Tonight I heard a pastor refer to his body as temporary quarters.
Why do we think everything we do will last?
Alas, there is a season for building, a time for filling, and a time to tear down....but, just before, there is a time to reflect on the beauty and the character of that which is no longer of much value functionally but still very charming to our aesthetic and to our remembrances.
Be blessed! One day, you too will be admired like this barn. May you have many stories to tell of all that was contained in the life and in the walls.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Aging
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Burj Al Arab - برج العرب -The Purple Hour
And for another view...wow, what theatrics! Some places just want to be seen...and can you fault them? This is one impressive place on Earth...and they say the limits are whatever the mind can conceive... and the Prince will authorize!
Great photo by a great artist!
Before & Now
Throughout the world, we juxtapose the past with our view of the future here in the present...architecture has such a strong message when utilized as a medium and not merely as a function of containment.
This photo is such a strong reminder of heritage and vision. I am impressed!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Carpet Of Leaves
As Summer ends, GOD covers the earth with His glory....in gold, green, red intensities only He could provide to our color spectrum and to our hearts. GOD loves beauty and delighting His children.
What a GOD we have!
Be blessed this week as you discover His beauty in your world. Listen to His voice as you see His creative talents.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Do You See Your Calling? VerseVisions Art; Romans 1:1
"Separated unto the Gospel." Romans 1:1
I sometimes get so caught up in trying to be good in the eyes of God. I find myself so preoccupied with my own inner behavior that I lose sight of what God has called me to do first and foremost- proclaim the Gospel.
I justify this by thinking that there is no way that I can be used by God to witness to others until I clean up all of the garbage within myself. The truth is, if I wait until I am personally “holy”, I will never be of any use to God here on earth. God is very interested in reaching and saving His lost children, yet I am more interested in how He can make me more pleasing in my own eyes.
Father God, forgive me for my selfishness and pour into me your passion and urgency to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
This painting was inspired by the powerful devotions penned and published by Oswald Chambers in the early 1900’s. His powerful book, My Utmost for His Highest, continues to touch my life and draw me closer to Jesus. I hope that this art and verse do the same for you!
Read the devotional from My Utmost For His Highest that inspired this work.
Do You See Your Calling? VerseVisions® Art; Romans 1:1. Mark Lawrence, 2008. Digital mixed media on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. Copyright © 2008 by Mark Lawrence. All Rights Reserved
Psalm 25
Show me your ways, O LORD!
Continuing the psalmic art series. Psalm 25 - Show me Your Ways, O LORD
Uploaded by traqair57 on 16 Aug 08, 5.55PM PDT.
Psalm 24
Yes....without question and without a man-made paper document called a deed,
The Earth is the Lord's. He is generous in what He shares with us!
Are we generous in what we share with Him?
Is He Really Lord? VerseVisions Art; Acts 20:24
Is He Really Lord? VerseVisions Art; Acts 20:24 by Marketseq.
". . . so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus." Acts 20:24
This painting was inspired by the moving devotions penned and published by Oswald Chambers in the early 1900’s. His powerful book, My Utmost for His Highest, continues to touch my life and draw me closer to Jesus. I hope that this art and verse do the same for you!
Read the devotional from My Utmost For His Highest that inspired this work.
Is He Really Lord? VerseVisions® Art; Acts 20:24. Mark Lawrence, 2008. Digital mixed media on canvas, 60 x 40 inches. Copyright ©2008 by Mark Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
Genesis 1:1, Painting with Light Art
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
Genesis 1:1, Painting with Light, VerseVisions, 2008. Digital mixed media on canvas, 60x60 inches. Copyright © 2008 by Mark Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
* Painting With Light
This painting has been rendered with a unique new Painting with Light art technique that “paints” the picture using the selected Bible verse text as the paintbrush. You are seeing the verse above painted imperceptibly millions of times repeatedly across the canvas! God's inspiring Word is literally woven within the colors and composition of this one of a kind painting.
VerseVisions® Inspirational Art with a Promise from God!
"It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." Isaiah 55:11 NLT
Perhaps God sent this art to you today so He could touch and encourage your heart with His very special word for you.
A Message From God
Even in the abstract of clouds passing overhead, His message is clear. Receive it and enjoy it...His free gift to you in the moment...
found online at: http://www.flickr.com/blog.gne
a letter from God?
My dear child,
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. [PSALM 139:1] I know you when you sit down and when you rise up. [PSALM 139:2] I am familiar with all your ways.[PSALM 139:3] Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. [MATTHEW 10:29-31] For you were made in my image. [GENESIS 1:27] In me you live and move and have your being. [ACTS 17:28] For you are my offspring. [ACTS 17:28] I knew you even before you were conceived. [JEREMIAH 1:4-5] I chose you when I planned creation. [EPHESIANS 1:11-12] You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. [PSALM 139:15-16] I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. [ACTS 17:26] You are fearfully and wonderfully made. [PSALM 139:14] I knit you together in your mother’s womb. [PSALM 139:13] And brought you forth on the day you were born. [PSALM 71:6] I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. [JOHN 8:41-44] I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love. [1 JOHN 4:16] And it is my desire to lavish my love to you. [1 JOHN 3:1] Simply because you were my child and I am your Father. [MATTHEW 5:48] Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. [JAMES 1:17] For I am you provider and I meet all your needs. [MATHEW 6:31-33] My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. [JEREMIAH 29:11] Because I love you with am everlasting love. [JEREMIAH 31:3] My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. [PSALM 139:17-18] And I rejoice over you with singing. [ZEPHANIAH 3:17] I will never stop doing good to you. [JEREMIAH 32:40] For you are my treasured possession. [EXODUS 19:5] I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. [JEREMIAH 32:41] And I want to show you great and marvelous things. [JEREMIAH 33:3] If you seek me with all your heart you will find me. [DEUTERONOMY 4:29] Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. [PSALM 37:4] For it is I who gave you those desires. [PHILIPPIANS 2:13] I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. [EPHESIANS 3:20] For I am your greatest encourager. [2 THESSALONIANS 2:16-17] I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. [2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4] When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. [PSALM 34:18] As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. [ISAIAH 40:11] One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. [REVELATION 21:3-4] And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. [REVELATION 21:3-4] l am your Father and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. [JOHN 17:23] For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. [JOHN 17:26] He is the exact representation of my being. [HEBREWS 1:3]
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. [ROMANS 8:31] And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. [2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-19] Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. [JOHN 17:26] His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. [1 JOHN 4:10] I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. [ROMANS 8:31-32] If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. [1 JOHN 2:23] And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. [ROMANS 8:38-39] Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. [LUKE 15:7] I have always been Father and will always be the Father. [EPHESIANS 3:14-15] My question is…will you be my child? [JOHN 1:12-13]
I am waiting for you. [LUKE 15:11-32]
Love, your Dad.
Almighty God.
found online at: http://www.flickr.com/blog.gne
from whence the brick came
A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighbourhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down.
When he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared.
Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!
He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting,
'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?'
The young boy was apologetic.
'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...'
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the boy pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.
'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!'
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.
found online at: http://www.flickr.com/blog.gne
Sunrise scene
even the birds of the air have trees to make their landing. What a view they must have.
Autumn by the lake
follow the light...where does it go?
Intriguing...and seductive as it draws us into the distance.
He will show you the way.
Miraculous Signs...
So....
what does it take for you to believe? Faith, proof, signs, wonders?
Think about all we are created to experience. There is something within us that says we must not be the center of the Universe...and He doesn't have to prove it....but He does!
Because He loves us!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tammy Trent's Story of Pain and Committment
Losing a Soul Mate
Tammy's story is one of despair and unexpected grace.
In September 2001 she and her husband, Trent (from whom her stage name comes from), spent a few days in Jamaica - part mission trip, part vacation. On September 10th, Trent went diving and never returned. Tammy spent the rest of the day with rescue divers trying to locate her husband with no success. She woke up the next morning in the home of strangers to discover that the whole world had gone mad. (9/11) As she waited for news of her husband, she watched the news as two planes plowed into the Twin Towers in New York - later that day she had to identify the body of her husband. No one in her family could get to her as flights were canceled. She was held captive in Jamaica for ten more days waiting to return to her family. Tammy's story of God's grace in the midst of such pain, fear and loss touches everyone she ministers to.
It is one thing to call the Lord shepherd - it is another to be carried by Him when you can no longer stand. Tammy is constantly amazed by our Lord's commitment to us in the worst moments of our lives.
Tammy's story is one of despair and unexpected grace.
In September 2001 she and her husband, Trent (from whom her stage name comes from), spent a few days in Jamaica - part mission trip, part vacation. On September 10th, Trent went diving and never returned. Tammy spent the rest of the day with rescue divers trying to locate her husband with no success. She woke up the next morning in the home of strangers to discover that the whole world had gone mad. (9/11) As she waited for news of her husband, she watched the news as two planes plowed into the Twin Towers in New York - later that day she had to identify the body of her husband. No one in her family could get to her as flights were canceled. She was held captive in Jamaica for ten more days waiting to return to her family. Tammy's story of God's grace in the midst of such pain, fear and loss touches everyone she ministers to.
It is one thing to call the Lord shepherd - it is another to be carried by Him when you can no longer stand. Tammy is constantly amazed by our Lord's commitment to us in the worst moments of our lives.
Let it out....hmmmmm. Good idea!
Yes, this is a commercial. It has been a while since it was on the television. But it is still true. We all need a good listener in our lives and yes, it probably isn't your husband. We fail at this special calling....."Come on, can't you get to the point?" We constantly think we are more important than those we are listening to.
Take a quick read and see what you think. If you want to hear it live, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf7lQ9b6cZQ
If you have more time (40 minutes), go here:
http://www.kleenex.com/NA/Default.aspx
“Let it out” was composed by Austin Hartley, and recorded on the Starrfadu album “A Narrow Road to Silence”. Starrfadu is Brian Moody (drums), Dave Martin (bass) and Austin Hartley (vocals and guitar). Starrfadu are based in Springfield, Missouri. For more details see the official Starrfadu web site and Starrfadu MySpace site.
Lyrics for Let It Out
Do you want to lay your head on my shoulder?
I don’t mind if you cry
sometimes we all just to need to let it out
Just let your tears run down my arm
so I can keep them in a blue jar
We’ll drink them later
so just let it out
Let it out…
Let’s take a walk just to clear our heads
I don’t mind that you’re holding my hand
You say you love me so just let it out
Let it out
Instrumental
Your smile is pleasant
a change from before
When you saw that you couldn’t take any more
Sometimes we all just need to let it out
Let it out.
Let it out.
______________________________________________________
You know, the best place to let it out is to our heavenly Father. He is asking all of us to do just that as He knows we cannot hold it in without pain and consequence, but He can take care of it all! Whether it is relational, or finances, or physical pain or a thousand other issues, He can fix it!
Give it a try. Just ask Him to listen to your pain....He has been doing that very thing for His children for millenniums. Be BLESSED!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
INTIMACY...Into ME See?
I saw Francis Frangipane a number of years ago in Atascadero, CA. A small venue, a small ministry needed him to speak..he came and did what he does...a conduit of GOD's voice to the Body of Christ.
His sincerity and gentle spirit make him one you want to listen to...the meek truly shall inherit the earth!
_____________________________________________
Standing Behind Our Wall
The sense of distance we often feel between Christ and ourselves is an illusion. As we enter the days prior to Christ's Second Coming, the Lord shall begin to remove that falsehood. Indeed, He promises, "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you" (John 14:20).
The Scriptures tell us that Christ is the vine, we are the branches; He is the head, we are His body; He is the Lord and we are His temple. From start to finish, the Bible declares the Lord not only has a dwelling in heaven, but that He also abides perpetually in redemptive union with His people. The ever-present focus of His activity is to guide us into oneness with Himself.
Thus, for all that the Holy Spirit has come to establish in our lives, whether through gifts, virtue or power, His highest purpose is to lead us into the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit labors ceaselessly to establish intimacy between ourselves and the Lord Jesus. Someone once said that intimacy means "into-me-see." This holy transparency fills the letters and words of the Bible with the heartthrob of God. Like sheep, we actually hear the Shepherd's voice speaking to our spirits, bringing comfort, correction and direction (see John 10:27).
Not only are we privileged to know Christ's teachings, He is so close to us in spirit that we can discern the tone of His voice as He instructs us. This is heart-to-heart intimacy. Listen to His wonderful promise:
"I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15).
Jesus says, "I know My own, and My own know Me." How intimate is this relationship? The union between Christ and our hearts is of the same quality as His union with the Father. He says it is "even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father."
Yet, the sense of distance between Jesus Christ and us persists. You may have prayed, "Lord, You said You are with us forever but I feel alone. I cannot perceive You." If Christ is within us, how can we find the living flame of His presence?
In the Song of Solomon, this quest to find the secret place of His presence is given wonderful expression. The bride says, "Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, climbing on the mountains, leaping on the hills! My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag" (Song of Sol. 2:8-9).
This is our Lord, full of vitality! He is "climbing on the mountains, leaping on the hills." To see Him on mountains, though, is to behold Him from afar. He is still distant. How do we live in a moment-by-moment sense of His indwelling presence? We still ask, "Where within me are You, Lord, within me?"
The bride continues,
"Behold, he is standing behind our wall, he is looking through the windows, he is peering through the lattice" (Song of Sol. 2:9).
Yes, Christ dwells within us, but He is standing behind our "walls." The walls between us and the Savior are primarily the work of unrenewed minds and hardened hearts. We have barricaded ourselves behind fears and carnal attitudes; we are held hostage by sin and worldly distractions.
Yet these barriers can be eliminated. To the degree they are removed, we possess oneness with Christ and experience true spiritual advancement.
Removing the Walls
Even now, let us pursue the removal of these barriers. How? Imagine that, even as you are reading, the Lord Himself has quietly entered a nearby room. You look, and suddenly the room is vibrant and alive, shimmering with waves of light. Instantly, your senses are flooded with His holy presence as the living, probing light enters you and descends into your heart. The darkness that shrouded your inner sin nature is gone and your heart is exposed.
My first question: Knowing that Jesus Christ is in the room, would you enter?
If you could not bring yourself to move toward the room, what would be your reason? If it is because you feel you have failed the Lord too many times, then shame has become a "wall" between you and Christ. If fear keeps you distant, then fear is the barrier between God and you; if an unrepentant heart is keeping you from intimacy with Christ, then heart hardness is your cause of isolation.
Remember, the pure in heart see God (see Matt. 5:8). If we repent of our wrong attitudes and sins; if, instead of shame and fear, we clothe ourselves with the garments of praise and salvation, the barriers between ourselves and the Lord shall be removed.
But let me ask you a second question: How would you enter Christ's presence?
It is my opinion that we would not pick up tambourines and dance into His glory. No. When the greatest apostles and prophets beheld Him, His presence caused each to fall face down as a dead man before Him. For me, it would be with great trembling that I would approach the room of His presence. I would inch my way closer.
How can we break the sense of distance between ourselves and Christ? In the same way we would repent of sin and shame before entering the room, let us turn our gaze toward His living glory. In trembling obedience, let us enter the fire of His presence for, in truth, He is closer than the room next door. He is, even now, standing behind our wall.
Lord Jesus, I remove the wall created by my fears, sin, and shame. Master, with all my heart I desire to enter Your glory, to stand in Your presence and love You. Receive me now as I bow before Your glory.
The preceding message is adapted from a chapter in Francis' book, The Days of His Presence (published by Kingdom Books). For more information on this book, please visit the Arrow Bookstore at www.arrowbookstore.com. For reprint permission, please contact the publisher.
Laminin
Have you heart about laminin? Pretty cool building block.
Take a look at what Louie Giglio has to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4
Be BLESSED as you see yourself in the very design of GOD. ON PURPOSE! NO ACCIDENT! NOT MERELY A SIMPLE ACT OF REPRODUCTION, BUT a magnificently choreographed play in the drama of ETERNITY!
Oh yes, YOU are His favorite actor/actress. Be BLESSED!
Beauty in The Eternal
Yes, time does take its moments to arrive...and perfection seems an infinity away...but GRACE and MERCY cry out...do not despair. You, like millions, of beloved sons and daughters have been promised a gift of fellowship eternally.
Be BLESSED while you wait upon the ONE who deserves your service.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Towards the Mark
Pressing on....to the ONE who calls me friend.
"Jesus, strengthen my inner man that I may not fail in my quest for you.
And may those I love and those who are my neighbors and those who are my enemies find the peace that passes understanding from the only ONE who gives what we are really looking for"....be BLESSED fellow runners. Keep on...
The Winding Narrow Path
The road is not wide, the road is not straight, the road is not safe...
But the ROAD is the only place we can go...with the protection and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Be blessed this weekend.
scenery courtesy of Gatineau Park, photography courtesy of Peter de Wit
Love Endures
Isaiah 53 (The Message):
1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
10Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Light of The World
Yes there is a source of L I G H T.
But He is not a force ruled by physics.
He is the only son of the Creator of the Universe. All we see comes from His command. His voice. And it is.
Can you imagine the authority?
Not it will be...it is! ALREADY!
Now that is a K I N G and a K I N G D O M worth serving.
Walking along the beach
Walking along the beach, brought from across the sea...
Will you walk?
Will you get on board the boat?
Will you accept the invitation?
"We say yes...
Come Lord Jesus and take us across the sea to the beach of fellowship. We can walk together with you. F O R E V E R."
Would Jesus wear His own logo?
Graphically, I like this....it is sort of now and yet it has a flair of Sixties contemporary in it....
I think that is the awesomeness of Jesus...
He is the same,
yesterday,
today and
F O R E V E R !
Put your trust in Him. He will never let you down.
It's raining light, Hallelujah!
GOD dwells within us....
but...
He shines His light upon His creation as well.
Can you feel Him?
He dwells within us truly. Feel the warmth of His rays of light as He produces life within you!
UP ON THE ROOF...The back to nature roof
I have been in roofing for thirty years and the idea of a grassy lawn on the roof of a building has always intrigued me...so cool to go up on the roof (the best view of any home), relax on the grass with a drink and maybe playing a game of bocce ball after dinner.....why would anyone want asphalt shingles or gravel or even tile when you could live large up on the roof?
Let's start a new trend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)