If God has a fridge, does He tape our crayon art to it? I hope so. I made some for Him.
A few years ago, after a trip to Kenya, I felt God telling me to paint. So I did. I created some watercolors of the people, animals, and places of Kenya. I wanted to expose people to Africa's poverty and hope in a new way. I'm glad I listened. I had the most successful year as an artist that I had ever had, which culminated in two things: I was featured in the summer edition of World Vision magazine, which has a HUGE readership, and I raised enough money from the Kenya art sales to fund a large portion of my recent trip back to Africa. I also donated 25% of my proceeds back to World Vision. The whole thing felt really right.
After that experience, I still felt the need to paint. I probably will for the rest of my life. Around fall of 2009, I kept coming back to painting something for God. I didn't feel specifically called to paint like I did with the Kenya paintings, but I love Him so much that it's just something I wanted to do.
I'd been fascinated by the Hebrew names of God, such has Jehovah Jireh (Our Provider), but I didn't know as much about the names of Jesus. I'd been intrigued by Byzantine icons (think Madonna and Child paintings), but I didn't know much about them either. Last, I occasionally wondered why current art doesn't represent God like it used to in periods such as the Renaissance.
So, I decided to paint seven watercolors, each one based on a Hebrew or Greek name of Jesus. Each is done in the Byzantine style, but is modernized a bit in order to reach today's audience.
One of my favorite paintings in the series is Man of Sorrows/Ish Makoboth.
As I'm sure you can figure out, Ish Makoboth is the Hebrew translation for Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53: 3-4a). The name refers to Christ as someone who "took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."
Structurally, this painting is similar to Giotto di Bondone's
Ognissanti Madonna because of the Madonna and Child surrounded by saints and two angels against a gold background.
However, in my painting, Instead of Mary holding Jesus, it is Jesus holding a child against a gold background. Instead of being surrounded by saints, He's surrounded by people in pain. Each is giving Him an object that represents a sorrow in that person's life. The man in red holds a fly, which traditionally symbolizes disease. Notice the closer each individual gets to Christ, the whiter his or her clothes become. Christ is wearing a crown of thorns and His clothes are completely black. Through His death on the cross, He's taken away their sorrow!
Through the viewing of each painting, I want each viewer to be drawn closer to Jesus. I want people to see the title, read the painting description, see the symbols, read any scripture references, and be led to Him. We worship Him through the bible, through music, through prayer. Why not worship through art? Why not worship with our eyes?
One surprise for me was how the creative process became an act of worship. Through reading scripture references, finding the right Byzantine symbols, studying Byzantine paintings, and the act of painting itself, I was reminded that He is: the Child, the Beginning and the End, the Man of Sorrow, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. I already had an idea of what each name meant, but I learned it at a deeper level. I believe in Him even more.
Andrea is an in-store artist for Trader Joe's grocery store in the Seattle area. She loves travel to far off places, art, books, social justice, a good laugh, her friends, her family, and God.
Three days ago, I met Gaiw, a 10-year-old scavenger boy, living in a dump community on the outskirts of Phnom Pheh, Cambodia. 
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what
you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'." -
In 2008, Billy Graham delivered this fascinating and compelling 
Movies often talk about the "magic" of Christmas, and I am beginning to
rediscover the wonder of this time of year. It's all about anticipation.
About the good things of God that have been
promised to us. About hope and restoration. About change and the coming
of better things. It is a season in which we believe anything is
possible -- particularly that our negative or discouraging circumstances can, in fact, be redeemed.
LOVE