This is the side of Alicia that you get when you really know her. This is the real her, goofy, fun and light hearted and a complete nerd. I love this shot. 

Well, today Alicia graduated from highschool. Words cannot express how proud we are of her. It has been a long road full of ups and downs but watching her pass this hurdle was amazing. She is the first in her birth family to graduate and first in ours. Seeing God take this young woman out of hell and begin to fashion her into such a beautiful young woman has been so rewarding. Today made it worth the tears, trials and the sacrifices. Not that it has been all trouble, it hasn't, she is a gift from the Lord. She has been in our home for two years and in our life for about 6.
As I watched her today, I remembered going to her promotion in 8th grade. I remember watching her then and realizing that her birth mom didn't show up for it and how it was real important that I was there. Today I was really aware of how important that moment was for her life. We never know what kind of impact we will have on peoples lives when we say yes to Jesus. I would have never thought all of this was going to be apart of Gods plan when we decided to move to Spokane by faith. God is good.
I love you Alicia and I am so proud of your courageous faith and commitment to go forward when everything says to stop. You are a blessing that I don't feel worthy of receiving but am so thankful for. Congratulations girl, you made it.
 

I thought this was funny

An old Jewish Joke tells the story of judgment Day at the end of history. God summons all the people who have ever lived. "Here's what we are going to do," he explains. "Gabriel will read out the Ten Commandments, one by one. As he does, those who have broken them will have to depart into everlasting darkness." Commandment number one is read out and a number of people are led off. The same thing happens with each of the commandments until, having read eight of the ten, only a small crowd remains. God looks up to see this handful of stern, smug, grim-faced, self-righteous, joyless miseries staring back at him. He pauses and contemplates the prospect of spending eternity with this lot. "All right!" he shouts, "Everybody come back; I've changed my mind."

An old dude speaks....

Priest: Having in remembrance, therefore, this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious Coming.
-St. Chrysostoms Liturgy A.D.347- 407

I have been doing studies on Eschatology (the study of the last things) for a series of messages I am doing at Jacobs Well, our Sunday evening congregation. In my reading I came across this portion of early church liturgy. I found it to be quite enlightening. Much of the debate centered on the apocalyptic scriptures comes down to realized prophecy or futuristic prophecy. Are the prophetic portions of the prophets, the gospels and the revelation futuristic or realized truths or both?

I find the study of such things in their historical context to be most stimulating. I think we often fail to read the scripture with the hearers in mind. The question must be asked, "How did they understand what was being taught"? When we wrench conversations between apostles, churches and individuals out of their historical context and force them to speak or apply to us; I think we are in danger of misinterpreting the passages.

Put this in a fortune cookie...

If you are going through hell, keep going.

-Winston Churchill

My latest picture inspired by a picture I took of a horse statue in a water fountain that I saw in Lyon, France. I am starting to get addicted to pastels. The more I have been using them the more I am enjoying the interchange between paper and pastel. When smeared they feel like paint but dry. I am enjoying letting go of realism and not getting hung up on exact reproduction. Its like being told its OK to get muddy or jump in the puddle. Telling yourself its OK to explore, try, bend reality...its liberating...like burning bras...I guess.
 

This is my current work in process, an acrylic painting. It is from a totem pole hidden away in downtown Spokane. I took a picture of it last year and loved the shot, so I thought I would paint it with my new paints. I have been wanting to paint with acrylics for a long time. So here is entry number one so far.
I hope to be a part of restoring the totem pole to its former beauty someday. Currently it is worn away, dull and chipped, so I painted it as it appears to have originally been. Why our city has allowed such decay on such a beautiful piece of art baffles me. It's a shame. It reinforces to me the cold indifference we seem to have as a culture to the First Nation people. It is a sin that I feel in my heart for some reason. So I do this piece in honor of those people who lived here before me, your work inspires me.
 

Paul the executioner...

Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He is alive!"
-Acts 20:9-10

I think we as the church are guilty of putting too many of the emerging generation into a deep sleep with our meetings. As a result they are falling out the back of the church in hemorrhaging numbers. We have talked them to death and until we realize that mere talk is not going to engage this generation, we will continue to produce a sedated generation.

What is interesting to me is the answer to the problem isn't a flashy new program or expensive new facilities filled with heart pounding, cutting edge sound systems, throbbing lights and state of the art video wizardry. It's not going to be goatee-toting hipsters able to communicate in all the hottest lingo and culturally relevant mumbo jumbo that brings this generation back to life.

It's going to be desperate spiritual fathers and mothers embracing a dead generation in all their fallen, bloody mess. Paul went from executioner to resuscitator after he threw himself on the young man. We can't just preach them alive we must embrace them. Gather them up into our arms, ignoring all the nasty gore that has resulted from the great heights from which they have fallen. We must envelope them in a resurrecting embrace that is emanating from the heart of God and potent with life giving power.

Come down from your ivory tower Paul.
Stop your eloquent and painfully long sermonizing.
Open your eyes, the emerging generation is falling asleep and falling out.
Stop talking and start embracing...your love is so much more powerful than your words.
Come down to the street again...

Amsterdam on my mind

Here is my latest piece of art called...Amsterdam.
Inspired by my many trips there and a couple of my photos of her canals.
I am also pleased to see a slight Van Gogh influence as I look at this picture, I did not intend for that but looking at it, I can see some similarities. Which is fine with me since I love his style. I have been working at doing pieces that are not copies of other peoples work. It is much harder for me but I enjoy it far more. -eric

When I see young painters compose and draw from memory, and then haphazardly smear on whatever they like also from memory, then keep it at a distance and put on a very mysterious, gloomy face to find out what in Heavens name it may look like, and at last and finally make something from it, always from memory, it sometimes disgusts me and makes me think it all very tedious and dull. They can not understand that the figure of a laborer, some furrows in a plow field, a bit of sand, sea and sky, are serious objects, so difficult but at the same time so beautiful, that it is indeed worth while to devote ones life to the task of expressing the poetry hidden in them. -Vincent Van Gogh

Here is my latest piece called revelations. I took the imagery from my current message series on Sunday nights and put it into a visual form. Stars falling, sun and moon changing, earthquakes, rivers of blood and Jesus with pierced side. 

I am starting a new series of messages on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM from the book of Revelations called: Cliff Notes To The Apocalypse: The Unofficial Guide To The End Of The World. I hope to help bring some fresh thoughts to the painfully complicated and misunderstood subject of the end times and with God's help reconnect us with the CHRIST of Revelations Vs the revelations.
With so much hoopla around the subject these days in books, TV and movies, I think the subject is in deep need of some biblical scrubbing or at least an attempt to bring some historical balance. Many people are not even aware of the 6 different interpretations of Revelations and get so frustrated or spooked by the book that they leave it alone except for maybe the first and last few chapters.
I don't claim to be an expert in eschatology but I think as a pastor, artist, poet and musician, as well as one who has studied much on the different views of Revelations, I can bring some helpful perspectives on spiritual themes and truths that run through out the book. It's a daunting task but I believe it will be a spiritually enriching conversation that will challenge our minds and views concerning this amazing mystery of a book.

 

My last few art pieces have been OK in my opinion. I have been trying to force myself out of the style I normally do. Working with color and choosing colors I wouldn't normally use. I am also completing pictures, which I almost never used to do. Forcing myself to finish the piece is a big change.

My goal is to explore and challenge myself to break out of the narrow confines I have allowed myself to create within. There are too many mediums available to restrict myself to just a couple. I know I can't be a master at all but I feel inside that there are some that once I get in the flow with, I will discover more affinity.
I am almost done with a self portrait.

You make the springs pour water into ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. -Psalms 104:10.
The bible speaks of springs, rivers and oceans.
I look at springs as the hearts of individuals, rivers as a group of people flowing in one direction and oceans as nations. If the springs are not flowing, the rivers will run dry or become stagnant. If the rivers are dry or polluted then the seas will suffer too. We must follow the rivers to their source, travel up the ravines into the heart of the mountains of our hearts and tend the springs. Too many rivers are dangerously low, it is time to call for the rains of the earth to fill the springs to overflowing again. The rivers of our communities are longing to surge with the fresh living waters from the souls of her people. As I pondered this picture I took of Christian wandering the dry riverbed, the Lord reminded me of the above verse. The picture and the verse have become my prayer.
 

out of you will flow rivers....

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon, all of these simply are as well, yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf!

So often we impair God's designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. (John 15:5) In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me."

In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" ( John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually... just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"... simply and unaffectedly.
-Oswald Chambers

I really liked this piece. I thought it went well with this picture that I took of the Little Spokane River. I am going to learn to fly fish right at this spot and also let go of worrying about being of use to others...

Today we spent Memorial Day with a bunch of friends at the Williams house. Good food, great people, awesome weather and horseshoes...just does not get much better. 

Austin and his friend Christian, getting some air. LeeElla hates these things and forbids them most of the time but today Dad had to overrule. 

Playing some horseshoes with the guys today. 

Here is The Grill Master himself showing off his cooking skills. One of the best things about Spokane is this guy, we just call him Neue. He is Norm of our Cheers. 

Here is my final work on my Children Of The Sun piece. Its done with pastels, my least favorite art medium.  

Spokane Riverside ORV Park. I am excited to get a hold of a motor bike and play here. Me and Christian checked it out today on our hike.