1John 2:17

‘The world and its desires pass away,

But the man who does the will of God

Lives forever!’

May God’s words be honey to your mouth today,

As a believer and an artist…

I used to seek out other like-minded people to learn about sharing my Christian faith through my art. For years I didn’t find anyone who shared my interest and so I prayed often, asking God to point me in the right direction and to assist me in learning more about how I could worship Him with the talents He gave me. Then one art project at a time God showed my heart and hands how to express my faith through my art. And one new friendship at a time He encouraged me and showed me that I’m not alone. So, on Friday’s I’ll be posting here about my passion for sharing faith through artwork in hopes that I can encourage and inspire you while glorifying God with the gifts He’s given me.

“In Christ I am a New Creation” Created with II Corinthians 5:17 on my heart.
By Laura Kirste Campbell

The following are excerpts…

God is the original Creator and He made us in His image. As artists we have a special place in God’s heart. The bible itself is a work of art. And it mentions many artists, even by name. There are musicians, writers and visual artists all adding beauty and joy to people’s lives. Scripture shows us how the arts can be extremely powerful. They can awaken us to truth and can change lives (1 Samuel 10:6), especially when produced with the anointing power of the Holy Spirit (1 cor. 2:4). We Christian artists can’t do what we do apart from the One who gifted us.

The arts move people because the arts speak to the heart. They excel at identifying with people’s pain and ministering the truth of God’s Word with sensitivity. Through our art we can encourage others with God’s word (Psalm 119:103). Art history confirms that paintings and sculptures have evangelistic powers of reaching hearts with visual stories of biblical history. As people long for God, we as artists can help point seekers to Him. Psalm 40:3 says that when we worship, it causes many others to turn to Christ. If we use our talent to create art to worship God instead of aiming to raise up ourselves, our art is glorifying God and pleasing to Him.

Our art can be more than an expression of celebration about Christmas, Easter, baptism, birthdays, and anniversaries. It can also celebrate God’s faithfulness, our loving relationship with Him, and answer to prayer (Phil. 4: 4-9). What better way to celebrate than to let the arts run free with creativity aimed at honoring God! Express what’s in your heart about God with your artful gifts.

We need to strive to become all that God sees in us, be all that He wants us to be. We must be as passionate about our godly character as we are about our craft or our art. (1 Tim 1:5) As church artists, godly character, our walk with Christ, our spiritual growth are all a vital part of creating the kind of ministry experience in which God releases the power of His Holy Spirit. We need to be known not only for our talent, but for our walk with Christ. We’re not just artists, we’re ministers too.

“Look at the Birds” Inspired by Matthew 6:26. By Linda Lucas

We’re in a golden era in church history when God is calling thousands of artists to use their gifts for Him as never before! God is raising up a global community of Christian artists who are fully devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives. If that desire is in your heart, follow Him. What an honor and privilege to glorify God with our art and our lives!

(I give credit for the above ideas and excerpts to Rory Noland and his book, The Heart of the Artist, published by Zondervan, 1999.)

Next time you begin to work with your craft, take a moment to pray with heartfelt sincerity asking God to move through your mind and use your hands to create art that glorifies Him. Read your bible then create art with a passion and desire to express your loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Come share how God is showing up in your art! May all the praises and glory go to Him, Our Creator!

Your Creative Sister in Christ,

Reflecting on God

I created this 10″x8″ collage with K&Company paper,  recycled calendars and Layers of Color art stamps (Garden Borders, Gothic Crosses,  Royal Birds and Architectural Blocks).

Gratitude For God

A beautiful reflection torn from a recycled verse-a-day calendar… “When we reflect on God’s goodness, pure gratitude wells up in our hearts for all He’s given to us. And it’s easy to be joyful and at peace.”

Details

I cut the leaves out and added slots then put the picture behind them They bend outwards from the page. The dove represents the Holy Spirit coming to her as she reflects on God.

Philippians 4

This collage is based on the following biblical scripture…

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -

think about such things.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -

put it into practice.

And the God of peace will be with you. “

Philippians 4: 4-9

Rise on Wings

For those of you who need a lift, this card is for you.

May you feel the Lord’s peace come over you as you rest in Him today.

May God's Peace Be With You

Layers of Color Royal Birds art stamp set on K&Company papers.

For a chance to win this stamp set, visit Patter’s blog.

Psalm 139 9 thru 10

If you rise on the wings of the dawn, if you settle on the far side of the sea,

even there God’s hand will guide you, His right hand will hold you fast.

This is my prayer for you.

Please send this on to your friends and family in need of this encouragement today.

With Love,

Butterflies have long been a symbol of Christs resurrection. Photo by Laura

Happy Easter Everyone!

Our family has many wonderful traditions for Easter celebration. As Christians it’s a great time for our rejoicing in Jesus’ resurrection! One of my favorite family traditions is that we put our names in a bowl and draw our “secret person”. We decorate a special egg just for them. On Easter morning, when we first greet that person, we hand them our egg gift and say, “He has risen!”.  And then the recipient responds, “He has risen, indeed!”. There’s always a spontaneous hug and chatting about the delightful gift afterwards. My mother-in-law started this tradition with her boys and I’ve had the privilege of being a part of it ever since I met them. I hope that my children enjoy it enough to carry it on for generations.

May your Easter be a special time for you, too! And may you know your living savior, Jesus Christ!

He Has Risen! He Has Risen, Indeed!

Pigeon Prance Skinny

Details of holes, raised dots, tearing and stitching.

Detail of Architectural Block Art Stamp

This prancing pigeon caught my eye as I was looking through an old bird book for WS Challenge to make a skinny (3″X 5″). God must have had such fun creating birds and their flamboyant courting characteristics!

The featured art stamp in the background is Layers of Color Architectural Blocks. Manipulating the paper with markers, holes, raised dots, tearing and stitching added more details.

This will be made into a card for my eldest daughter’s golden birthday. Jessica will be 23 on the 23rd of March!

Christmas Paperarts Ideas

The decorative corners have a wonderful impact on these Christmas paperart decorations, and they’re easy to make! Simply stamp Layers of Color Architectural art stamp set in various colors and make a few creative cuts! I’ll show you how, along with several delightful examples to inspire you…

Die cut and embossed with Nestabilities, then enhanced with pen and glitter.

Each image is entirely dusted with fine glitter, which is scraped away from the faces and words.

Stamp either once and cut as shown, or stamp twice to make a larger design.

More cutting ideas for making decorative corners.