Artistic Theology

                                       This is the second of three posts about the parable of The Sower and the artwork it inspired. In the first post, we defined parables and why Jesus used them. We also looked at the first two soils - the hardened wayside soil and the rocky soil. Here, we will look at the last two soils and the accompanying relief prints.  In the next post, we will look at the sower himself, think about the parable in universal terms and view the large, mixed media artwork that I created from this scripture. The Thorny Soil "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it."  (Luke 8:7) Jesus' explanation: "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of  this  life, and bring no fruit to perfection ."  ( Luke 8:14) The third type o...

                                                   The parables of Jesus are much more than simple stories that contain moral values - they are significant truths that reveal the "mysteries of the kingdom of God" and are meant to be understood and applied by those who follow him. (Luke 8:10)  Although  Jesus often taught in parables during his earthly ministry, he did not often give an explanation of the parable afterwards. In fact, when Jesus' disciples asked him why he spoke in parables to the people, he quoted Isaiah 6 "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears they are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." He then explained to his close followers "Unto you it i...

        We are all travelers in this world.  Some would say this world is a dark place because each of us faces challenges, uncertainty, trials and tough decisions. Some would say it is a light place, because the world also contains abundant beauty; and we enjoy happiness, delight and wonder. Yet, it is not simply a matter of view.   The physical world and the spiritual world are two things which are quite different, yet connected. The  Bible tells us that the world is in spiritual darkness, and people need the "light of life" in order to walk through it without stumbling.   Jesus said "I am come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me will not abide in darkness." (John 12:46)* Jesus calls himself "the light of the world" and promises "he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." ( John 8:12)    We have been given the Bible to provide this light - "Thy word is a lamp unto m...

                                    The Bible is totally unique in that it provides irrefutable proof of truth in its hundreds of fulfilled prophecies, writing history sometimes thousands of years in advance. Scripture unmistakably identifies Jesus Christ as the Messiah over 330 Old testament prophecies alone, detailing his birth, death and resurrection. Mathematicians like Peter Stoner, (author, professor and Chairman of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena College and Chairman of Science at Westmont College,) calculated the mathematical probability of one person fulfilling just eight of the prophecies. He found that the probability is 1 in 10 to the 17th power -    100,000,000,000,000,000.  He went further and discovered that one person fulfilling just 48 of  the prophecies is  1 in 10 157  probability.   Let's look at just one of these prophesies, detaili...

                                        The Bible story of David and Goliath is famous for the extraordinary courage and faith of a shepherd boy who defeated the most powerful warrior on earth. Many archeological sites and discoveries have been unearthed since the Tel Dan Stele (1993)  that provide evidences consistent with the Biblical history surrounding this account. From the "house of David" inscription recorded by Israel's enemies to giant-sized city structures, weapons and tools fit for extraordinarily large humans, these discoveries support the accuracy and truth of the Bible.   There are many lessons one can learn from the narrative of David and Goliath. Many people draw parallels with bravery, faith and the belief that God can use seemingly insignificant people to accomplish the impossible. I chose to focus on something a little different when preparing a VBS lesso...

The Church of Philadelphia Before we look at the letter to the Church of Philadelphia, we should recall that the last four letters are different than the first three. They have a different configuration in that the promise to the Overcomer is moved into the body of the letter, and they all contain a clearly expressed reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ, whereas the first three do not.   The name Philadelphia means "brotherly love", signifying the love that believers are to have for one another. Like the Church of Smyrna, Philadelphia was not criticized or condemned, but only given encouragement and promises. Jesus presents himself to this church as holy, true and having the Key of David, with all the authority that entails. He tells them "thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name." (Rev 3:8) This echos Jesus words while he was on earth "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also befor...

                                  The Church of Pergamos      The name Pergamos comes from the suffix "per" which means improper or undesirable and "gamos" which means to marry or marrying.  So, Pergamos literally had a name that meant "undesirable marriage," which is a fitting description of this church; since it was characterized by being married to the world.       We are told in scripture "to be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) It comes as no surprise that when the church could not be stamped out from without by means of persecution and execution, Satan turned to the tactic of conquering from within.      The church of Pergamos was commended for holding fast to the faith and the name of Christ even though they were located in an area renowned for pa...

                    In the beginning of the book of Revelation, Jesus gives John seven letters to send to seven churches existing at that time in Asia Minor, which is present day Turkey.  These letters contained words of encouragement, warning and promises that held meaning for not only for these specific churches, but also for the church and individual believer throughout the ages.     Many scholars believe t here are several levels of meaning contained within these letters. First, there is the local level, as these were written to literal churches in Asia Minor. Second, there is an admonitory level - as Jesus words of  admonishment, warning and encouragement are edifying to the church throughout the ages. The third is a personal level, as the words within each letter - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit sayeth unto the churches" - are directions for the individual. You and I can choose to "hear"...

                                          The book of Revelation is a powerful, divine disclosure from God, written specifically for believers, that unfolds the history and future of the church and reveals the culmination of end-time prophesies about world events. The word Revelation comes from the Greek word "apocalypse" - which is singular - meaning the unveiling of Jesus Christ.  Sometimes you may hear people incorrectly refer to the book of Revelations - but it is only one Revelation - the whole book being about the unveiling of Jesus Christ.  At the beginning of the book, John is recorded as the man to whom God gave the task of writing down the heavenly visions and words he saw and heard.  Some scholars believe this John, who describes himself as an exile on the Isle of Patmos for his Christian testimony, wrote this around AD 95. Below are the opening verses of t...