The Paintings...

     When I absolutely knew that painting was supposed to be part of this Bible study, and that I was supposed to be the painter, let's just say, I was more than intimidated. But in obedience to God, I decided to tell people about it. I knew if I didn't, the enemy would wreck havoc in me and I wouldn't even try to do what God was asking. And so...I bought paint, brushes, canvasses, and an easel.  And then, for the next three weeks, I stared at them every time I walked by my kitchen table.    

     I am by nature creative, but I have never painted. I felt sure that God had asked me to do this though, so I was sure that He would not leave me hanging. I continued to wait...
     The day finally came when I decided it was time to open the paints and pick up the brush. For hours I tried to reproduce the six days of creation, but the longer I painted the more discouraged I got.  I did not suddenly become a painter.

     I decided to put it all down again and continue to wait. I began to question what I thought God had said to me.  I wondered if I mistaken...

     A few days later, my desktop computer was in crash mode, so I had to go through all my photographs and copy them onto an external hard drive. As I did, I came across a folder of photos titled, "The Glory of God." It was full of pictures I had taken where God's creation had stopped me and I felt His presence beside me as I went back through the pictures. "Paint these pictures." God whispered. "This is where you saw me." 

     Within a few hours I knew what I wanted to do.  I still had to workout all of the steps, and figure out the dynamics of it, but God had given me a clear plan and I knew exactly what photo I would use for the cover of, "The Glory Road." I was full of excitement again. 
     I used a computer program to transfer my photos to a black and white outline on a canvass and then used oil pastels to reproduce them.  There is a story for each of the pictures I chose, and I'll share them in the bible study, but here are a couple I recently finished...and the "Glory" continues....