“A little while and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.” John 16:16.

Soon He is coming back again as He promised. We do not know the day or the hour but we can discern the season. We are in that season now when our Lord’s return is imminent. The rapture is a signless imminent event in history soon to happen just as He promised.  We will see Him soon, very soon.

Many do not realize how close this event is, just as the Bible warned. Many are asleep. Yet Jesus calls to every man, woman, and child to believe on his name, today, now.

Some may wonder, ” well where is he, I dont see him, or hear him. They’ve been speaking of his return for years, yet where is he? ” It would be difficult to see where he is amidst the clamor and noise we are inundated with daily, mostly on a black screen. The road we travel is full of distractions and decoys to the truth. Yet he is here, very much amongst us in fact.  Yet if you follow the world, if you love the world, it’s broad way will lead you away from the life Christ offers. So far away…

The life Christ offers is a lonely hidden road. It’s actually more of a path, a narrowing path with a straight gate. Jesus is standing on this path, off the Main drag. He’s there calling to you.” Come in here.. come, let’s go. Follow me.”

The masses press on, on that Main Street, that broad way. They are distracted by noise, all that noise! And fanfare, music , laughter, food, partying, and worldly affections. The paths there, and Jesus is there, and He is calling all the passersby. But they don’t hear him, most don’t even notice him. In fact they miss him altogether.

If you try to wake them, warn them, they lie as dead men. They cannot be moved, they cannot be touched. They cannot hear you. Though you shake them in their beds, to arouse them violently, they fall back in slumber. No response.

One day it’s too late. Judgement comes. Their eyes will look for you, their soul will cry out  for you, but those who took the narrow path won’t be able to hear them or see them. They will be busy doing something else with their Lord, somewhere else.

Do you wish to be with them? Take the path of life now. Do it today. It’s simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive His free gift of forgiveness and salvation. It’s granted through simple belief in his death burial and resurrection which has atoned for the sins of the world.  Anyone can do this. The gospel is written in 1st Corinthians 15: 1-5 which states “Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures;”

Simply believe and place your trust in the Saviour for forgiveness and eternal life.  For all those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I found this newspaper clipping in an old Bible my father had beqeathed to me. Interestingly it was written some 55 years ago by someone who lives not far from me. The Bible however was purchased somewhere in Southern New England, not far from where my father lived. Its truths are timeless.

We’ve changed immensely as a society from the time back in 1971 when this quote was written. Sadly, not for the better. Yet to read this message takes me back to a time when America was a different place, families were different, divorce was rare, mother’s still stayed home and took care of their children and fathers went to work and supported the family. People attended church, some did, many likely did. We did not see the anarchy, violence and corruption we see today in every facet of society. It was a different America, and a different world. Phones didn’t exist in your hand, capable of taking your mind anywhere in the world. There were boundaries then, there were limitations, there were morals.

Yet the wisdom and advice of the author were still needed then and even more desperately today. We are living in perilous times, the very last of the last days. Who and what do we worship? Who do we look to for hope? The answer then is the same as today. The Lord Jesus Christ.

We as a society, as families, as individuals need the Lord. We need his forgiveness and his love. We need the blessed hope of eternal life He alone can give us, by believing the gospel which is written in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-5. ” Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. : The gospel is simply this. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you shall be saved. But something else will also happen as a result of belief. You will experience His presence in your life, you will have hope you never had before. You will receive His love, pardon, and fatherly adoption into his family. You will be sealed by the power of God, and you will NEVER perish.

We aren’t saved by our works or becoming good people. We are saved by grace, love and mercy and these things are real. They will never fade and they have the power and ability alone to covert the soul.

Anyone can simply believe and that is all that is required to be saved.

Winter has crept in. The air is cold and the wind can come upon you so suddenly it chills to the bone. The sky has a different light on these cold days. First purple and blue then fading in the distance a creamsickle peach and ivory with white puffs of clouds in the looming distance. Its constant shades and shadows threaten a squall overhead and within minutes the whole picture changes to dark gray and deepening indigo as clouds approaching and little white flakes out of nowhere fly about.

The days are short and the nights long and cold. The woodstove is crackling inside and the sun is low in the sky. It is nearly the year’s end and as another December rolls away we wonder at the moving of time and the secrets the next year holds.

There is something sobering about another year’s end. The reflection on our lives is a poignant time we pass by quickly and eternity seems somehow closer as December 31st nears it’s arrival.

Another winter has come, another year is fading, and time is a constant reminder that these days and years will one day altogether end.

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. ” Psalm 2:12

The story of Christmas is the greatest news ever told. The angels came to declare to the shepherds that great tidings of immense joy were upon them, a Saviour was born in the city of David who would die for their sins and bestow upon them eternal life. The sinless Son of God had come to earth as a little baby to live the perfect life only He was capable of,  and die for the sins of mankind, who HE alone created to give unto us what we could never earn, everlasting life.  Praise be to the God of creation for loving us SO much that He was willing to give us the bread of life and shed his precious blood so that we could be forgiven. No greater love hath man than this that one would lay down his life for his friends. He laid down his life for all, both friends and enemies, so that all could come and share in His kingdom. Truly He alone is worthy of all honor and praise!

I love the combination of these colors with the mark making with acrylic markers added.  It gives a different look and creates brighter contrasts. A thought for today, the wise virgins in Matthew 25 chose trust rather than works, thus they deserve the title “wise”. Its harder to trust than to work. We so often would rather ” do it ourselves”.

Jesus is our peace.

Eating and drinking with the glutton and drunkard is embracing this world, living off and consuming its pleasures.  Awake O sleeper! For the Lord is nigh at the door and soon returns.

Just mixing colors and putting together complements on the color wheel is great fun. Seeing something in a picture can be an art in itself. How often we miss what is in plain sight because it doesn’t fit our narrative of the way things “should be”. The pharisees of Jesus’ day didn’t understand the truth standing before them because they couldn’t get past the wall of their own expectations. Thus they missed the very Saviour they had waited for for centuries. Jesus ceased to speak to them any further, but in parables, as they refused to entertain any thought outside their box, for to do so would sink their script, and they did not want to let go. How often we fail to see truth because to do so would cost us something.  The Bible warns, buy truth and sell it not. I think God understands our hearts very well. He knew we’d need to let go to let Him in.

Bright and dark in hue , tint or shade is brilliant and enhances both in a stark way. The complement of one against another is to make either more outstanding!

Hope against despair is a similar contrast. This contrast was vividly displayed in the movie First Reformed, a masterpiece of truth thst I have not been able to stop thinking about since I watched the movie weeks ago. The truth is stated in the film, you cannot have one without the other. How accurate this is. For we cannot be gloriously saved by the grace of God until we have embraced our true condition as lost and dying souls.

Our lives are often not as we hoped or planned, the road often turns on, in a direction we didn’t expect. The Bible says, in fact, our lives are a mere breath. We are as a vapor, here for a little while and then vanish away. So much is not as we hoped or even as it seemed. There is yet a great joy though, if you discover it.  A great treasure…hidden in a field. Jesus Christ is that treasure, the living water that rises up unto eternal life! Have you found him yet?

Breezy Days 24×30 Acryli on Canvas

This pallet is so soothing and thrilling. The flecks of light coming through the  shades of blue, green and chartreuse bring a restful calm to my eyes. I’m experimenting with different color scales. This is my achromatic color theme and these shades and tints are some of my favorite colors.

What evokes calm in your spirit? I think of summers, the wind, the sea, birds and a deer in the early morning foraging through the woods. Jesus offers us peace and grace. His offer is real.