Curtains and Colored Pencils

My daughter Jennifer stopped by today to pick up some curtains that I keep forgetting to give to her. We were looking though my fabric stash and talking about projects and colors and our conversation migrated to things that are happening in our church and things we want to be doing. She and I both have a strong feeling about doing art during the service. I've been encouraging her for a number of years to start drawing and painting again, and she has been holding back. I want to learn how to draw, and have made some sketches, but I don't know what I'm doing and well...

For Christmas this year, Jen gave me two art kits to get me going. One is watercolors and the other is a drawing set. They both have instruction books with them. They are still unused. But I will get around to using them. We were talking about how we want to see more of a release of the arts in our community,and both of us have the desire to get things going. I was encouraging her about doing prophetic portraits.  It's a way to speak encouragement to someone else, by asking the Lord to give you a picture for them, and then drawing that picture and telling them what it means. She didn't quite understand, so as I was about to give her a picture of what you might see and then draw, the Lord gave me something else entirely. As I shared it with her, I realized it was for her. I decided to give it a try myself and as I talked with her I drew what I was seeing. It was a cut watermelon, red ripe and juicy, and the juice and seeds were spilling out onto the table it was sitting on. As I spoke, I got more understanding. I wrote the interpretation on the drawing and gave it to her. As I try to share what it means, I can't remember it precisly, but it was overall about the sweetness that pours out of her, and the seeds spilling out are what she sows into the kingdom. If you want to know the rest, you'll have to ask her. I think it's for Jen to share or ponder to herself. We decided that we'll bring sketch paper,and charcoal and colored pencils to church with us tomorrow and see what happens.

When she went home, she called me right away. For the first time in all the years she's lived in her home, she saw the woodpecker she hears every year. It was a little red-headed one. It was happily pecking away, lookin for bugs in the little pile of wooden stakes that she has for her garden. When she went inside, her son saw my picture of the watermelon, and said "Oooo watermelon! I'm hungry" She wanted to encourage me that someone else knew what my sketch was without being told, and to tell me about the Lord's surprise for her.
How God does stop by when we least expect Him! John Paul Jackson often refers to Him as "Jehovah Sneaky". I think he's right on the money with that.
I'll let you know what happens tomorrow. We're excited and can't wait! For me, it seems that my Great Adventure with the Lord is gaining momentum. What a ride!