Monday, November 15, 2010

Time Out Chair

15 x 24
Sold

Hebrews 12:5-6 My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

I have had several requests to do another "Time Out Chair" since I kept the first one, so here it is pictured above. To read the thoughts behind this painting, please see the post labeled "Time Out Chair" from earlier in the year.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Under HIs Wings

SoldPsalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge...

Peace I Leave With You

12 x 12
Available for Sale
$250
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Garments of Salvation

8 x 13"
Available for Sale
$175

Isaiah 61:10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness...

Friday, November 12, 2010

The Gift of Nora


Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...

Growing up, I had the privilege of being raised in a family that stressed the importance of spending time with family. My mother's two sisters, who each had three children, lived within a couple of miles of us. There are 11 of us who are all first cousins, 8 of us who were all within 4 years of age of each other, and were raised alongside each other. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and my aunts and cousins were part of the "village" that raised me.
My grandfather, my mother's father, was a man who encouraged deep loyalty to family and family tradition. He gathered the boys together on Saturday mornings for pancake breakfasts, and all of us convened for hamburgers on Sunday nights whenever we were able. We spent Thanksgiving holidays together quail hunting in Cordele, Ga, learning to ride horses, searching for arrowheads, climbing trees, and eating good old fashioned southern cooking. We hunted Easter eggs together, traveled to the beach together, went to Braves games together, went to school together, and in general, spent the majority of our childhood together.
I cannot imagine the chaos that ensued for my mother and my aunts when all 8 children were under the age of five staying under one roof for the weekend. It occurred to me recently that it may not have been quite as much fun for them as it was for us, but I am so thankful they gave us all those memories together and the opportunity for each of us to really know and grow close to one another. Pictured below is a photo from 1978 of the eight of us who were born in the 70's.
(Left to right: Frank Prince, Gunby Garrard, Rachael Peek, Frank Garrard, Stuart Prince, Gardiner Garrard, John Waldrop, Helen Brooks)
(My three younger siblings are not pictured because they were not yet born, but they are, of course, equally as special to me!)

When we all grew older and began to go our separate ways, my grandfather encouraged all of us to stay in touch. He gathered all of our addresses and sent each one of us a list of them along with a letter encouraging us to write to one another. He spoke of the importance of family and staying connected. I cannot say that I have lived up to the challenges in that letter the way that I intended to, but I was reminded of his words while I was working on this painting for one of those cousins. Although distance and the busyness of life seems to keep us from gathering as often as we once did, I am so thankful for each one of them and the place they have each had in my life.
This painting was commissioned by my aunt for her son, my first cousin, Gunby, and his wife, Claudia for their daughter's first birthday. They have four precious boys, one of whom they lost during his wife's ninth month of pregnancy. Although nothing could erase the loss of their third son, God not only blessed them with another boy, but also gave them a daughter named Nora. When I first heard the news that Claudia was going to welcome a girl into her household full of boys, Ephesians 3:20 immediately came to mind, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus..." When I see little Nora, I am reminded of just that, that God is good, and that He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine," and that everything he gives us is to cause us to lift our eyes to him and give him thanks and praise.
In the painting above, each chicken represents a member of Gunby and Claudia's family. The white chicken in the painting represents their precious baby who is now at home with his heavenly father, and of course, the pink chicken represents God's sweet gift of baby Nora. I am thankful for her life and thankful that our Lord is always "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." Father, thank you for family and thank you for the gift of Nora.