Ask, Seek, Knock

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;

and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you, then, though you are evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father in heaven

give good gifts to those who ask him!

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

- Matthew 7:7-12

Darkness Into Light

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

- Psalm 18:28

Heaven's Loss

This is one of my absolute favourite paintings by Ron DiCianni, called “Heaven’s Loss.” Although it’s not clear in this picture I posted, when you see this up close you will see a tear on the angel’s face. That one tear is what makes this picture so powerful to me. The explanation behind the painting is this:
“The first Christmas was a blessing and a time of rejoicing for mankind. The Saviour was born! However, in heaven a different story was unfolding. The first Christmas represents a loss for heaven as one of the Godhead came to Earth. Heaven’s Loss dramatically depicts that while mankind was celebrating the birth of a King, the angels were weeping for they knew what man did not. They knew Jesus was not born for Christmas – He was born for Easter.”
What a beautiful picture to think of as Christmas approaches.

Think Twice

Here is another one of my favourites from C28.com...

"Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies."
- Psalm 34:13

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."
- James 3:3-12

The Lord Determines His Steps

Here's another favourite NOTW/c28 design that I just love:

"In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps."
- Proverbs 16:9

I Will Not Forsake Them

Here's my C28.com favourite pic of the week!

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

- Isaiah 42:16

Design of the Week

I very often buy clothing from a company online called C28.com - I absolutely love their designs of Christian-based art. The main "brand" there is called NOTW (Not Of This World), and I particularly love their work. So every week I want to post an example of their work... just a pic to show the kind of stuff they offer. :)

I'll start with my favourite: