The Inner Workings of an Altered Mind: Life, Love, The Lord and The Awakening Art Show: A Bold Love Story by AlteredMind

Hey everyone, it’s definitely been a while. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and I hope everyone has been doing well! I just wanted to share a few of my experiences, thoughts, encounters with God and a few art shows I’ve been in with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I’ve been going through some pretty rough times over the last little while but The Lord has shown me that it’s really all how you look at it. The two opposite ends of the spectrum, optimism and pessimism, have made their importance very apparent. I very recently broke up with someone who was very special to me (right before Christmas and right after our second art show) who has been a huge part of my life. She lead to me know The Lord God Almighty, and thus, changed my entire life, freed me from Satan, drugs and schizophrenia and showed me what true fellowship with God’s children was like. She showed me how much greater the forces of Light are compared to Darkness. So, I’m sure you can see how that could be a very difficult thing for me. And I must say, it’s been one heck of a roller coaster ride. But as I said, Jesus has shown me that you can take every seemingly negative situation and turn it into a positive one, if you have the willingness to do so. For if we trust in God and we give our sorrows and pains to The Lord, He can replace them with Joy, Love, Peace, Purity, Faith and Hope in the way that only He can.

A few quotes have stood out to me over the course of my recent trials:

‎"In His infinite wisdom, God allows trials in order to develop perseverance in us and to cause us to fix our hopes on the glory that is yet to be revealed… Our faith and perseverance can grow only under the pain of trial." -Jerry Bridges

‎"There is a wide world out there, my friend, full of pain, but filled with joy as well. The former keeps you on the path of growth, and the latter makes the journey tolerable." -R. A. Salvatore

“…At dawn the sun is more brilliant by far. Because at dawn, we see the resurgence after the darkness. There is my hope, for as with the sun, so it can be true of people. Those who fall can climb back up, then brighter will they shine in the eyes of those around them. I watch the dawn and think of the man I thought I knew, and pray that my perceptions were correct.”
-R. A. Salvatore

‎"Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us." -Samuel Smiles

I have seen and can attest to the fact that The Lord is good in all that He does and is true to His word, the covenant that He creates with us. I know in my heart and soul that the trials that stand before me are only there to help me grow, learn and evolve, not just as an individual but as a son of God (and all that entails). They are there to bring me (and in the wider sense, all of us) closer to Him, where we can be free of negativity and evil and savour the taste of freedom and joy, all things positive and uplifting, things that can only come from God. So I say, for those who are struggling and for those who have struggled, fix your eyes on The Lord and ask not why this disaster has occurred, instead, ask The Lord what is it that He means to show you and teach you. And know that whatever has been taken from you will be given back to you even greater than before. Ask The Lord what is it that you must do to carry on along the path of physical, mental and spiritual growth.

And also, I’ve been involved in a very interesting movement over the course of the last six or so months called The Awakening Art Show: A Bold Love Story which you can check out on facebook under the name “Awakening A-Bold Love-Story”. We’ve had two shows so far, the first being a calling out to those in attendance to experience a spiritual awakening. Showcasing the contrast of life and struggles without The Lord and life and struggles with His Holy Presence and his comforter, The Holy Spirit. The second art show focussing entirely on the struggles that we all face such as depression, fear, worry, anxiety, hopelessness and so much more. The next, happening early this coming year will be titled “Rising From the Ashes”. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ have gotten together, under The Lord’s guidance to collectively share all of our experiences and creative talents, (given to us by The God of all Creation) uncensored and unedited. To get those who come, to share in our pains, struggles, joys and triumphs as we present to them our poetry, paintings, songs, drawings, photography, dance and just about everything else under the sun.

All in all, it’s been an incredible journey so far and I’m sure there’s much more to come. I’ll be posting some new poems over the next week and I’ll try to get some videos and photos of the art shows linked for those who are interested. At the bottom of this entry I’ll upload just a sneak preview of some of the pictures and I’ll also post a few links to some of the other artists who are a part of this incredible movement. May God watch over and protect, bless and keep you all.

-Altered Mind

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