Some of you may be wondering about the painting at the head of my blog. It's one of mine. I was a professional artist for over 20 years. That talent was a gift from God, but He had other plans for me. I was asked to lay it down and take up His mantle. It wasn't easy. I gave away or burned many of my paintings as a sign of my commitment, which was difficult for my friends and family to understand. In giving up a lucrative career I lost most of the things which I had valued, including my dream house, new car, boat, and more. God graciously left me with what was most valuable, my wife and daughter.
I had been raised in church all my life; I was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit at 18. I then went to Bible College for 4 years (what a disappointment that was). Afterwards, I continued painting, making a name for myself. I got married to a beautiful woman and we had a lovely daughter. I was the picture of success, and the envy of some. What a joke. After nearly 20 years of gratifying my flesh, acquiring things, and doing things my way, on the inside I was miserable and my life was a mess. Nothing seemed to satisfy me for very long. A few weeks before turning 40 a voice spoke to me saying, "It's now or never." (It wasn't Elvis either.) Those words changed the course of my life. That night, as God spoke to me, I realized that I needed someone, someone who I had been neglecting for a long time. His name is Jesus. I told Him I was sorry for the way I had lived my life, and asked Him to forgive me. I told Him that I desperately needed His help. God began to teach me how to trust him completely, then He help me with my marriage and my finances, both of which I had woefully mismanaged. By trusting God for everything and being patient, I became more thankful for the things God gives, instead of grasping whatever I wanted by any means available. By trusting Him, I saw God do things I thought were impossible. All I had to do was to obey Him, and He would do the rest. As a result, He led my wife and I away from friends, family, and from the Seattle area into the 'wilderness' next to a mountain in Eastern Washington. There we lived in a 28' travel trailer for two years while I built our new home. God provided the money and the help. By sowing His Word into my life God became my healer, my protector, my strength and my refuge. On that mountain I spent a lot of time praying, fasting and interceding for people and for our nation.
Just prior to our move to Eastern Washington God had led me to a young man in 1988, who would become a lifelong friend, who would help to disciple me in the ways of God. He lived what he believed, his name is Sheldon David, truly a man after God's heart. Over these past 21 years I have spent a lot of time with him and by his example I am learning faith, love, submission, humility, passion, perseverance, worship, church life and much more. In 2008 God asked me if I would be willing to leave everything, including my hopes and dreams, and asked me to follow Him. I said, yes! Now God is giving me new vision and new hope to share with a lost and hurting world; he is teaching me how to encourage my brothers and sisters. We will soon see the Heavenly Father revealed in ways He has never been seen before, in literal manifestations of His abundant love and awesome power over the earth and its inhabitants.
The best is yet to come!
