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Books by
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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever
is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable
- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. --
Philippians 4:8 |
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A BOX OF PAINTS |
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In the closet, hidden by piles
of odds and ends, sits a forgotten box of paints. Long dried streaks of
paint hang on the bottles, forever frozen in time. The lids are seemingly
cemented in place and can't be removed. If only the artist would return and
create a masterpiece. What would he paint? A portrait, a still-life, or
perhaps a landscape? Each color has a purpose. If placed properly on a
canvas, a new world would come alive. A story would be told about an object
in its place and time.
High on the shelf of this closet lies an artist's canvas. It's covered
by years of dust. In colors faded by the years is not a forest cabin, a
mountain waterfall, or a moonlit beach but blotches of color. They are just
undefined shapes randomly and carelessly painted on the canvas. What was the
artist trying to portray? On the back of the canvas, written in an unsteady
hand are these words:
I am old now and can't paint small details any more. My shaky, arthritic
hands won't let me control the brush very well. For the longest time I'd
completely given up on even making an attempt. Then one night as I was
praying, I received an inspiration for one last painting. My family saw it
and didn't understand its meaning. This is what I told them.
Goldenrod is for the flowers of the field.
Yellow is for the sunshine on a clear summer day.
Aquamarine is for the oceans.
Green is for the forests.
Blue is for the sky and the rivers.
Tan is for my skin from years of work in the fields.
Bittersweet is for my memories, good and bad.
Turquoise is for the gems of my life - my family and friends.
Maize is for the puzzling problems of my life.
Gray is for the times I couldn't find my way.
Olive green is for the vine of which we're all a part.
Brick red is for the foundation of my faith - Jesus Christ.
Pink is for the newborn Christ lying in the manger.
Salmon is for the fish he fed the multitudes.
Silver is for the coins of Judas' betrayal.
Mahogany is for the cross Jesus died on.
Rust is for the nails driven through his hands.
Red is for the blood he shed on the cross.
Black is for the sins for which he died.
Limestone gray is for the Rock of My Salvation.
Gold is for the streets of Heaven.
White is for God. |
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