One

"One." It defines the state of harmony that exists between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; it expresses the goal of husband and wife; it is the command of our Lord, given to all those who would be His disciples, of how we should be with one another; and it is the desire of our Savior for the condition of our relationship with Him. It is the latter expression that is the theme of this work: If we are one with the Lord, then no matter the intensity of the storms that afflict us in life—and they will be intense at times—we will emerge with hearts intact and spirits buoyed and strengthened. We will, at length, come to know as the apostle Paul did, that “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.”

This painting was done for the Triannual International Art Competition sponsored by my church. In it--as in all my paintings--I hope to convey the gift of peace I feel from my Savior, Jesus Christ. (In this painting, the two trees are symbolic of the individual and the Savior.) The above paragraph is my description that accompanied its submission.

Dichotomy

This is what Amazon.com recommends for me. In case you're unable to read the small print, they are: Victorinox Swiss Army Knife; Ty Uniqua Backyardigans Toy; Tuscan Elements (Interior Design) Book; and Victorinox Swiss Army Multitool. I'm reminded of the Sesame Street song One of These Things....

But I guess this really is a fairly accurate description of my life.

One-Hundred Eighty Degrees

I thought I'd depart a little from my usual fare and give you something really deep. Happy pondering.

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind." Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind."

-Jack Handey

Final Exam

The scriptures record the following conversation between the Lord and a designing lawyer:

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

"'Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

"This is the first and great commandment.

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

There are many traits that identify a true disciple of Jesus Christ, but two stand out to me as supreme in their importance, namely Forgiveness (received from God and evidenced in our ability to in turn forgive others) and Love. Interestingly, the two are inseparably connected.

To His discples gathered on the Mount of Olives, Jesus shared the parable of the sheep and the goats, illustrating with poignancy that it is in showing our genuine love for our neighbor that we ultimately reveal the depth of our love for the Lord:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

"Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Love. Will I pass this test?

There Is Beauty All Around

There is a bounty of both positive and negative images and influences surrounding us every day. More often than not, seeing beauty requires making a conscious choice to acknowledge its presence before us.

But then there are times when all that is needed is simply to open our eyes and look.

I Stand All Amazed

For as long as I can remember, this has been one of my favorite hymns. After a particularly poignant experience, it has been on my mind almost constantly over the past few months:

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, He suffered, he bled and died.

I marvel that He would descend from His throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebelous and proud as mine;
That He should extend His great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of His hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at His feet.

Oh, it is wonderful
That He should care for me enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!