I am new here. Please forgive me my shocking writing style.
I just read the book "Elder Paisios - Epistles" about four times in a row. It is one of my favorite books ever. It really is an excellent book, especially for people who want to become monks or nuns, but also for anyone who is Orthodox and has a thirst for genuine teaching on practical matters.
This is such a beautiful book! It is full of such simple and inspiring wisdom, I really love this book and I think everyone should read it. It has so much very good and helpful teaching on prayer and fasting and dealing with worldliness, I think he was a great Elder and I wish I could have met him.
I drink too much espresso coffee (i have a machine here at home and I just lost my job), I also smoke ciggarettes and this is a bad thing that I am always trying to stop but my will is pathetic and evil, please pray for me.
I like to read the Gospel alot since I lost my job and I am always bored and doing evil things with all my spare time. When I read the Gospel I feel like God is with me and there is no evil around me at all, but everything is good.
Nihilism was the first book I read when God showed me Orthodoxy. I think it is a very good book about modern life and the history of the philosophical presuppositions that underlie the madness we see around us. This is a very good book for exposing a person to the way they have been thinking if they have never been a Christian, like I was at that time. A great book, I love Father Seraphim.
I cannot write well since I decided to become a writer, thankyou Jesus.
Recently I also read "Iconostasis" by Pavel Florovsky (spelling?). That is a really good book if you are a bit of a tripper and a bit of a thinker in a different way than the usual logical, intellectual thinker. It is about dreams and symbols and Icons and it is a very good book if you are up to it.
I always like to open and read the second volume of The Philokalia. St Maximus is one of my most beloved saints. I really get alot out of reading his words. I have learned so much about my thoughts and how to deal with them from this book.
I have St Isaac "the ascetic life" in my car for idle moments. Reading the Holy Fathers cleans your vision, makes you remember God and thank him for everything we have.
from saint Isaac,
The friend of virtue is not one who diligently does beautiful things, but one who gladly accepts the evil things which cling to him.
If you believe in Gods care for you.. you must not be concerned to guide your soul by means of a stategy.
Now I am re-reading Unseen Warfare, since losing my job, I guess that is my new one.
One thing, though; I'm confused, what is a "tripper"? I assume you don't mean Jack Tripper