Saturday, March 24, 2007
Spirit of Elijah
By Ramone - March 19, 2007
The spirit of Elijah is casting away the stones --the obstacles-- that are keeping God's people from seeing Him as He truly is. Elijah is standing in the waters of repentance, and restoring the hurt and broken vineyard of the Lord. The sky is green like before a mighty downpour -- the torrential storm of the Lord is coming soon.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Falling Forward
By Ramone - March 10, 2007
Coming home yesterday I wasn't feeling close to Him... I haven't been great at resisting the enmy lately, and have been often assailed by temptation. You fall & wonder where you can go... keep walking? Is it right to? Yes, fall foward into His grace. Go forward & just fall. Lean on Him, your resting place. This is kind of how I saw it as I walked, this water in front of me that I'm to fall into. Is it a waterfall in a city street?
Being a Child of the Creative Age
by Makoto Fujimura
A keynote address by Makoto Fujimura at a recent International Arts Movement conference.
http://makotofujimura.blogspot.com/2007/03/being-child-of-creative-age.html
(Picture by John Hendrix)
Excerpt from address:
"Artists, we are called to create in our ground zeroes, too. We need to be a voice of faith there. Yes, we have been alienated and orphaned. It is time to regard the age at hand, and take individual steps to move beyond the post-modern fog into the Creative Age... The Creative Age exists because of the opportunity presented by the crisis of our age. We face a precipice of despair and fear, a culture at a loss to offer what it means to be a human being. This culture herself is orphaned, and cannot see beyond her misery... It is time to read those faces, and build on faith. There's no other choice; To love is to remain human. We need to romance the culture in this present crisis. Woo her to love, and not fear. To do that is to be a true artist of the Creative Age... We need, as the children of the Creative Age, not only to create in love, but to create what love means in this culture. By doing so our art will begin to re-humanize the world."
A keynote address by Makoto Fujimura at a recent International Arts Movement conference.
http://makotofujimura.blogspot.com/2007/03/being-child-of-creative-age.html
(Picture by John Hendrix)
Excerpt from address:
"Artists, we are called to create in our ground zeroes, too. We need to be a voice of faith there. Yes, we have been alienated and orphaned. It is time to regard the age at hand, and take individual steps to move beyond the post-modern fog into the Creative Age... The Creative Age exists because of the opportunity presented by the crisis of our age. We face a precipice of despair and fear, a culture at a loss to offer what it means to be a human being. This culture herself is orphaned, and cannot see beyond her misery... It is time to read those faces, and build on faith. There's no other choice; To love is to remain human. We need to romance the culture in this present crisis. Woo her to love, and not fear. To do that is to be a true artist of the Creative Age... We need, as the children of the Creative Age, not only to create in love, but to create what love means in this culture. By doing so our art will begin to re-humanize the world."
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The Lord Will Guide
By Ramone - March 3, 2007
This is a continuation (part 3, actually) of this picture. After praying, being overwhelmed by God's presence & assurance, remembering that picture & looking at it, I felt like I saw this picture "behind it". I wondered what it meant.
A year later when sifting through some old sketches (some of which I put up in Gallery 12), I ran across the old sketch I'd made of this picture, and I sat down to make a watercolor version of it. As I did so I began praying for understanding about it. There are so many things a lighthouse can represent!
As I worked on this and waited on Him, I took a break to eat lunch and began reading through the book of Psalms. I came across Psalms 107 and 78:
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,I looked up lighthouses on Wikipedia and discovered that lighthouses are "used to mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals away from the coast, and safe entries to harbors."
and He brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and He guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men.
...He brought his people out like a flock;
He led them like sheep through the desert.
He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
I felt that maybe this picture is Him showing us that He is guiding us into safe harbor, into the bay, port, haven & resting place. (Since we're now having some apartment troubles, I take it as a word from Him in good timing! Thank You, Jesus!)
Blessings. The Lord will guide you to safe harbor!
Looking Through Law
By Ramone - January 4, 2007
This is life looking through the glasses of the Law... all you see around you is sin, darkness, confusion, moral impurity, etc. You stand with arms folded and don't realize that you have a big head, and that you are just as dark as all that around you.
I can draw how silly this looks because I've stood in those shoes; I've worn those glasses. Thank God, He has removed the veil in His Son! We no longer need to look at ourselves (and at one another & the world) through the lenses of condemnation and the ministry of death! Instead we see that He has become our perfection, His grace has given us His righteousness.
Lord, help us truly see and take off the glasses of the Law. Help us see the light of Your Son, that He is our righteousness, that He alone is right. Help us free of judgment and condemnation. Help us count all these things as loss for the sake of knowing You are the only One that Father is pleased with. In Jesus' name, amen.
