God's Kingdom

I was beyond thrilled (and, honestly, a little nervous) to be asked along with two other artists to create some paintings for my church's foyer.  What an honor!

The idea is that they will hang for a year and be auctioned off for missions fundraising.

The theme we were asked to consider was "Community."  My large painting looks at the community of Jesus-followers as representatives of God's Kingdom in this life.  How does it feel to be waiting on the Lord together?  It's like the Israelites waiting to return to the Promised Land:

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 

Psalm 137:1

How about eternal life?  What is our community like then?

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… The cow and the bear shall graze… They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9

So I stressed a little and hemmed-and-hawed over the details, but I am so pleased with how they turned out. Believe me when I say that God's grace is evident in these paintings.  Here's how they look hanging in the foyer:

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve my church and I am thankful to my God for giving me a life that allows me to really be an artist!