IllustrationFriday.com Urban

I did this photo collage after seeing that the challenge was urban. It was inspired by a trip to Washington D.C. I was driving and I got lost in the maze that is my nation’s capitol. Just a few blocks from the opulence of all the huge marble buildings there are neighborhoods who are in need of the most basic essentials. Just blocks from the halls of power are people in desperate need of empowerment. The manicured lawns and architectural edifices almost succeed in making one forget that your’e smack in the middle of an urban area with real urban problems. I thought they needed a reminder, so I made one. I had to question how this could be. The very people with the resources to make a real difference seem too occupied with reelection to help.

But you know how when you point one finger you have four pointing back at you. The fact of the matter is, urban or rural, need is everywhere as are those with the resources to do something. If you can see a problem, there is probably something you can do about it. Every significant change starts with one person doing something. And remember, not all need is visible. Be attentive pray and do something.

Making a difference starts with caring enough to  do something.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Eye Glasses

The folks at IllustrationFriday.com posted the challenge Eye Glasses. This is what popped into my mind. Hope you like it!

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Yesterday

This week’s challenge, the word “YESTERDAY” is a loaded word. Some look at their yesterdays with fond memories others with profound regret. Memories of yesterday can spawn the enemy of all creativity, “If only…” If only I had done this… If only I hadn’t done that… If only this had happened… If only that hadn’t. CanI tell you, none of that is useful? Yesterday serves one purpose, as a lesson for how we will live today. Those lessons combined with the choices we make today are what ultimately influence the course of our lives. God in His permissive will allows this, knowing full well our past and the choices we will make today. Give up on “If only…” thinking, learn from your past and make great choices today, thrusting that God is good and will carry you all the way through. Yesterday is a teacher, learn from him, make great choices and create a better future.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Talent

The challenge for this week was the word Talent. I wasn’t quite sure how to express it until I found this great quote from John Wooden that not only addresses talent but how to handle it.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Whisper

The IllustrationFriday.com challenge of the week is the word “Whisper.” The above image is what popped into my mind.

You see our world is loud. There seem to be at any given moment, a million voices screaming for our attention. These voices can take us in a million different directions and most of them will take us far off task and outside God’s will. We need to shut them off somehow. We need to get away by ourselves and listen in the silence. There are a million voices screaming for our attention, but there’s one voice we all need to hear. It’s the voice of God and He speaks not in a scream, but in a still small voice.

We read about it in the Bible. There was a time when the prophet Elijah was in desperate need of a touch from God to hear his voice. This is the account from 1 Kings 19:11-13.

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

When was the last time you heard from God? Maybe you need to get away from the screaming distractions and the storms of life and listen for the whisper!

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Wool

Okay so the challenge was wool and wool made me think of lambs which brought my mind to the Lamb of God, Jesus.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge Storm

I just did this piece for fun and to try to learn a few new techniques. It’s completely digital and I am beginning to really enjoy this type of work.

How would you express a storm?

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Wheels

Speaking of Rush…
The IllustrationFriday Challenge of the Week was the word Wheels and for some reason I was reminded of the song Natural Science by Rush. Which contains this lyric:

Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, A pattern so grand and complex, Time after time we lose sight of the way, Our causes can’t see their effects.

I think of this song every time I’m at a beach and I see a little tidal pool left behind by a wave. I’m sure the band’s intent for this song may be much more humanistic, but when I think of the song I think of the way we face life. We get so caught up in our own little worlds that we forget that there is something so much bigger beyond our little pool. There’s a big world out there and an even bigger God. If we turn inward, we forget about all of that and become self centered. I think Paul was right when he wrote in Romans about how the evidence of God is seen in His creation. When I hear about wheels within wheels, I think of how atoms and solar systems, the smallest and largest assemblages of matter are asembled essentially the same way. Smaller objects orbitting around a larger central object. There is an incredible order to creation. We need to keep that in mind as we live out life in our own little worlds.

There is something much bigger than ourselves and until we get that, well, we’ll just be spinning our wheels.

Here’s the song:

IllustrationFriday.com challenge: Glow

The challenge word for the week is Glow, so I decided to let my friends at Creacher have a shot at it. Here’s what came out.

In John 1, John refers to Jesus as the light come into the world, which is what we celebrate at Christmas. The light of Jesus overcomes the Darkness of our sin sick world. Jesus later called His people the light of the world, and then He said that we need to let our lights shine before men so that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven. In other words…

GLOW!

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Stretch

At the end of the election season, the word stretch came up as the IllustrationFriday.com Challenge and I got this image. Stretching the truth usually removes the truth from it. Jesus said the truth will set you free. Just don’t stretch it.