Full Moon
A full moon, the stars burning bright in the night sky, a breathtaking sunrise or sunset are the reasons I look to the mystery filled sky. Every day I am infatuated with every sunset and every sunrise. When I awake in the morning, I first go to the window to see if the sun is shining. I live for the moments when I behold the sun rising and the sheer beauty it creates in the morning sky. I stand in awe as the sky gradually grows lighter and lighter and the sun's rays start to creep over the mountain tops, filling the sky with a gorgeous array of colors. Each day I am more enamored than the day before. I look on in wonder as the quarter moon evolves into a full moon. I quietly think about how the Native Americans used the full moon to tell time. I too, mark the passage of time by the myth they created so many years ago.
Side note – For years being a Landscape Photographer was my passion, I knew that was what I wanted to be, however that dream came to a sudden halt once I realized how many there were. I mean you can google and find hundreds of landscaping photographers who travel the world and have taken breathe taking photographs. I will admit, I still daydream of backpacking to the top of high Mountain peaks and taking gorgeous pictures of God’s beautiful creation.
Time for Everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
When I read these verses, I think of the painting I did in 1993. I think of all the time that has elapsed from then till now, and I realize that time passed doesn't mean that we rationalize with where we are in time. I know now that everything happens in God's time. When I realized that, I stopped holding on to time and made time. Most importantly , I started making time for GOD!
One of the devil's most potent weapons for defrauding us of eternal heritage is procrastination. It’s a thief of time which I learned after I came back to the Lord in November of 2002.
I also learned that it’s so much better to ask for forgiveness, have communion, then it is to hold on to offenses that create conflict with others and from within.
I know it can be very hard considering:
Revelation 6:17 The great day of His wrath has come, and who will be able to stand? WILL is the word we need to consider.
Judgment finally comes when repentance doesn’t. Note that it is the ungodly who make this statement–they recognize God’s hand–and yet they refuse to repent. Better to kneel in repentance than fall in judgement.
A growing number of people in our world fail to seek God for His wisdom. Instead, they strive to satisfy their passions and desires without regard to their future or to the consequences of their decisions.
Go HERE to check out video (Mel Gibson)
Hosea 7:18 “They did not cry out to Me with their heart when they wailed upon their beds.”
Affliction does not necessarily bring us back to the Lord; it depends on what we do with it. Affliction is an invitation to repentance, not repentance itself. A cry of anguish isn’t the same as a cry for mercy. The Lord invited us to come to Him in prayer anytime of the day, for any reason, with any problem or challenger or request. What keeps us from taking Him up on His open-ended offer?
Luke 18:9-14
A Pharisee trusted in himself that he was righteous, prayed with himself, thanking God he was better than other people. Note the Pharisee’s emphasis on self, exaltation of self, and his failure to see his sins.
See Theory of Intelligence Part 1 Page 14 (What is (EQ) Emotional Intelligence.)
The Publican pleaded for mercy admitting he was a sinner. Note the conclusion in v14 – One who exalts self will be abased, one who humbles self will be exalted! Humility is the opposite of self-exaltation and self-righteousness.
We must appreciate how weak we would be with out Him. This leads us to depend on God to meet our needs. In turn, we then appreciate and exalt Him.
Communion vs Conflict
How do you have communion if you’re the individual who hasn’t forgiven yourself or other people in your life? Unforgiveness leads to anger and anger leads to conflict. If you really think about what unforgiveness can do to someone, then it wouldn’t be so hard to believe how something as simple as wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. If unchecked, conflicts can erupt into unproductive bouts of unresolved anger from people who may have otherwise not have expressed opposition, if it weren’t for the push from the media.
Social Media plays a big role in stirring up conflict, I have to admit that I have taken a sip from the pot myself, a time or two, even though there are far more important things that should be addressed by the media.
For Instance:
My First Painting "Equal"
I cannot think of a better place to have communion than church. However, due to Covid-19, places of worship have been shut down since March, this was set in place to avoid the spread of the virus. Respecting government authority, our church stayed closed during the time allotted until the mandate was officially lifted. So in June, our church opened its doors for the first time since the virus became a pandemic. Other states have opened their doors but Governors in the cities of some states are making it very difficult for congregations to come together again. It almost seems like our government and the media are trying to cause a great divide by not allowing the true freedom of religion to be expressed through communion and instead causing more conflicts between the American people. Contradicting policies and statements are making it more difficult for AMERICANS to get back together again. I don’t think this is a shock to anyone when I write this – the biggest way they are doing it is by creating a race war, which brings me to a chapter in my bibliography called “My First Painting” Pages 86 & 87
The first painting that I ever created was in 1992, and it was titled "Equal." I was inspired to do it because of my experiences in the Army (1991-1992 Basic & AIT Training). The drill Sergeants would always tell us that the color of our skin didn't matter anymore. We were all soldiers, and one day you may need your fellow soldier to save your life. So a long as we wore the army uniform, we were to look at each other as equals.
I didn't have a problem with looking at anyone as an equal, whether they were in the army or not. I came from a white community in a little town out in the country. While I was in the army, I finally got the chance to get to know people from other cultures and races. I would ask people of other races a lot of questions to get a better understanding of them, instead of basing my opinion on what I had learned in school and from what I watched on TV.
After my experience in the Army, and what I had been taught in church, I looked at everyone from every race as my equal. But I still didn't know enough, to be able to write about my feelings of why I felt the need to paint this picture.
The outside color is the color made by mixing equal amounts of brown, black, red, white, and yellow. The colors of how people of different races are characterized. The color all these colors mixed together make is violet. I googled what the color violet met in Christianity and ironically this is what I found.
Side note – I did this painting in 1992 and for some reason, I didn’t include Hispanics in my painting, and I don’t know why. Please forgive me if that offends you. But, like I said, If you mix equal amounts of brown, black, red, white, and yellow, you will create the color violet.
VIOLET - Justice of God; Justification
Having God's Righteousness and having met all the Father's requirements, the believer is pronounced Justified. Justification is not a pardon in which sins were overlooked, but it is a pronouncement that the believer is vindicated, blameless, not guilty. The pronouncement of Justification by the Father means the Father is free to accept the believer into His Love as a member of the family as a son (Eph. 1:5-6). And God is free to bestow even more blessing upon the believer because he is fully justified in doing so. Justification includes:
1. A public pronouncement (Rom 3:24-26)
2. Completion of Salvation process (Rom 8:30; Gal 3:24; Titus 3:7).
3. Necessary for Reconciliation (Rom 5:1).
4. Free gift of God's Grace (Rom 3:24; 5:16; Titus 3:7).
5. Guarantee of Eternal Security (Rom 5:9; 8:1, 31-34).
6. Prerequisite for Resurrection (Rom. 4:25; 8:29-30)
Even though I feel that I could write about what I have learned over the years, which would be based on this painting, and what it stood for. I have learned that it doesn't matter what my opinion is, because there would probably be people from every race who would disagree with my opinion of what this painting means to me.
Side note-
I decided to manipulate the painting in photoshop because I didn’t want to offend the other races because of the features I used to identify them. I used the actor Daniel Day Lewis from “Last of the Mohegans,” because of a quote I used from the movie on the first page of my bibliography called “Full Moon” which you can find in the navigation bar. The Asian group I was thinking of so many years ago was the Chinese because they were used to do the most dangerous jobs when the railroad was being built ( At least that is what I learned from TV). Then I used a man holding up a sign because of the unresolved struggles African American’s have had since the end of the civil war in 1865.
This is a picture of my wives Great Grandmother called ‘Big Mama.’ The reason I posted this picture of myself, my wife Briana and Big Mama is because Big Mama’s Grandmother was a slave and it’s part of my children’s history. One of the ways I feel I will be able to explain slavery to my children is by a clip I got from a sermon my pastor did.
I know there will always be hatred in the world. But hatred isn't something you are born with; it is an emotion that can come with time. It can be taught from generation to generation. And if it has been told enough times, you will believe it too. You will believe it. You will live it. You will breathe it. And you will even feed off of it.
In school they said segregation is what's taught in the Bible, according to (Genesis 9:20-27) which is just another case where scripture has been taken out of context, because (Acts 10:34) says, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Then (Acts 17:2) says, “From one man, he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.” (Galatians 3:28-29) “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” In this verse the barriers of our society do not apply to what is written in the Word of God. “Jew nor Greek” No racial barriers. “Slave nor free” No economic class barriers. “Male nor female” no gender barriers, And one day we will be together without any barrier of the realm of society (Revelation 7:9) says, “In Heaven an enormous crowd of people from 'every race, tribe, nation, and language, will one day stand before Jesus Christ to worship.”
God’s Best for Your Life
You are to rely on God only and not upon your own wisdom or understanding. You see, there are some things that you will never be able to understand with your limited knowledge. Therefore, you must rely upon God’s profound wisdom for your life.
1 John 5:20 The Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him who is true.
God helps us to grasp His Word, not merely so we can amass an impressive body of religious knowledge, but so that we can come to know, love, obey, and enjoy the God of the universe
Here's a 15 second clip on WISDOM from my Pastor
Many teachers find true or false tests a useful tool to determine what their students know. Some people seem able to discern right away what is true. Others ponder the question at length and realize they can’t with confidence identify the truth.
The truth of the Lord endures forever. Psalms 117:2
God’s truth does not change from month to month or year to year or decade to decade or century to century. It doesn’t vary depending on current style or alter based on popular opinion. In a world of change, His truth remains constant.
1Timothy 2:3,4 God our Savior… desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Comments