In Tune

God is so faithful and he always knows just what I need to stay in tune with him. At times I am distracted, or choose to ignore the prompting, but eventually his sweet music and life giving word pull me back in. I am very thankful that I have a loving creative God who knows me and desires to whisper the truth in my ears.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (New International Version)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Blocked

How often do you feel blocked by the things of this world, or worse how often have you been a road block for someone else? I have been letting the weight of the World push in on me lately and I do not like how oppressive it feels. It tends to fog up my God filter and I find myself operating under my own strength. My prayer today is that I would shake off the things of this world (Stress from work, pressure to be successful, and PRIDE) and that I would see clearly where the Holy Spirit is leading me.

Proverbs 15:19 (NIV)
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.

1 Peter 2:16-17 (NIV)
16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

workers are few

Oh Lord, what is it that you would do with me if I would truly submit all that I am and follow you fully? Fear of the unknown, the uncomfortable, the unpopular, and the lack of control hold me back. It is my prayer that you will help me to push past this apprehension and truly give you my all....

Luke 10:2-11

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'

Soar like a 6 year old

I sketched this a few weeks ago and felt lead to create a larger painting. This is my first large piece using water color. When I was about three quarters of the way finished my 6 year old asked if he could help. I love drawing and painting with him as he has no fear. He will jump right in and just start applying color and lines and in this case his contribution helped me to bring out the texture in the sky. I learn a-lot from my kids and that day God impressed on me that he wanted me to soar like a 6 year old. I pray that I can enter each day willing to risk for the kingdom. Rather than planning each moment I pray that I will be willing to jump in and participate in whatever my heavenly Father is doing.

Isaiah 40:25-31
25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Carried away

Carried away - When I sketched this a few weeks ago I knew that it would eventually turn into a painting. I just could not get the image out of my head of being picked up and carried away by God. I later read about Paul's account of being shipped wrecked. He was on a journey as a prisoner during a very dangerous time of year to be sailing. Throughout the journey he listened and trusted God, eventually swimming to shore after the ship broke into pieces. Acts 27: 22-26 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."

I pray that I will have such faith and strength in God during times of trial

Acts 27: 40-44 and Acts 28: 40Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.

Acts 28: 1-2
1Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.

God is all around us

When I was a kid I used to love to look up at the clouds and find shapes that resembled animals, building, plants, etc... I was always amazed at what I could find hiding in the clouds. The other day I saw what looked like a dove in the clouds and snapped the above photo on my phone. I love to find God in nature and in the brief moment that the dove floated in the clouds I felt like God was smiling down on me.

Isaiah 55 (New International Version)

Isaiah 55

1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Washed Clean

I read the following verse and it really made me reflect on the fact that it is very easy to get caught up in our outward appearance.

Matthew 23:24-26 (NIV)
24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

I find that I often make assumptions about people based on what they wear, how they talk, and who they hang out with. This hit me the other day when my wife purchased a couple of peaches at a road side stand. Outwardly they looked and smelled fantastic. When we got home she washed one and cut it open. The outside of the peach looked perfect, but on the inside she found an earwig and mold around the pit. My whole perception of that peach changed instantly. I often wonder how different it would be if people could see what our hearts truly looked like all the time. My prayer is that Christ would wash my heart clean each day and that I would try to see past the bobbles of this world and treat those around me with the love of Christ.

Yielding

Each time I read this I am struck with the fact that God (our creator) loved us so much that he sent his one and only son Jesus to die for our sins. This one act covers all of us. This selfless act carries hope, forgiveness, and salvation for all that acknoledge that Jesus is Lord.

^{Mathew 27: 50-54}

⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵²The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Narrow Gate

I have been pondering Gods plan for my life. The more I think about it the more I realize that just thinking is fruitless. Without action Gods plan for my life will remain just that a plan. I must take action if I want to move in any sort of direction. That brought me to Mathew 7:13-14

13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Reading this makes me realize that I simply need to make sure that the direction I am moving is toward God, once I am doing that He will guide me down the narrow path. Sometimes a step back in our mind is a leap forward on his path. It is my prayer that my spirit would be sensitive to God's prompting, that I would not question the direction that He leads, and that I would be willing to risk.

Creation

Genesis 1:1-9
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Psalm 147:4
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

Rain Down

I am currently traveling at 500+ MPH, 30,000 feet above the Earth heading to Albany NY. I thought I would take advantage of the wifi on the plane to post my latest painting. From my current vantage point I can see for miles and I am wondering how many believers, seekers, and lost I will pass over in the next couple of hours. My prayer for those on this flight and for the people down below is that they would experience a hunger and thirst that can only be satisfied by God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Rain down on us, fill us up, send us out, stretch and grow us.

Luke 3:16

John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Isaiah 45:8

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it.

When drawing this God really impressed on me that we are all marked by him and that when we are living out our faith his mark shows up in gifts that others can't help but see. In this drawing the background looks like a thumbprint and the gifts happen to be music. Imagine God touching you and leaving a visible thumb print marking you as his own. While I was drawing this several people came to mind (Austin, Mike, Mal, Jeremy, and Nate) All of them have been given the gift of music and each of them use it to show their love for the Lord. When I hear them play I can feel the Spirit working through them. What had God hidden in your mark?


1 Corinthians 12:4
4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Twisted

Sometimes God really surprises me. I sketched this and wondered what he was trying to tell me, then I read Psalm 29:9.  Alone the drawing looks whimsical, but when paired with the verse there is a sense of power. I especially like "The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare". There is force and might behind the voice of the LORD.
Psalm 29:9 - 11

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Deep Roots

I have been working on this drawing off and on for a while. As I sketched, God really impressed on me a sense of elapsed time. A tree like this would take much longer to grow than one planted in deep soil and would have initially struggled to get enough water to thrive. Life would have most likely begun with lots of starts and stops and many short bursts of growth. Once rooted however this tree is now perched upon solid rock and is virtually unmovable, its roots now extending into sustainable life giving water sources. I believe this is a picture that reflects many of our walks. My prayer is that my Faith will continue to grow deep and that my foundation will always be the Rock I know as Christ.

Reaping the Harvest

John 4:35-38

³⁵Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ³⁶Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. ³⁸I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

True vine

John 15
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Tossed About \ Doorway is the Cross

It seems like in this world we often run into situations that seem overwhelming and at times impossible to overcome. I have recently had two friends experience such a situation. In praying for them I came across a verse that I had highlighted in my bible that has helped me many times.

Ephesians 4:14-16

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it work.

It is only by trusting in Jesus that we will truly be set free from those things that drag us down. For as my Pastor said on Sunday " The doorway is the Cross"

 John 17:24

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Tingle

You know how sometimes you just get that tingling feeling when you feel like the Holy Spirit is prompting you. It is as if all your nerve ending come alive, sometime for just a moment. It is in that moment that we either choose to act or ignore. It is my prayer that I would jump in with both feet when prompted. Some times a simple act of faith is the beginning of a whole new adventure.

Acts 8:38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

sowing into the harvest

Ezekiel 17

Two Eagles and a Vine

 ¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² "Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell the house of Israel a parable. ³ Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, ⁴ he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

 ⁵ " 'He took some of the seed of your land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, ⁶ and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.

 ⁷ " 'But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. ⁸ It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.'

 ⁹ "Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. ¹⁰ Even if it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?' "

 ¹¹ Then the word of the LORD came to me: ¹² "Say to this rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Say to them: 'The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon. ¹³ Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land, ¹⁴ so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵ But the king rebelled against him by sending his envoys to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?

 ¹⁶ " 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. ¹⁷ Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. ¹⁸ He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.

 ¹⁹ " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke. ²⁰ I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there because he was unfaithful to me. ²¹ All his fleeing troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken.

 ²² " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.
      " 'I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' "

unlocked

 I drew this a few weeks ago and have been unsure what was really going on in the drawing until I read Joshua 1: 1-9.  The drawing is about new beginnings.  I named it unlocked because it was only through the passing of leadership from Moses to Joshua that the land was finally open to the Israelites. The last line carries a- lot of power "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Those words were true then and are still true today.

 

Joshua 1:1-9 (New International Version)

Joshua 1

 ¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: ² "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea ^[a] on the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  ⁶ "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."