Polk

"Islamic Political Thought"
 ed. by Gerhard Bowering

"An Exorcist Tells His Story"
 by G. Amorth

"Man's Search for Meaning"
 by Viktor Frankl

"The Hermitess Photini"
 by Archimandrite Joachim Spetsieris

"Mysteries of the Virgin Mary"
 by Fr. Peter J. Cameron, O.P.

"The Desert Fathers"
 by Helen Waddell

"The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios"
 by Dionysios Farasiotis

"The Desert Movement"
 by Alexander Ryrie

"Contemporary Ascetics of Mount Athos"
 by Archimandrite Cherubim

"The Yoga of Jesus"
 by Paramahansa Yogananda

"Keeping Mary Close"
 by Mike Aquilina & Dr. Fred Gruber

"What the Mystics Know"
 by Richard Rohr

"Reckless Rites"
 by Elliot Horowitz

"More Than Anyone Can Do: Zen Talks"
 by Ton Lathouwers

"The Urantia Book"
 by Urantia Foundation

"The Body & the Blood"
 by Charles M Sennott

"The Devil & The Jews"
 by J. Trachtenberg

"Growing Up Palestinian"
 by L. Bucaille

"The Second World War"
 by J.F.C. Fuller

"Facing East"
 by Frederica Matthewes-Green

"Chemtrails, HAARP, and the Full Spectrum Dominance of Earth"
 by Elana Freeland

"Dharma Road"
 by Brian Haycock

"We Are NOT Alone"
 by D. Schulze-Makuch & D. Darling

"Crazy John"
 by Dionysios A. Makris

"The Big Book of Reincarnation"
 by Roy Stemman

"The Art of Prayer"
 compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo

"Introduction to Serbian Orthodox Church History"
 by Bishop Nikolos Resource Center

"Reading the Bible as God's Own Story"
 by W.S. Kurz, SJ

"Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews"
 by Alan Hart

"Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things?"
 by Robert Bartlett

"Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer"
 by Norris Chumley

"My Life In Christ"
 by St John of Kronstadt

"The Dhammapada"
 by K. Sri Dhammananda

"The Far Future Universe"
 ed by George F.R. Ellis

"The Station"
 by Robert Byron

"The American Orthodox Church"
 by George C. Michalopulos & Herb Ham

"Where We Got the Bible"
 by H.G. Graham

"Children of the Holocaust"
 by Arnost Lustig

"Amped: Notes From a Go-Nowhere Punk Band"
 by Jon Resh

"The Philokalia and the Inner Life"
 by C.H. Cook

"The Faith of the Saints"
 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic

"The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today"
 by John Michael Talbot

"The Other Gospels: Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament"
 by Bart D. Ehrman & Zlatko Plese

"Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages"
 by Nicole Chareyron

"Rethinking Depression: How to Shed Mental Health Labels &
Create Personal Meaning"
 by Eric Maisel

"The Mindfulness Code: Keys for Overcoming Stress, Anxiety,
Fears, and Unhappiness"
 by Donald Altman

"The Magus of Strovolos: The Extraordinary World of a
Spiritual Healer"
 by Kyriacos C. Markides

"Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy"
 by Eric D. Weitz

"The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew and Thomas"
 by Bernhard Pick

"A Guide to St. Symeon the New Theologian"
 by Hannah Hunt

"Basil of Caesarea: A Guide to His Life & Doctrine"
 by Andrew Radde-Gallwitz

"The Young Elder: A Biography of Blessed Archimandrite
Ambrose of Milkovo"
 by Archbishop Antony Medvedev

"Saint Athansius the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria"
 ed. by Father Samuel Nedelsky

"Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions"
 by Eric Maisel & Ann Maisel

"Abandonment to Divine Providence"
 by Jean-Pierre de Caussade

"You and Your Problems"
 by Ven. Dr. K Sri Dhammananda

"Dreamgates: Exploring the Worlds of Soul, Imagination, and
Life Beyond Death"
 by Robert Moss

"Awaken to the Buddha Within"
 by Ven. Shi Wuling

"Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Ancient
Philosophy for Modern Problems"
 by Jules Evans

"New Frontiers in Guadalupan Studies"
 ed. by V. Elizondo & T. Matovina

"A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain: Discussion with a
Hermit on the Jesus Prayer"
 by Met. of Nafpaktos Hierotheos

"Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing
and Becoming Whole"
 by Robert Moss

"Active Dreaming: Journeying Beyond Self-Limitation to a Life
of Wild Freedom"
 by Robert Moss

"Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche"
 by Bill Plotkin

"The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a
New Life Today"
 by John Michael Talbot

"Jesus the Magician: A Renowned Historian Reveals How Jesus
Was Viewed by the People of His Time"
 by Morton Smith

"The Secret History of the Gnostics: Their Scriptures, Beliefs
and Traditions"
 by Andrew Phillip Smith

"The Lost Teachings of the Cathars: Their Beliefs & Practices"
 by Andrew Phillip Smith

"The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times"
 by Jean-Charles Nault, O.S.B.

"Jesus Wept: When Faith & Depression Meet"
 by Barbara C. Crafton

"The Purposeful Universe: How Quantum Theory and Mayan
Cosmology Explain the Origin and Evolution of Life"
 by Carl Johan Calleman, Ph.D.

"Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: A Living Novena"
 by Marge Fenelon

"Ten Series of Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary"
 by Rev. John Ferraro

Some new books I've received over the past few weeks:

....this should keep me busy for a few weeks.  If I had life my way, the world would leave me the fuck alone and let me read 24/7!!!  Actually I DO have life my way....LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!  ESPECIALLY DUMB-ASS SKANKY, UGLY, NASTY, JUNKIE HOOKERS [D.C.]

"The Struggle forVirtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society"  by Archbishop Averky (Taushev)

"The Monk"  by Matthew Lewis 

"The Curious World of Drugs & Their Friends: A Very Trippy Miscellany"  by I Nierman & A. Sack

"St Nikodim of the Holy Mountain: What God Has Done for Our Salvation"  by St. Nikodim

""The Icon of the Nevskaya Mother of God, Quick to Hear"   by Archpriest Gennady Belovolov

"My Life in Christ"  by  St. John Kronstadt

"Nazi Germany: Confronting the Myths"  by C. Epstein

"Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina Monastery "  trans. by Archimandrite George Schaefer

"On Suicide"  by Emile Durkheim

"Reset Your Inner Clock: The Drug Free Way to Your Best-Ever Sleep, Mood & Energy"  by M. Terman, Phd & I. McMahan, PhD

"The Body and the Blood: The Middle East's Vanishing Christians and the Possibility for Peace"  by C.M. Sennott

"Fire & Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany, 1942 - 1945"  by R. Hansen  [NEVER forget Dresden, a holocaust inflicted on innocent Germans by America & her allies -ECM]

"A Concise History of Nazi Germany"  by J.W. Bendersky

"Germany, 1945: From War to Peace"  by Richard Bessel

"After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation"  by Giles MacDonogh  [Please learn as much as you can about the occupation of Germany from 1945 -1955 or so. Millions of innocent Germans were raped & killed by the "Allies", mostly the Red Russian scum!]

"The Urantia Book: Revealing the Mysteries of God, The Universe, World History, Jesus, and Ourselves"  by Unknown 

"Totally Wired: Postpunk Interviews & Overviews"  by Simon Reynolds 

"We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, the Collected Interviews"

"The Eichmann Trial Diary: An Eyewitness Account of the Trial the Revealed the holocaust"  by Sergio Minerbi

"Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk"  by L. McNeil & G. McCain

"The Young Hitler I Knew: The Definitive Inside Look at the Artist Who Became a Monster"  by August Kubizek

"Yoga: Immortality & Freedom"  by M. Eliade

"Why I am Still a Catholic"  various essays

"The Future of the Catholic Church With Pope Francis"  by Gary Willis

"Judaism for Dummies"  by Rabbi Ted Falcon, PhD & D. Blatner

"Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism"  by Timothy Keller "Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church"  by M.S. Rose 

"How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" by T.E. Woods, Jr.

"Islamic Political Thought: An Introduction"  ed. by Gerhard Bowering  [Thinking of my sweetest friend Karin Friedemann]

"Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital"  by M. Andersen & M. Jenkins

"Seeds of Grace: A Nun's Reflections on the Spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous"  by Sister Molly Monahan

"Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East"  by Barry Rubin & Wolfgang G. Schwanitz

"Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls"  by John J. Collins

"The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, 1945 - 1946"  by M.R. Marrus

"The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey Through Buddhist Practice and Tribal Wisdom"  by Joan Halifax

"As I Lay Dying: Meditation Upon Returning"  by Richard John Neuhaus

"The Heritage of the Bhikkhu"  by Walpola Rahula

"The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"Finding Our True Home: Living in the Pure Land Here & Now"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

Excellent Website About Mount Athos~

Mount Athos Information [link]

Short Documentary, "A Monk's Life"

I've wanted to be a monk--of some type--for at least twenty years. The idea of living in near seclusion on Mount Athos in Greece fascinates me. I would have to convert from Catholicism to Orthodox, however, and that's not going to happen. Regardless, I would like to visit Mount Athos someday!!  (Check out some of my others posts having to do with the monasteries of Athos!)

[Video] "Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer" Documentary about the Book of the Same Title

'Georgian Orthodox Monks: Monastery of Archangels'

Beautiful & angelic.  Bringing peace to my mind, heart, and soul.  

"Oh Jesus Christ, Son of God, I invite You into my heart.  A poor sinner I am.  A rascal & a scoundrel at times.  Depressed, lonely & addicted, I come to you with full supplication asking only for Your embrace & Your warm touch.  I was a seeker but now I have found what I was looking for."  Amen. Amen.

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos.....Modern Saint--

Elder Paisios is my hero.  I have a couple of books written by or about him.  He is truly full of sage, wise advice---all freely given to those asking, " Abba please give me a word."  I like to think of him secluded on Mount Athos living on locusts and honey.

Currently Reading these Awesome Finds.....Get Into It! Reading is Fundamental!

  

  

I've been reading the Bhagava-Gita off & on for almost 25 years now.   This is a new version for me though