Advent: Discernment

Oil on Panel for 

"Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Joseph" Journal

by Ascension Press

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For me, discerning a direction from God is difficult. After prayers for guidance, the following days and months are filled with moments where I listen and watch for a sign of guidance. It takes a aggregation of small moments to discern a path. Sometimes the message is loud and clear. But for the most part, I find the longer route of discernment to be the norm.

Joseph had a big decision to make—even bigger that he could ever imagine. He found out that his fiancé was pregnant—and the child was certainly not his. He was deliberating on whether or not to dismiss her and break off the engagement. It was the appropriate thing to do in the eyes of the Law. It was the easier thing to do in the eyes of society. But it was Mary's eyes, when she told him the news, that troubled him. Should he stay committed to Mary, accept the scandalous situation, and be a father-figure to the Messiah? It's all just too crazy. Faith and tradition only go so far. Joseph believed in the coming Messiah, but this was very different from what he expected. Tradition and the Law told him that the right thing to do was to just walk away. 

Then The Angel spoke to Joseph in a dream. That must have been some dream. If it were me, I would always wonder if my mind was just playing around in REM state. However vivid the dream was, it was enough to embolden Joseph's faith and inspire him to stay with Mary. I believe this story is a great testament to Joseph's trust in God, the quality of Joseph's faith, and the strength of his love for Mary.

Like Joseph, may we look with Advent eyes for God's will. 
And may God grant us the courage and humility to follow Him.

Joseph the Carpenter

Oil on Panel for 

"Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Joseph" Journal

by Ascension Press

Click Here to Purchase

Advent at Work.

Joseph was a carpenter. He worked daily with his hands—chopping, sawing, hammering, chiseling, and sanding—making things for others. It must have been hot, tiresome, gritty work.  Joseph was a craftsman. It was a career that required skill, devotion, physical labor, and discipline. It also required humility and a dependence upon God and the economy of others to earn a living wage.

When I am working on a painting, my mind tends to delve deeply into a kind of meditative state. Part of me is problem–solving the task at hand. Another other part of me is always thinking about the meaning of the image being created. In this painting, Joseph is putting finishing touches on a table. I wonder what his mind was thinking about as he worked in the months prior to the birth of Jesus. I would imagine there would be mixed bag of anticipation, worry, fear, and insecurity. But there would also be joy, hope, peace, and love.

These are but some of the characteristics that could be found in the man whom God chose to be a father figure to the Christ. It would make sense that Jesus would grow up to be a man of devotion, humility and trust in God. Jesus spent much of his ministry at table with others. Even to this day, two thousand years later, we come to a table to remember Him.

As we ponder the gift of the incarnation this season, may we also give thanks for Joseph. May His devotion to God, family, and work be an inspiration in our Advent lives today.

Daybreak

6"x6' Oil on Panel

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“The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” –Selections from Romans 13:11-12

“Rise and Shine” is the inspiration for this year’s Advent artwork and design created for First Presbyterian Church, Franklin. The scriptures for this season are about visions, dreams and the dawning of God’s kingdom. The texts also call us to be active participants of God’s new day.

Advent is a time of twilight hope with dreams of peace and joy. As we continue to wake up, we rub our groggy eyes as they adjust to the soft light of God’s love surrounding us. It’s also the time to get up, stretch, and be about the daily work that God has called us to do. Through the gift of Advent, God is making us “Morning People.”

So wake up everybody. 

Let’s get ready to go to work for God’s kingdom. 

It’s going to be a beautiful day.

Sure On This Shining Night

20"x24" 

Oil on Canvas

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Sure on this shining night

Of starmade shadows round,

Kindness must watch for me

This side the ground.

The late year lies down the north. 

All is healed, all is health.

High summer holds the earth.

Hearts all whole.

Sure on this shining night 

I weep for wonder 

Wandering far alone

Of shadows on the stars.

– James Agee

Choral Arrangement by by Morten Lauridsen

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Transfiguration

8"x10" 

Oil on Panel with Palette Knife

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Luke 9:28-36

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 

And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became 

dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared 

in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 

Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, 

they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, 

Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, 

one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, 

a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 

Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 

When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days 

told no one any of the things they had seen.

Love Your Enemies

5x7 

Oil on Canvas Panel

Available

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 

bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, 

offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 

Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them 

again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those 

who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? 

For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, 

what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. 

Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind 

to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. 

Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, 

pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure 

you give will be the measure you get back."

_______________________

In this Sunday's scripture, Jesus continues to turn the world upside down 

with the call to love our enemies. I recently heard "love" defined as 

"willing the good for the other." (Fr. Mike Schmitz)

This abstract painting expresses the struggle to live out that calling. 

How does the call to love our enemies conflict with our definitions of justice and fairness? 

How does this calling translate in abusive situations?

How much of a difference would living this calling make in today's polarized society?

How different would the world be if we actually loved our enemies? 

Miracle Catch

11x14 

Oil on Panel

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Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in 

on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen 

had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one 

belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down 

and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 

"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, 

"Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will 

let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were 

beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. 

And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, 

he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" 

For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." 

When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Christ Reads from Isaiah

8x10 

Oil on Panel

Available Here

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.  He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,  and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Hills and Valleys

Hills and Valleys

30"x40" Oil on Deep Edge Canvas

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God is LORD of the hills and the valleys. 

Come what may we belong to God.

Thank you for all of the blessings in 2018.

And especially for your prayers.

May God's love surround you all in the new year.

Wonder of Light

Wonder of Light

12"x12" Oil on Deep Edge Canvas

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As the year comes to an end, it is a great time to pause and reflect on we've been and where we want to go. Here is a recent landscape abstract which contains art lessons that can apply to our lives as we contemplate the new year.

1. Gray is a beautiful color.
So many look at gray as depressing and drab. There is so much delicate beauty in all of the many kinds of gray. There are warm grays, cool grays, brown grays, blue grays, green grays and so much more.

Our society polarizes more and more into camps of defined color. (Black & White, Red and Blue, etc.) We need to learn to recognize the mixing and bleeding of gray mid-tones in life and culture. If we can do that, we can better live together as children of God.

2. Look for the light.
As a painter, I spend a lot of time observing light and trying to mimic the effects of light on canvas. Compositionally, light directs the eye around the painting. Light changes as the day progresses. As a plain-air painter, I have to bee quick to capture the light of a certain moment before it changes or goes away altogether. Light guides us. Light reveals. Light brings color.

There is plenty of darkness in our lives. If we think about light as Jesus taught, we remember that God is light and we are light as well. We need to be lovers of the light. We need to be looking for it always—and following it. We should be seekers of the subtle affects and colors that light brings and helping others to recognize just how much we are surrounded with light. We need to bear our own light to the world. St. Francis of Assisi once said, "For all of us would be blind if not for the Light of the World."

3. Find your source.
For me, nature and water are sources of renewal. I love to stand near a running rocky river, observing it's motions and listening to its sounds. Nature brings me closer to the hear of my creator. In nature there are no straight lines or right angles. In nature, everything is fractal and curvy. Painting nature is so much more forgiving than painting man-made things and structures. For me, there is no greater art teacher than nature.

It's very important to find something, someone or some place that inspires you and renews you. We all need to find our own sanctuary from the world's distractions and draw near to God.

Frost at Dawn

24"x24"

Oil on Deep Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

I'm really enjoying abstract landscape painting!

Arise and Walk

8"x8" 

Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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Another abstract from the Gospel of John. This time from John Chapter 5.

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes.  In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

This painting depicts the mystery of the healing itself. When people are healed by Jesus, they are completely made whole. Their bodies, their emotional well-being, their status in society... everything. So the painting explores all of those other things that are being made whole in the healed man.

Bountiful

8"x8"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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Feeding the Five Thousand

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

John 6:1-14 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The People That Walked In Darkness Have seen A Great Light

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
The People That Walked In Darkness Have seen A Great Light

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light, and they that
Dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(Isaiah 9:2)

O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,
get thee up into the high mountain:
O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up thy voice with strength;
lift it up, be not afraid;
say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold you God!
Arise, shine, for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

But Who May Abide

5"x7"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
But Who May Abide

But who may abide the day of His coming, 
and who shall stand when He appeareth? 
For He is like a refiner's fire. 
(Malachi 3:2)

And The Glory Of The Lord

12"x12"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

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An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
And The Glory Of The Lord

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
Together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40:5)

Every Valley Shall Be Exalted

5"x7"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
Every Valley Shall Be Exalted

Every valley shall be exalted,
And every mountain and hill made low,
The crooked straight and the rough places plain. 
(Isaiah 40:4)

Comfort Ye, My People

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
Comfort Ye, My People

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. 
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, 
That her warfare is accomplished, 
That her Iniquity is pardoned. 
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness
Prepare ye the way of the Lord. 
Make straight in the desert a highway 
For our God. 
(Isaiah 40:1-3)

Morning Meditation

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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This on is an abstract plein air painting trying to capture the emotions of the moment. Stay tuned tomorrow for a more representational version of the scene.