A Healing Touch
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The paintings you see in this section were given to our siblings and parents. Sometimes healing comes to your physical body, other times it comes to you emotionally or spiritually. The paintings you see here aided in a healing that went deeper than cancer. I give God all glory and and very thankful to know my God this way.
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The sister this painting was for loves horses. She has taken part in many wagon trains and just loves the beauty of the animal. I was told after I gave this to her that it looks very similar to the Belgian they previously owned.
The Scripture I attached to this was from Revelation 19:11-16. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crown. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." I know this noble steed looks nothing like the horse described in this passage but when I look at it I am reminded that Jesus is coming back... It is my hope that we are ready to go home with Him to the place He has prepared in heaven. |
My brother that received this is a huge Buckeye fan... and no, I had no idea that the number 45 was significant until after I gave it to him. I just know that when I look at this I am reminded of Paul talking to the church in Philippi about pressing on to the goal. Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
We have an intense race to run; perfect oneness with Jesus Christ and our final salvation to heaven. Distractions in life and the worries that go along with it try to wear on us and try to steal our final goal from our sight. But just as the intense football player is pressing on toward the goal line keeping his eyes on that prize, we to need to keep our heaven bound goal always in our sight and block out the distractions that try to keep us from it. |
My other sister married a man that loves to hunt. For some reason when I found this picture it reminded of them. I am reminded of her generous heart when I was setting up house for the first time I had no pictures for my walls and she gave me a few of hers that contained deer in nature. I like the beauty of this buck as he is apparently aware of his surroundings standing so straight and tall almost as though he was posing for this picture.
The Scripture reference my mind instantly went to is Psalm 42. "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." As water is essential for physical life, so God and His presence are essential for satisfaction and wholeness of our spiritual life. As true believers of Jesus Christ we need to hunger and thirst for God and all that comes with Him. We need to pursue His presence as though our life depends on it because it really does. To stop thirsting for God is to die spiritually. We should pray that our desire for Him is strengthened. We should spend time with Him through His word and prayer as much as we can. It's awesome how it works, the more time we spend with Him the more time we want to spend with Him. Go ahead... try it! |
My brother that I painted this for was always nicknamed "Bear". I found this beautiful wooded scene by the stream and felt it appropriate to add the animal befitting of my brother. When I found this picture to paint I instantly went to Psalm 1:1-6. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
The bear is strong but without nourishment provided by the stream he would perish. The trees are strong but without their roots being continually fed by the water they would die. When we neglect to keep ourselves nourished by the Living Water... Jesus Christ... we too will spiritually die. I love this passage because It actually starts out with practical instruction directly from God then gives us an image of what it means so we can understand it completely. |
At the time my brother I gave this painting to had four YOUNG children all very active in sports. Sports offer many lessons as we grow but this painting made me think of an athlete and actually running a race. 2 Timothy 2:5 "if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
In my younger days I was an athlete. I knew what it meant to train and to follow the rules. This is so important for us to get because our eternal destination is dependent on it. We will all live forever... either in heaven with our God or in hell. To get to heaven you must make a choice to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord. In the process of being born again, you accept the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross... taking away your sin... and choosing to live for Him while you walk on this earth. The Holy Spirit draws you and upon accepting Christ will reside in you to direct you to that holy living. Also upon accepting Christ you go into training of sorts... like the athlete. You run according to the "rules" which is the word of God and you go into strict training by not falling into the ways that are not good for producing a strong body to compete. In an earthly race only one gets the prize, but in this race when you do the will of God you will obtain the prize of eternal salvation. |
Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."
My brother in law that received this painting was going through a very difficult time in his life. He is actually a step-brother in law and at the time I painted this for him he lost his mother to cancer. I know his whole family was going through much pain and then to know I was fighting cancer as well was overwhelming. This painting is actually of the Perry Monument that lives on the Put-In-Bay island in Lake Erie. It is one of this family's favorite places to go to get away from life's busy schedules and hassles. I see the tower and am so thankful that God is our watchtower and He is continually watching over us giving us a place to run to so we can be safe and to escape the things of this world that try to tear us down. |
This particular painting was given to my sister in law that has traveled quite a bit and when asked what she would like for me to paint for her she commented that she would like a picture of the tropics. This is where she remembers feeling and experiencing God's peace.
Luke 8:22-25 "One day Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let's go over to the other side of the lake.' So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!' He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?' he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.'" We can liken this passage to the storms that come in our own lives. God has it under control... reach out in faith to Him and instantly He can calm the storms in your heart, mind, and life. |
My sister in law that received this painting gave me a photograph to copy. It was a small silhouette of a man in front of the vastness of the ocean. She said she loved this particular photo as it always reminds her how great God is and how small our problems are in relation to Him.
I went to the Psalms and pulled this one out... Psalm 144:3-4 "O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." I have talked to many people that seem to think that God couldn't possibly care for the details of their life... that they just don't matter to God. This always breaks my heart because the truth of the matter is that not only did God take time to create you but created a purpose for you. He sent His own son to die for you (no greater love than to die for another) so you could fellowship with Him forever. Yes, we are small in comparison to the world and all that lies beyond and yes, our time on earth is a small thing, but we were created for eternity with Him... His eyes are on us and His hand will never part from us when we willingly give Him our heart! |
The dog in this painting is Angel. A small lap dog that brought much comfort to my mother and father in law. When I would think of Angel and the comfort she gave I was reminded of the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."
The way I have always taken this Scripture to heart is that in the ways that God comforts us in our tough times, we will get to comfort someone else that has to face similar situations. Often times the way God comforts us is sending someone to us that has been there before us. I love that God walked this earth in bodily form in Jesus Christ. He knows how hard it is and how lonely or painful it can be. He knows so He sends fellow believers alongside of us to help us through. As silly as it may sound, sometimes when I receive a hug from one of those people, I shut my eyes and picture it as a hug from God! |
The tractor in this picture is the first tractor my grandpa owned. My dad said they got him in 1936 and then the tractor in 1937. Dad ended up with the tractor and it holds many memories for him as his life was dedicated to farming.
My thoughts however went to references in Scripture that depict farming. The most well known being about reaping and sowing. Galatians 6:7-10 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to pleas his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Just remember we are continually sowing... into our future, into the lives of others, into our work and play. What are you sowing? I hope it is pleasing unto God because He knows every thought we have and even the motives behind them. We will reap what we have sown. I know it's hard to always do the right thing, or to always do good...He says, "you can do this, don't grow weary, refresh yourself in Me and I'll give you the strength to accomplish what I've called you to do." |
All Scripture is taken from the NIV copyright 1984