Posting and sharing with you the next set of my pencil and pen drawings. Enjoy!
Jesus with crown of thorns
Jesus, another reedited version of same drawing
That is how it looked like when I drew it. Pencil.
Rabbi Nachman of Uman, popular Jewish Hasidic tzaddik from Ukraine.
Pen drawing based on dream vision of A. Biton, Breslov follower
Drawing of Rabbi Nachman of Uman (Bratslav) with his quote
Rabbi Nachman drawing with his quote
Wisdom of Rabbi Nachman of Uman
Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) of Myra / Bari. Pen drawing of mine reedited.
Saint Nicholas of Myra. Black pen.
Saint Nicholas of Myra. Pen drawing of mine reedited.
Archangel Raphael and Tobias with curing fish. Pencil drawing of mine.
Archangel Raphael and Tobias. Pencil. Yet another reedit.
Archangel Raphael and Tobias (Book of Tobit). Pencil. Third reedit attempt.
The blessing of Jesus. Pencil drawing of mine reedited.
Outside of Buchach in west Ukraine, there is a monument of Jesus in blessing position. I used that photo monument as a sample to draw this. But I added some new features of mine here.
The blessing of Jesus, My pencil drawing after applying "pastels effect" in Photoshop.
"Colourized version" (in Photoshop) of my drawing of Jesus.
+ PEACE BE WITH YOU! GOD BLESS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014 / 15! +
Recently I have started drawing. In my younger years I finished children youth school but since I havent drawn much. Here I am sharing with you my drawings of Jesus.
1. Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Pencil.
2. Same drawing of mine, reedited and with Bible quote
3. Yet another version of the same drawing
4. Face of Jesus. Black pen. I used an Orthodox icon (that I have at home) to draw this.
5. Same pen drawing of mine with a Bible quote and different background.
6. Yet another version with a different quote
7. Jesus Christ with a thorn wreath. Pen drawing of mine. Just with a normal black ball ink.
8. The Look of Jesus. Pen drawing of mine.
9. My drawing of Jesus with Bible quote
10. Jesus with a lifted blessing Hand. Pencil. My drawing too.
I would appreciate your feedback. God Bless you and your family:) Greetings from Iceland!
Prayer can do miracles and it in fact does them. If God or some angel would disclose you all the effects prayer has upon the events or people in your life, you wouldnt have stopped praying. There are no coincidences in life. We get what we deserve or what God thinks what is beneficial to our souls, though it might be a painful medicine. God is like a Great Surgeon, who wishes only the good. There is no evil in God as He is only Love.
I noticed that if I pray before sleep I also sleep and rest better. Life without prayer is a nightmare - it is as walking in darkness not knowing where is the next pitfall. Without God, without prayer you set your life, health at a great risk - its like living at the mercy of the devil, who has no mercy as there is no goodness in him.
Christian shoud address God every morning and night. Once you wake up make a sign of the cross over yourself, recite the "Prayer of Optina elders", which is a blessing prayer for the day. One should know it by heart, as I for example, use it daily in Ukrainian. It is very much used in the Orthodox Christian Church. It is included in all prayer books. It sounds the following:
"Grant unto me, O Lord, that with peace of mind I may face all that this new day is to bring.
Grant unto me to dedicate myself completely to Thy Holy Will.
For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in all things.
Whatsoever tidings I may receive during the day, do Thou teach me to accept tranquilly, in the firm conviction that all eventualities fulfill Thy Holy Will.
Govern Thou my thoughts and feelings in all I do and say.
When things unforeseen occur , let me not forget that all cometh down from Thee.
Teach me to behave sincerely and rationally toward every member of my family, that I may bring confusion and sorrow to none.
Bestow upon me, my Lord, strength to endure the fatigue of the day, and to bear my part in all its passing events.
Guide Thou my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to suffer, to forgive, and to love.
Amen"
Before you fall asleep you should make sign of cross over yourself and say "In Thine Hands I give over my spirit O, Lord". Falling asleep is a sort of a "little death". Our spirit does leave or better to say "releases" the body during sleep but not alltogether and because of that we are more vulnerable to the external influences and need Divine protection. Thats why even if your are sleepy and tired, try to say at least the basic prayers (as Our Father, Ave Maria, Heavenly King, ask for sins forgiveness) or in general address God with your own words as you can. If you are not tired and have time and the necessary moment of silence, light the candle before the Icon of Christ or Mary or the Crucifix and say all the night prayers from prayerbook (good to know them by heart) and also pray with your own words too. Prayer with your own words is important as it comes straight from your heart and God values such prayers a lot. You can also recite couple of psalms. Genuflection (making knee bowings or prostrations) at the end of prayer is important. It is a sign of our respect and gratitude towards God who is the Superior Master over all creatures, who granted us life and everything we have in life, as nothing happens without His Will or Permission on this earth.
Ukrainian Orthodox prayer book
As far as prayer book is concerned - get yourself Orthodox prayer book (this is the best on my opinion) in your own language or Catholic prayer book (if you are Catholic). Any Christian living the modern western world should be well versed in both Christian traditions - eastern and western (I add even Jewish one) and get "the best pearls" out of all for your own spiritual benefit. Synchretism can be dangerous, I agree but if you have some education, knowledge of Christianity, have faith and reasoning you can find your safe way. I for example, use even Latin prayers like Salve Regina or Ave Regina (learned them by heart) or Hebrew ones (like Avinu Malkeinu or Christian prayers or psalms in Hebrew as Simkhi Miriam, Aveinu she be Shemaim, Esa einai el heharim...) though I am with the Orthodox Church. Its your personal choice how you wish to pray or praise God and Christ. It depends very much upon your cultural background or ethnicity. Good to have Holy Water (I usually get it in January from the Church, when waters are blessed on the day of the Baptism of Christ, get some 2-3 liters to be blessed then) and drink a glass of Holy Water once in a while.
Taking a regular Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church (I would recommend at least twice a month) will help you to pray. You will see that its much easier to make your pray (and to maintain spiritual life) after the Holy Communion (its a great relief for the soul as a Drop of Christ´s Sacrificial Blood purifies your entire being, depression (which is basically a "sin burden") goes away, you feel like you loose 20 kg) than if you dont take it for a long time.
Prayer and the Holy Communion will make your life safer. That I can reassure you in that!
The Word of God is a sword. So says apostle Paul in the New Testament. The Biblical Psalms are the Word of God as David spoke them through the Holy Spirit. Psalms are widely used in the Christian and Jewish liturgies and daily prayers. They are in every prayer book. The saints said that reciting psalms chases away the devils. Psalm recitation is a fiery spiritual sword that every Christian should use. They bear in themselves incredible power and spiritual healing, which if used can bring much benefit to the soul.
Years ago, I started learning psalms by heart. Its is also a good memory training. Spend 2-3 hours to learn one psalms by heart. then repeat it next day and so the day after and again after a few days and you will have it until the rest of your life repeating once in a while. It is not hard to learn 20 or 30 psalms by heart as it seems. You just need to invest time in that. Repetition is very important to have them stay in your mind. The more often you recite a psalm the more firmly you memorize it after your learned it once. Choose the psalms you like the most. usually there is plenty of time for their recitation - you can do it while you drive a car. In some 20 minutes of driving you can recite a dozen of psalms. Wherever you are working or waiting and there is no one to to disturb you you can recite psalms. The effect is tremendous. It is far more beneficial than any anti-depression drug (luckily never had to use it in my life). Human soul needs the word of God. It is spiritual bread. It is important to glorify God on daily basis. Somewhere I read that those who dont praise God in this life will have their tongue pierced in the afterlife. We dont bring material burning sacrifices to God as they did in the old days. But praising of God is a sacrifice! It is as a well pleasing incense before God. We leave in a dangerous world. There are spiritual traps all over in modern life. We walk through the shadow of death. Life is a great challenge. Get yourself the spiritual sword. And these are the psalms that come from your heart and mouth that was created to praise God eternally.
Psalm 150 (the last one in the Book of Psalms "Praise God in His sanctuary...praise God with the sound of shofar (trumpet) is a wonderful praise of God one should recite daily. Jews recite it during every morning prayer.
I learn psalms in Ukrainian. It is my native language. I did also learn a dozen of psalms in Hebrew. In the apocalypse of St. Peter (apocrypha) it says "Hebrew is the language of God and Angels". It is a sacred language, the language of the Bible and Holy Scripture, the language of Moses of Jesus, the Son of God (Jesus did spoke Hebrew as it was the language of the temple, the Holy Writings, of prayers in His time, as it always has been a sacred language among the Jews, though in daily life they might have used other vernacular be it Aramaic or Sephardi). But unless you studied Hebrew before it will be hard for you to learn psalm in Hebrew, especially if you dont know the rules of pronunciation or accent fall. So first of all learn psalms by heart in your own native language. You need just Bible for that.
Psalm 23 "The Lord is my shepherd" (Adonai Roi)
is one of the first psalms any Christian should learn. It is a must!
Do you know that your physical health is dependent upon your spiritual health? Healthy spirit generates a healthy body. Dont believe in lies that tell you that you are just the body, a mere matter, like a car or computer. It is eternal soul that fills the body and makes it alive. Spirit is a "upper part" of the soul, it is the heart, the mind, the intellect, self consciousness. The intelligent and divine spirit makes us humans. Animals also have the soul but they dont have the higher spirit, they cant reason, they dont have remorses of consiousness, they dont have true freedom of will (they cant go against their bodily instincts)- hence they are not responsible for their actions. We humans, stand responsible (before God) for all our actions already in this life and even more in the life to come.
Dont fool yourself by thinking that you will die and disappear. You will loose the body but your eternal soul will keep living, you will keep thinking (because thinking is spiritual, immaterial process) and remembering, regretting or feeling peace for what you have done in life. Every action, every thought, very word is recorded, nothing goes into oblivion. In fact, they say in Tibet, your soul leaves the body your thought works 7 times faster than in bodily state, as it is not limited by material nature. However after death, you loose the opportunity to change your soul. It gets "fixed" in the very state you leave the body. Change, growth, development is possible only here on earth, while you are in the body. Your eternal and immortal soul is "one" with the temporarily and deadly body. It fills every cell of the body. Hence while we are in the body we have to use time to shape and form our eternal soul to the best possible ethical and moral level, developing knowledge, good habits, virtues, accumulating good deeds, pray and develop our relations with the Absolute Spirit and Creator, our Father, which is God. Our goal should be our sainthood, our sanctity, so that when we leave the body we would be ready and fit to enter heaven, the abode of saints, what eye did not see and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind - God prepared this for those who love Him.
Human develops and grows not only as a body but also as a spirit. There is bodily growth (or degradation) and there is spiritual growth (or degradation). You are not the same even next day. While you are in time you are subject to change. There is no way to stop or go back. We have to face constant challenges, constant exams while we live. And here knowledge is very important to make right choices, right decisions, to avoid mistakes, things and actions that harm our soul. We need advise from holy men, saints and most of all from God Himself on how to live. And we do have it readily available - these are the Bible (in particular the New Testament), Teachings of Church Fathers, lives of saints, thousands of books by experiences theologians, Christians scholars, preachers or even blogs written by wise men. I do not consider myself to be particularly wise, being just an average Christian who like you longs for truth, spiritual wellbeing and salvation. But as we are obliged to help others in life, as Our Lord commanded (spiritual assistance and advise are far more important than material one) I decided to start this blog to bring to you, dear reader, what I have learned from my Christian experience, prayer, spiritual readings and studies. Modern world is full of confusion and chaos. It is very hard to find a true light and knowledge in it. My blog is intended to help all those who are lost or seek the answers to the truly important existential questions and dilemmas many face today.
English is not my native language (Ukrainian is), so I ask you pardon for any mistakes you find in my articles. Coming originally from western Ukraine, for the past soon 14 years I had been living in Norway and Iceland, writing this from Reykjavik now.
May God bless your day and will help you to come closer to Him. Today, I ask also the intercession of Saint Macarius the Great for you and your family. Until tomorrow dear friend.
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