This painting uses color to portray the importance of my daily time with the Lord. The yellow is me as I come away from a face-to-Face encounter with the Almighty; just like Moses coming down from Mount Sinai, my face is glowing! I move through my day and I do things that are priestly and purple. I do and think things that are heavenly blue. The more time that passes, the more the green earthly things begin to creep in. Before long, bitterness, envy, strife, and other orange uglies are present. Then bam! Blatant red sins begin to intrude from every angle.

I’ve not moved to a place away from God’s presence, for no such place exists. However, I have moved to a place where I’ve become unconscious of His presence, where my sinful thoughts and behavior speak of my forgetfulness and Satan’s powerful deception. The only solution is to return to the Source, to once again meet with my Lord Jesus, one-to-One, basking in the light of His love, and letting His glow overtake me once more.

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If you have enjoyed this art/story, please be sure to check out the related artwork, “Life Without“.

This simple picture is child’s play – watercolors swirling across the page and snowflakes cut from folded paper. But the lesson learned from a snowflake is not so simple. Though every snowflake is the same, a six-sided crystal formed by freezing water, each one is also different. Since time began, all the snowflakes that have ever fallen, each one has been unique. I marvel at how an infinite variety can come from such limiting requirements – made only from water, designed with only six sides. What a wonderful testimony of God’s glory!

The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” In this verse, the Greek word “poiema” is translated as “workmanship”. As you can see from the spelling, it is similar to our English word “poem” and the meaning of the Greek word has some of that same flavor. Each and every believer in Christ Jesus becomes one of His unique poems as the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us.

Those who are “in Christ” are the handiwork of the Lord, all sharing an identical purpose – to do good works. Yet we are all uniquely gifted and given different deeds to perform. Just like the snowflake, our sameness has infinite variety and this too is testimony of our Creator’s majesty and glory – for we are His workmanship.

This painting is a self-portrait, here I am telling the people around me what great things God has done for me, and how He has had mercy on me. In Mark 5:19, these are the same instructions Jesus gives to a man He freed from a tormenting legion of demons. “Go home to your people and report to them….”

This is the challenge before me as I begin blogging here on WingAbouts.com. I grew up in a family where talking about religion, money or politics was considered rude. Perhaps you did too. But I’ve gained a new perspective over the years. If Jesus is the cure for eternal suffering, then not sharing that cure with others is cruel and very unloving.

So here I am to shatter that old silence. I believe in Jesus Christ and I think you should too. He is not just one of many ways to heaven. He is the only way, the only truth, and the only key to a life worth living on this earth. More importantly, He alone can give you eternal life (John 14:6).

That’s my story, what’s yours? Please join with me here weekly and leave questions or comments from time to time to help shatter some silence of your own.

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Click here to read the story “The Making of Shattered Silence“, where I give you a behind-the-scene look at how this abstract art was created.

What does a common sunflower have to do with Lazarus? This photograph was taken in November 2009, just a few days before Thanksgiving. The harsh winter rains came early that year and most everything else in the garden was rotting. But there, amidst all the decay, arose this glorious flower, looking up towards heaven as its petals unfurled in defiance of death!

Even more glorious was the revival God began in my spiritual walk during this same time. When I took this photograph my life was a mess – I was struggling to overcome chronic pain and financial difficulties, while still wrapped in the grief of being recently widowed. I had somehow become that thorn-infested soil from the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8), the worries and cares of this world were choking me.

My zeal for the Lord was waning and the light that had once shown so brightly in me was fading fast. Spiritually, I felt dead and my life then wasn’t much different than that of someone with no faith at all. In John 11, we learn about Lazarus, he was dead for 4 days when Jesus called him to come out of the grave and rise from the dead, and now Jesus was calling to me, “Come forth!”

But how was such a revival even possible? Like me, the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 had lost their first love. Jesus warned them, “Repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent.”

Now there was just one question left – “How do you repent?” Biblical repentance always involves change. One day you find yourself walking away from God and then you make a deliberate choice to turn and walk towards Him. That is repentance – you see the way is wrong and so you go a new way. If you want revival, repentance is the biblical path to take…none other exists that I can see.

No matter what you’re going through, God is still there. He’s willing and able to guide you through any storm. This painting represents God’s presence in the pillar of fire that traveled with the Israelites through their wilderness wanderings. He was there, ever-present, faithfully guiding the way. Today, God is still here in our world, that same Ever-Present Being. There is nowhere to hide from God. No action, no thought or intention is beyond His watchful eye. Nothing I’ve ever done was done alone, and the same is true for you. Loneliness is a lie.

Satan, the father of lies, has cooked up the whole concept of loneliness to keep us from finding assurance and guidance from God’s presence. Satan tells us we can do sinful things and God won’t notice. We’ve all done things we wouldn’t dare do if we simply realized the Holy God was right there looking over our shoulders! For that moment, at least, we have accepted Satan’s world-view, believing no one can see us. But God is Ever-Present.

It seems that no one is spared from Satan’s treacherous lie. He uses our fear of loneliness to entice us as teenagers to succumb to various peer pressures. He convinces us as parents that an empty-nest is a source of anxiety. Satan targets our senior citizens; persuading them they are isolated, neglected, and forgotten. However, the loneliness we feel is nothing more than a disgusting lie! God is Ever-Present and we are deceived to ever think otherwise.

When I was suddenly widowed, I was thrust into a world where I felt easily overwhelmed without my husband at my side. But my Lord Jesus was with me every step of the way, every moment of every day. No person has ever lived alone and no person will ever die alone. In each life, at every stage, there is the Ever-Present God.

Unlike the Israelites needing that pillar of fire to guide their way, you may get along pretty well in this life not knowing anything about God or His presence. But eventually, you’ll come to the far edge of your life and you’ll look out on the vast expanse of where you’ll spend eternity. At that moment, it is vitally important to know that the Lord Jesus Christ is most definitely with you.

Are you going full-speed ahead in this life, doing everything you can to win, no matter the cost?

This simple carving illustrates a very important message for the followers of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians 9:24 that we are to, “run in such a way that you may win.” According to the world, winning means you’ve pulled ahead of everyone else and you’re out in front. But notice the head of this horse is not looking forward with the determination of a well-trained racehorse whose eyes are on the prize. No, this winning horse has turned his head to focus on others.

Paul also tells us in Romans 12:5 that we are members of one another and are all connected by our faith in the Lord. By definition, to be a Christian is to be baptized into Jesus and become part of the Body of Christ. “To win” in a biblical sense can only be done by helping others to run well. No one called by God is called to “look out for #1” – none of us are to run for ourselves.

It is the entire Body of Christ that needs to win this race. We must encourage one another, serve one another, and pray for one another. You can’t win the race if you’re trying to do it alone; the lungs can’t cross the finish line without the legs. As Christians hoping to win, we need to be grabbing hold of the hands of our brothers and sisters and, all of us, stampeding together towards that finish line!

Our Scriptures have plenty to say in regards to prayer. They give us both examples of prayer and instruction on how to pray. In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus commands His disciples to be in prayer for the lost.

1. Our Motivation to Pray (verse 36)
2. The Problem Defined (verse 37)
3. The Lord’s Surprising Solution (verse 38)

Let’s take a closer look at the teaching in each of these verses.

1.  Our Motivation to Pray

“Seeing the people, He [Jesus] felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36). First of all, notice that Jesus sees the people and recognizes their need. Living as a modern-day monk, socializing only with other believers, will not likely give you much of a heart for the lost. Jesus is our example, and He regularly associated with the lost, the outcast, and the oppressed.

Secondly, notice that their spiritual need was His main concern. They may have been hungry or in need of a new and better political regime, but Jesus was focused on their eternal well-being.

Lastly, sheep without a shepherd are highly vulnerable and may succumb to hungry wolves at any moment. The situation is urgent, the eternal destinies of these souls are being held in the balance. The time for action is now!

2.  The Problem Defined

“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’” (Matthew 9:37). Jesus said there are more people ready and waiting to be saved than there are people willing to share the gospel with them. This is a serious problem!

Has anything changed in 2,000 years? Not really. While we don’t know how many people are ready for harvesting, we do know that only about 30% of the world self-identifies as being Christian. That means for every person who claims to be a follower of Christ, there are at least two people who are not.

However, the reality of the situation is quite grim. Not all of these self-professing Christians are truly saved. Jesus warns us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is going to heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). Furthermore, most self-professing Christians have never shared the gospel message with someone else. Indeed, “the workers are few.”

3.  The Lord’s Surprising Solution

“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38). To “beseech” is to ask urgently and fervently. We are told here to pray earnestly for the lost by praying for more workers.

Jesus, filled with compassion for the lost sheep’s urgent and dire need, commands His disciples to pray for those who share the gospel. How many times have we prayed that this or that particular person come to know Christ? Yet here we find Jesus teaching us that our prayers should focus on the Christians surrounding that person, that they be strengthened and increase in number.

Finally, notice that this harvest belongs to God. Jesus says God is the “Lord of the harvest” and that this is specifically “His harvest”. Yes, we are to play our part. But, ultimately, the outcome is in His hands!

Conclusion:

To be in prayer for the lost is to pray for the Christians whose lives touch the lost. We need to take personal responsibility and speak up, boldly sharing the gospel whenever opportunities arise. But we also must pray for back-up, that more warriors are sent into battle and that the Lord of the harvest equip us as He sees fit.

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I’ve created a special page here on WingAbouts, dedicated to educating others about reaching the lost. Please watch and share the two short videos at “Our Mission”. Thank you!

Perhaps you’re a runner, or an obsessed Star Wars fan, maybe even a car guy, or an avid quilter. I’m none of those things, but I have had an obsession for nearly 15 years now. I hope whoever you are; you can appreciate the effort that has gone into this endeavor and rejoice with me over this triumph.

Next month will mark 15 years since I first registered the domain name “WingAbouts.com”. I’ve been obsessed all this time trying to figure out how I could use my skills as a writer and artist to do an online ministry that would glorify God, build up His church, and spread His Word around the world.

During this time there have been many obstacles, including being widowed and relocating 3 times. Through it all, the Lord has been faithful to provide the support of loving family and friends who have stepped in to give their support, encouragement, and technical advice on how to get this moved into reality. Thank you all so very much!

As of today, WingAbouts is finally real! This website isn’t perfect; it never will be, so I’ll just keep tweaking it here and there. In the meantime, there’s the beginnings of a teaching blog and a working storefront to showcase my artwork. That’s right – my art is finally up for sale – really!

The best part is that I’ve found a truly awesome ministry to donate my profits to – “Faith Comes by Hearing”. They are partnered with 40 other ministries to provide audible translations of the Bible to people all around the world. You can read more about them on the “Our Mission” page I created here on my website… https://wingabouts.com/our-mission/

There are tremendous joys and blessings that become ours when we commit to following Jesus Christ. But trying to figure out if this preacher, teacher, author, or blogger is speaking TRUTH to us is not one of them! Knowing how to spot false Bible teachers is a critical skill. Messing this up has very real and eternal consequences. Therefore, I chose this topic for my first blog post here on WingAbouts. Not only to help you decide if you should be paying attention to anything I have to say, but also to help hold myself accountable.

There are three basic benchmarks to always keep in mind:

1. Who is Jesus?
2. What is the Bible?
3. How do you get to heaven?

I’ve chosen these three questions because it is here that many go astray, false teachers arise, and cults are birthed. When put together, these three will determine if a teaching is true or not. This is not a game of horseshoes – getting 2 out of 3 right is not “close enough”. Jesus warns us in Matthew 15:14 that false teachers are blind guides… “And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Heaven is at stake here.

1. Who is Jesus?

Simon Peter answered correctly when he proclaimed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16). There’s a lot of theology packed into that one statement! But, suffice it to say, false Bible teachers often demean or outright deny the deity of Jesus Christ. Cults portray Jesus as an angel, political leader, mere prophet or good teacher. In II Corinthians 11:4, the Apostle Paul chastises those who have accepted teachers bringing them “another Jesus”, offering a Jesus who is not as the Scriptures reveal. Jesus clearly claimed to be deity and the Jewish people sought to kill Him for His supposed blasphemy (John 10:30-33).

2. What is the Bible?

The Apostle Paul tells us that ALL Scripture is God-breathed and profitable (II Timothy 3:16, 17). I want to emphasize the word “all” used here because false teachers often times ignore large portions of the Bible. They also portray the Scriptures as outdated or untrustworthy. Furthermore, false teachers will add man’s doctrines to the Scriptures. Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 15:8, 9 when He said, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”

3. How do you get to heaven?

The road to heaven is through the cross of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, His atoning blood, His death – burial – and resurrection… AND God’s grace to believe this is all true. It is by faith we are saved, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Teachings about salvation that require us to DO something (anything) are coming from false teachers. Jesus is sufficient! He alone is the way, the truth, and the life – no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6).

Conclusion:

Ultimately, spotting a false Bible teacher boils down to a simple question. Are they adding to, or subtracting from, the Scriptures? There are perhaps many more things I could address here. But these three are the foundational truths of Christianity. Together they form a framework by which you can know if someone is a false Bible teacher. It is also how you can now decide for yourself if WingAbouts is a spiritually “safe place” for you to hang out.

In closing, let me just add that the single most critical thing for me is to be biblically correct. If you ever have a concern that something shared here on WingAbouts is otherwise, please let me know!

WOW – Word of the Week Bible Study, Jan 7, 2015

Strong’s #H1692 dābaq

Dābaq is a verb used 55 times in the Old Testament and is most often translated as “cling” in the NASB. This word means adhere to, abide fast, cleave, joined together, intertwined like reeds woven into a basket, and resisting separation. The same Hebrew word is translated as “joined” in Genesis 2:24 and describes the devotion and intimacy God desires to be part of every marriage, becoming as one flesh.

In II Kings 18: 1-6, King Hezekiah “did right in the sight of the Lord… He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel… for he clung (dābaq) to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.”

In Jeremiah 13:11, we learn that the nation of Israel was made for the very purpose of clinging to the Lord like a waistband clings to a man’s waist. In the Psalms, David uses this term as he writes of a thirsting soul being satisfied in God: “Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name… For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings (dābaq) to You; Your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63: 3-4, 7-8).

The events in the book of Deuteronomy take place during the last few weeks of Moses’ life. He uses the term dābaq to describe the way Israel was to adhere themselves to the Lord, sticking to Him as with glue…. “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling (dābaq) to Him… But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God… The Lord will make the pestilence cling (dābaq) to you until it has consumed you…” (Deuteronomy 10:20; 28:15, 21).

Later, at the end of Joshua’s life, he would use the term dābaq to warn these same people about their closeness to those not loyal to the Lord. “You are to cling (dābaq) to the Lord your God… take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. For if you ever go back and cling (dābaq) to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.” (Joshua 23:8, 11-13).

In the New Testament, we find a similar teaching from Paul: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? …Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE, says the Lord… And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.” (II Corinthians 6:14, 17-18). We are to cling (dābaq) to the Lord, not the world.

New Testament bonus verse: Romans 12:9 “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” Abhor (G655) means to utterly detest. Cling (H2853) means to stick or to glue.