The Roots of Creativity

"Creativity is not simply a property of exceptional people but an exceptional property of all people"
Ron Carter, Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk

It was during the Renaissance that this belief began to change. In the 1800's modern thought had pretty much replaced the "outdated" belief that God was the source of all creativity. After all, man had become "enlightened" and come to believe that creativity was not a result of the divine at all, but rather an ability that solely originated with man.

The great Jonathan Edwards in his dissertation "The Nature of True Virtue" countered this belief. 
"For as God is infinitely the greatest Being, so he is allowed to be infinitely the most beautiful and excellent; and all the beauty to be found throughout the whole creation, is but the reflection of the diffused beams of that Being who hath an infinite fullness of brightness and glory; God...is the foundation and fountain of all being and all beauty."

Of course, if one denies God as Creator then it's obvious some other explanation must be devised. Filling the void are many wonderfully crafted and creatively presented explanations, all in the name of science, that are designed to convince us of anything other than there being a loving, personal, creative God who spoke all this into existence.

Name one dance move that was not imagined, then designed, practiced and refined. What about writers, sculptors, architects, painters? The list is endless. Every visible thing in our world formed by the hand of man, whatever it may be, was at some point imagined, designed, and brought into physical being. To acknowledge this, while at the same time debunking God doing the same thing on a much larger scale with an infinitely more complex creation, well...it's beyond comprehension.

I like how Leland Ryken explains it in his book "The Liberated Imagination".
"Human creativity is rooted in divine creativity. Artists create because God created first. In Genesis 1, the first thing the Bible does is introduce us to the God of the universe. He is introduced as a creative artist. Before we know anything else about Him, we know that 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth'. This divine artist began, as all artists do, with something formless: 'The earth was without form and void'. God then proceeded to create the forms that comprise our universe. Like a painter working on a canvas, God assembled one detail after another until the picture was complete. He then pronounced the creation 'very good'".

Ryken goes on to say that God's creation was only the beginning as He also delegated the ongoing work of creation to His human creatures.

We see that in the statement, "God created man in His own image". When that truth was revealed, none of God's other attributes are yet mentioned. This doctrine, that the image of God resides in people, emphasizes that we, like God, are creators...and that ability comes from Him alone.

"We create because we have been endowed with God's image. This, in turn, deflects the ultimate praise for artistic achievement from people to God."

Whether God is acknowledged in the creative process or not, the truth remains...and humanity still benefits. It's kind of like gravity...it just IS. Bow to Him or not...

"We are ourselves creations. We are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves. This is the God-force extending itself through us. Creativity is God's gift to us. Using creativity is our gift back to God"...Julia Cameron, Heart Steps.

George Washington Carver

Over the centuries, many great creative people have credited the God of "The Book" for their achievements, one of my favorites is George Washington Carver. Born into great poverty, hardship,and being of poor health, he achieved international fame when he revolutionized the economy of the south by introducing hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, pecan, and sweet potato, in the place of cotton. Many of you may know the story. What you may not know is that he approached all his experiments and eventual discoveries with great humility. As most creative people will admit, we create best when alone. Dr. Carver was like that. He entered his laboratory alone and would lock the door behind him. He once said, "Only alone can I draw close enough to God to discover His secrets". He believed God would show him what questions to ask and how to conduct each experiment. He reasoned that the One whom created the plants was also the same One who had all the answers as to their use.

Before a Senate Committee in 1921, he was asked how he learned all these things. "From an old book." "What book?" asked the Senator. "The Bible", replied Dr. Carver. "Does the Bible tell about peanuts?" inquired the Senator. "No Sir", Carver replied, "But it tells about the God who made the peanut. I asked Him to show me what to do with the peanut, and He did."

I have no doubt that the ability to create is a gift to us from God. It didn't just light upon us through some impersonal cosmic happenstance. With the gift comes responsibility. George Washington Carver understood this and we, as artists, can learn from his attitude as it applies toward our life's work. He was a man of unusual creativity and humility and possessed an attitude worthy of our emulation. "The secret of my success is simple", he said. "It is found in the Bible, 'In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths'". 

I agree.

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An Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master

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He's not here

He has risen

(Luke 24:6)

Christmas Prayer 2012

Govert-Teunisz Flinck - Angels Announcing the Birth of Christ to the Shepherds  63"x 77" - 1639


May the peace of God
that surpasses all comprehension
guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus, 
this Christmas and forever

Just how good is good enough?

Well, I guess it depends on what we're talking about. If it's school, then I guess anything over 70% is good enough. However, I'm not sure I'd be happy with a doctor that gets his diagnosis right only 70% of the time. How about those astronauts and the space shuttle? Is good enough sufficient for them?

At least in school we know what's good enough, but when it comes to eternal matters...uh, um...not so sure.
Most people seem to believe in heaven and think that a lot of us will probably end up there. Fewer folks believe in hell. When asked how someone gets to heaven, the typical response is, "You have to be a good person."...and almost everyone thinks they're a pretty good person...at least good enough to make it through the Pearly Gates.

You know, I have just never read anywhere in the Bible, and I've read it several times, that God has said 70% is good enough for attaining eternal bliss. Yet, a lot of folks would suggest that if the good works outweigh the bad, then they're as good as in. Well, in that case 51% should be good enough...or maybe even 50.00001 percent. Many believe God is a God of love, and probably merciful. Surely, He'd be understanding and let us in if we did good stuff 49.99999% of the time...wouldn't He?
Well, we just don't know for sure. It's kind of like some of those bicycle races I used to participate in which they had surprise sprints throughout the race for additional prizes or points. One didn't know for sure when they would be announced, so you had to be on your toes all the time or you'd miss out on the reward...and none of us are 'on our toes' all of the time...and to make matters worse, we don't know when our time is up.
Now, one would think, if indeed God is good and loving and has offered us eternal life with Him in heaven, surely He would tell us how He grades. Is it a straight percentage or does He grade on the curve? Just how good can He really be if He doesn't tell us what's good enough?
Ah, here's some good news, He did. Now are you ready for the bad news? He grades on a straight percentage, and we need to get 100%, not 99.99999% etc. etc. Nope, 100 percent. "That's impossible," we say...and we'd be correct, it's impossible.

Now for the good news. That's what the Gospel is, by the way, Good News. It is really Good News when we realize that we all miserably fail the test, but God Himself through His Son, Jesus, stepped in and took the test for us...and guess what? He got 100%...and it's all legal. We can accept the grade as our own and not be accused of cheating.
How in the world is that possible? It's called substitutionary atonement.
Without going into the whole background of the fall of man, most people will agree that they're not perfect, we've sinned. God in fact says, "There is none righteous, not even one"...."There is none who does good, there is not even one." That pretty much declares as a lie the contemporary belief that "man is basically good."
We're all in quite a helpless predicament . It's impossible for us to be good enough, so God in His sinless perfection, love and mercy sent His only begotten Son in the form of a man to be our representative, our substitute, and take upon Himself all our sin and also the sin of the world...past, present, and future. In His sinless perfection, Jesus was an acceptable sacrifice. Through His horrific, obedient death, God's justice was satisfied. Jesus was buried and if everything had ended there, we'd still be in a most miserable state.

The really, really good news is...the Father showed approval of His Son's sacrifice by raising Him bodily from the grave after three days. It is the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb that is the Father's ultimate stamp of approval. No other religion can make such a claim and back it up with evidence.

So, what do we do with all this? Here, I'll let the Scriptures tell you.

The person whose ears are open to My words (who listens to My message) and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has, (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment (does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation), but he has already passed over out of death into life. (John 5:24)

This time of year, in the Spring, we celebrate the risen Savior, the One of Whom it is said,

 "He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed"

....and because He is risen, we too are promised new resurrected bodies suited for eternal life with our Savior, Christ Jesus... if we receive and trust in Him.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

How good is good enough? Hopefully this helps. Blessings to each of you.

(All art courtesy of Rembrandt van Rijn and Michelangelo)

Here are a couple of good books that deal with this much better than I.

The Bible (Start with the New Testament)

Since Nobody's Perfect, How Good is Good Enough, Andy Stanley, Multnomah Books




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The Greatest Monument in America

I guess one could say that I'm somewhat of a sentimentalist. I like monuments and memorials. I like some of them for their appearance, while others I like for what they represent. The best ones combine both..
What are these things anyway if not a record, a physical reminder of something important?

National Monument to the Forefathers

We artists, in a sense, are in the business of creating memorials...records of our impressions, experiences, memories and ideas. We help others to see things that they may have taken for granted, or to show them things they have never seen. By creating a visual record, we give the subject importance. We memorialize what we saw, what we remember, what we felt, and what we want others to remember or take notice of. Sometimes we take the ideas of others and transform them into a beautiful, clearly communicated physical reality. Other times the concept and its ultimate manifestation find their origins in the artist alone.

Faith (Detail)

A memorial is at its best when it is beautifully executed and expresses a great truth. The key word here being Truth. I think the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, MA is one such memorial. I went to Plymouth several years ago for the sole purpose of seeing this monument. It brought me to tears. It powerfully represents core beliefs of our nation's founders and is also beautifully executed.

Education, Liberty, Morality

As we enter this new year of 2012, I admit I am somewhat sentimental when it comes to thoughts of our nation. This amazing monument does not help dispel those sentiments. When one compares the core values of our nation at the time this monument was created with those of today, it makes me sad. To be honest, if this same memorial were proposed today the outcry raised against it would be so great and venomous, it would never see the light of day. What has changed? Why are memorials around the country, representing our Christian roots, being removed or defaced? Why are they hated so? Because they represent and remind us of things we want to forget, things we want completely erased from our true history.

Education (Detail)

The idea for this monument was first proposed in 1794 in memory of the Pilgrims. For many reasons the actual completion and dedication did not take place until 1889, but on that day-long celebration, William C.P. Breckinridge, Congressman from Kentucky, offered this impassioned prayer:

"In the name of God, Amen. In the name of the Fathers we dedicate this monument and ourselves. For ages it will stand the enduring witness to grave and resolute conduct; to privations and sacrifices; to thrift and frugality; to domestic love and unaffected piety; to rectitude in thought as well as in life; to earnest principles and true beliefs; to Christian fidelity and faith...here and now we rededicate ourselves to a more fervent love for man as man; to a braver allegiance to truth for truth's sake, and this 'in the name of God'; and Amen and Amen!"

Thanks to the brilliant work of artist Hammett Billings, architect, sculpture, painter, and illustrator, he gave form and substance to a belief, a truth which I believe America has carelessly abandoned. For those that care, this memorial convicts us daily of our forsaking of the truth.

Hammett Billings

Faith, the central figure is pointing upwards toward heaven while holding an open Bible and with one foot standing on Plymouth Rock. She is facing the harbor towards the east, the direction from which the Pilgrims came to America. It was faith that brought them to Plymouth Rock and faith in the God of the Bible that sustains us.The star on her forehead seems to indicate an intellectual faith...a faith reasoned from the Bible.

Seated on thrones, surrounding the base of the monument are four figures, established on the foundation of faith in God.

Liberty and Morality

Morality, is holding the Ten Commandments in one hand and the scroll of Revelation in the other. She is wearing a collar similar to the breastplate of the the High Priest in Old Testament times. The Pilgrims believed that the Commandments were God's standard for right and wrong, and that the New Testament directed their personal lives as well.
Law, has a very powerful looking facial expression with piercing eyes. One hand is extended and the other is holding the civil statutes and ordinances for a town or commonwealth. Beneath his throne are small statuettes of Justice and Mercy. All men are equal before the Law, and no one should be given special privileges because of birth or wealth. Law convicts of wrong, yet extends its hand of mercy.
Education, is the most youthful of all the seated statues. She is wearing a wreath on her head and pointing to truth in a book of knowledge. Below the figure on either side are statuettes of Wisdom and Youth, led by Experience. Children were expected to absolutely respect and obey their parents; as a result great wisdom was expected of them.
Liberty, is the strongest looking of all the statues. Wearing a helmet, breastplate and sandals, together with a sword resting on his knee, he is dressed in typical Roman armor. Broken chains tell the story that he is free. A slain lion over his back indicates that he has won a great victory. Maintaining liberty requires vigilance.

There is much more that can be said about this great monument. Let's learn from history and return to the truths this monument proclaims and its creators believed. Let's return to the God of our fathers and pray daily for our nation.

May today be all you need it to be. May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule your dreams, and conquer all your fears. May God manifest Himself  to you each day in special ways and may your joys be fulfilled and your prayers be answered. May faith rise to new heights as you experience peace, healing, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, and a true and undying love for God. Amen

I hope you will watch actor Kirk Cameron's excellent talk given at the monument site in 2010. He gets it... and says it much better than I.

View it here

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Hark! The angels are singing

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

That pretty much says it

May you have a blessed Christ -mas

Thanksgiving 2011

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. 

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. 

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789. 





AMEN

Humiliation, Sacrifice, Resurrection

Though Jesus was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force. On the contrary, he emptied himself, in that he took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are.

And when he appeared as a human being, he humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death - death on a stake as a criminal!

Therefore God raised him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name; that in honor of the name given Jesus, every knee will bow - in heaven, on earth and under the earth -

and every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus the Messiah is the Lord, Jehovah - to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus said, "I AM the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in me will live, even if he dies; and everyone living and trusting in me will never die.

Life and Death

I just finished reading a book the other day titled "Healing Grace" by David A. Seamands. The book ends with a story that sort of dramatically puts the whole premise of the book into crystal clear perspective.

Life Goes On - 24"x 36" - Oil

Franz-Josef I, Emperor of Austria died in November of 1916. The House of the Hapsburgs had been the ruling power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1273, and its family was a major political force in Europe until the Great War of 1914-1918. The funeral of Franz-Josef I is significant because it was the last of the grandiose imperial funerals.

The Hapsburgs are buried in the family crypt located in the basement of the Capucin Monastery of Vienna. On the day of the funeral, the entire court assembled in full white dress, their hats covered with ostrich plumes. A military band played somber dirges and an anthem by Haydn. The cortege wound its way down stairs illuminated with flaming torches, bearing the coffin draped in the imperial colors, black and gold. Finally it reached the great iron doors of the crypt, behind which stood the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna, along with his entourage of high church officials.

The officer in charge of the procession was the Court Marshall. As he approached the closed door and pounded on it with the hilt of his ceremonial sword, he was following a ceremony prescribed from time immemorial. "Open!" he commanded.

"Who goes there?" intoned the Cardinal.

"We bear the remains of His Imperial and Apostolic Majesty, Franz-Josef I, by the Grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Defender of the Faith, Prince of Bohemia-Moravia, Grand Duke of Lombardy, Venezia, Styrgia..." And so on, through the thirty-seven titles of the Emperor.

"We know him not," replied the Cardinal, from beyond the door. "Who goes there?"

"We bear the remains of His Majesty, Franz-Josef I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary" - this very abbreviated form was allowed only in dire emergencies.

"We know him not," came the Cardinal's reply again.

"Who goes there?"

"We bear the body of Franz-Josef, our brother, a sinner like us all!"

Whereupon, the massive doors swung slowly open and Franz-Josef was borne within.

My comments here are not to be critical of the emperor, the Hapsburgs or the unholy alliance of religion and power. My sole intention is to enjoy the profound truth this story illustrates...the truth that... titles, accomplishments, intellect, sincerity of motives, justification of our behavior, generosity, fame, power, popularity, wealth, and a host of other things that we consider qualifies us to enter the gates...none of them amount to a thimble full of worthiness.

Lying Down in Green Pastures - 30"x 40" - Oil

Only receiving the healing grace of God, extended to us through the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, will open those gates of pearl.

The funeral story led me to a couple of paintings I have done. The first, Life Goes On is about life and death...the pursuit of living and at the same time the inevitable reality of death. What about those in the cemetery? How many entered the heavenly gates because they received the grace of God through faith, and how many died in their worldly pursuits, bringing an armload of self achievement but not allowed entry? The second, Lying Down in Green Pastures is a painting of peace and contentment.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.

It's by grace that anyone is saved...and that through faith. Salvation does not come of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should be able to boast.

"Healing Grace", David A. Seamands - Victor Books, Wheaton, IL 1988

Silence

I love the silence after a freshly fallen snow, that all enveloping quiet that penetrates to the very soul. I am awed. I am humbled. I am speechless. I am silent. There are no other distractions... only communion with God.

"Silence" - 9"x 12" - Oil

"Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life."

-Dallas Willard-

Below are some extraordinary thoughts excerpted from: The Reading Room - water's edge

We have an infinite void in our hearts that we attempt to fill with noise, people, busyness, possessions, and other finite things. This is a major sickness in our culture.

We are addicted to noise. We need noise. We've got to have noise. Silence steals away the distractions of life which anesthetize us from the feeling that our lives are still empty. Noise helps us live on the banks of denial. Noise keeps us concentrated on something else...anything else.

Silence is the practice of quieting every voice, including our own inner and outer voices. Silence means being still so that we can hear the Voice that searches our hearts and minds. We must quiet our own hearts and mouths if we are to be able to listen to the voice of God.

Solitude and silence, combined with an engaged mind, are practices that can open our lives up to the grace of God. God says, "Be still, and know that I am God". In solitude and silence, and with a mind actively waiting on God, we will be enabled to view life as God reveals it to us. We will consider our actions and the motives behind them. We will consider the actions of others and allow God to season our response with compassion and forgiveness because we first recognize the compassion and forgiveness God has shown to us.

Blessings to each of you this Christmas.

Land of the Pilgrim's Pride

This will be the last posting in this series I've been doing celebrating the United States becoming an independent nation...under God.

In the 1990's I did a series of paintings based on the first verse of the song America. I did six paintings all together. This is the fifth in the series. I thought it a good idea to share with you what really made our country great. Our country is in turmoil right now. We have lost our way but I'm convinced there is hope for us if we return to the God of the Bible.

Let me share with you the motivation behind this painting.

Little do we know, much of the time, what a significant impact our seemingly mundane words and actions have upon people, even nations. The Pilgrims were such a people. Little did they know that their decision to resist the state church of England under King James I in the early 1600's, by boldly standing for what they believed, would rock the kingdom of darkness and lay the foundation for a new nation and system of government in the new world.

As a small group of people living in the village of Scrooby, north of Nottinghamshire in England, they believed in: a) freedom of individual conscience; b) freedom of worship; c) the right to communicate with God directly; d) simplicity of religious life; e) purity of doctrine and practice; and f) strict adherence to Biblical principles.

As a result of these beliefs they separated themselves from the established state church, its rituals, doctrine and bishops. Therefore they became known as Separatists, Brownists (after Rev. Robert Browne, a prominent separatist in the 1580's), Puritans and nonconformists, among other things.

Even though it was King James who acceded to the Puritans request for a new translation of the Bible, known today as the King James Bible, the Puritans were still not tolerated.

King James, believing he ruled by "divine right," proclaimed "I will have one doctrine and one discipline, one religion in substance and ceremony...I shall make them conform themselves, or I will harry them out of the land or else do worse. If any would not be quiet, and show his obedience, he were worthy to be hanged."

The virtually unheard of Forefathers Monument in Plymouth, MA., commemorates the landing of the Pilgrims in the new world 390 years ago on December 22, 1620. It also honors what they believed. One of the figures surrounding the monument is entitled "Education," and suggests that the Pilgrims came to the new world for their posterity - for their children and their children's children.

The figure "Education," represented here by the lamp stand, shows a youthful person pointing to truth in a book of knowledge, showing that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. On her head is a laurel wreath representing education as a crowning victory for youth who are able to use wisdom as they learn from others with more experience.

The grandfather with his granddaughter symbolizes the wisdom of old age and the energy of youth. He is reading to her from the famous "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan, teaching her of the things of life as illustrated in the incredible story of pilgrim.

The Bible on the sofa, our guide for victorious living, is a tribute to King James who authorized the first English translation of the Holy Scriptures.

The wilted flower expresses the sorrow felt over the decline of our society and of public education as God has been removed from our homes and schools. On the chest-of-drawers is a model of the "Mayflower" which carried the 102 pilgrims to America and on the wall is N.C.Wyeth's painting "The Mayflower Compact," a document many believe to be the very foundation of our United States Constitution.

Land Where My Fathers Died

Continuing the theme, celebrating the United States becoming an independent nation...under God, this is the fourth painting of six I did in the 1990's based on the first verse of the song America.

I ask the question here...Can true lasting peace be purchased? Can it be negotiated? Can it be forced by military conquest? Are peace and safety the rights of a nation? Do they have to be fought for or do they just happen?

George Washington said, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." Abraham Lincoln said, "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it." Thomas Jefferson felt that peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy. Theodore Roosevelt more closely approached the truth when he said, "Peace is normally a great good, and normally it coincides with righteousness, but it is righteousness and not peace which should bind the conscience of a nation as it should bind the conscience of an individual; and neither a nation nor an individual can surrender conscience to another's keeping."

Our forefathers, because they abided in the light of Holy Scripture, made many decisions based on its truths that were good for this nation and its people. America prospered because of its strong character as a result of her trust in God. Once again the Scriptures were proven to be true: "You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and character) is stayed on Thee...who commits himself to Thee, leans on Thee and hopes confidently in Thee."

Can a nation expect to continue to abide in peace and safety apart from God? Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great Russian thinker and author, offers the following explanation for the great disasters that have befallen Russia and now the world including the United States: "Men have forgotten God."

Let us heed the voice of wisdom. Let not the sacrifices and blood shed by our fathers be in vain. Will our children dwell in peace and safety as we have? Only if we once again turn back to God can we have that assurance.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety."

Sweet Land of Liberty

This painting, done in the early 1990's, is the second of four paintings I will be featuring in this blog. The series of six paintings were inspired by the first verse of the song America written in 1832 by Samuel F. Smith.

Sweet Land of Liberty celebrates the wonderful freedoms we have enjoyed for well over 200 years.

When the painting was created, my purpose was not only to do a beautiful painting and celebrate the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, but also to sound a warning that our freedoms are in jeopardy. Now, things have changed. The warning has become an alarm. Please consider the following comments I made back then concerning this painting.

Because many of the early colonists were concerned that the Constitution did not specifically assure them of certain rights, a Bill of Rights, generally recognized as the first ten amendments, was written to alleviate those concerns. It was ratified on November 3, 1791.

Sweet Land of Liberty gives thanks for our American heritage. The model of the Santa Maria recognizes the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. The banner of the Statue of Liberty proclaims that we are a melting pot of many different nationalities free to immigrate to these shores and plant roots in American soil. The White House banner remembers 200 years since its construction.

The clock, its time approaching twelve, is a warning that the freedoms we have enjoyed and taken for granted are in great jeopardy. The Bill of Rights, written by our Founding Fathers, has been repeatedly reinterpreted by the Supreme Court until it has lost the intent of the original writers.

Patrick Henry said, "This nation was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Those establishing this country took for granted that America was to be a Christian nation founded upon Christian principles. Freedom of religion was the freedom from one denomination ruling the nation. It did not mean a nation free from religion. Nor did it mean, as interpreted in Engel vs. Vitale, 1962 that the Church and state must be separate. Prayer now is discouraged in the schools and in 1980 the Ten Commandments started disappearing from the walls of the classrooms.

The Founding Fathers knew what would make and keep America strong but we have sadly cast off our moorings. James Madison wrote, "We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." Let us not forget. My Country, 'Tis of Thee.

Let us remember our precious country this Thanksgiving and give thanks to God for His bountiful blessings.

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

For most of the 1990's I did a series of paintings (one per year) celebrating the United States becoming an independent nation, one nation...under God. The series was based on the song "America", written in 1832 by Samuel F. Smith. The painting above, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", recalls probably the greatest truth of all, that America was founded, established, and is maintained by the hand of Almighty God.

Over the next few weeks, I will show several of these paintings.

The young boy, in the painting, is wrapped in an American flag declaring in a powerful way that America is indeed his country. With his mind filled with the adventures and hardships experienced by the founding fathers, he pauses from his model building for a moment to give thanks and to reflect on those experiences as expressed in the book, The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.

The replica of the Mayflower being built by the young boy is a clear and present reminder of the separatists who bought passage on the merchant ship headed to the New World. They sought religious asylum after separating themselves from the corrupted Church of England.

From Christopher (Christ-bearer) Columbus, who was convinced that God had given him a special mission to take the light of Christ into the darkness of undiscovered heathen lands; to the separatists; to the signers of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,1776; to George Washington, who led us in our fight for independence - most realized that it was God's hand that protected us and raised us up as a nation.

As the modern aircraft, in the painting, hanging from a string with canopy, wing, landing gear and nose cone missing indicates - our hope as a nation is not in our technology, science or military hardware but in God alone. My country, truly is of Thee.

High quality prints from this series are available. To purchase, select "Prints" on this website.